Kevin's Watch

Godzilla 2 is currently filming and it has been speculated that the sequel to the first film would feature some classic Kaiju characters like King Ghidora, Rodan and...Mothra?

This is a pretty straightforward question...

Why does anybody care about Mothra?

The giant moth from the Godzilla film series...doesn't do anything.

The twin fairies speak for Mothra at times and give us a number of important bits of exposition but what exactly does Mothra do to either battle or assist Godzilla besides repeatedly blow air with her wings?

As a Caterpillar she was able to spray silly string on Godzilla but aside from that I don't get it. During the few times Godzilla has been laying down Mothra grabbed him by the tail and drug him short distance but I'm not seeing the monstrous threat assigned to the character and I never have.

If you want to fly around and blow air at stuff you have Rodan for that.

Maybe its just me.
Maybe I'm unaware of some critical piece of Mothra lore that, if known, would change my opinion of the most inoffensive of all the giant monsters.

Hashi Lebwohl wrote:Mothra has her own Wikipedia article for your reading enjoyment. I will also link Mothra's original film page over at IMDB.

Any similarity to Insectosaurus from Monsters vs. Aliens is completely incidental.

Thanks for the links, Hashi.

However I find no specific information as to what exactly Mothra's worth is beyond references to the character "battling" Godzilla or being killed by Godzilla or nearly killed by Ghidora. Or being killed and its offspring doing "battle" and then becoming an adult and then being killed.

I've seen many of the films that are referenced and aside from flying around and being killed I don't know what Mothra does to engender such a devoted fan base.

I guess the answer will just elude me. Maybe its because I find butterflies and moths to be fragile and inoffensive and can't relate to the mindset that produced the idea in the first place.

Bob: "I've got it! How about we make a giant ball of puppy fur to battle Godzilla!" Looking hopeful.
Jim: "You are crazy. A ball of soft, puppy fur wouldn't be very fearsome." Becoming angry.
Bob: "I guess you are right." Looking dejected.
Jim: "We only have five more minutes before we have to pitch a new idea." Looking grim.
Bob: "Wait, how about a giant butterfly?" Sporting a hopeful look.
Jim: "Now you are beginning to finally think like a professional screen writer." Nods and smiles.

Also...

aTOMiC wrote:The giant moth from the Godzilla film series...doesn't do anything.

Well, that's got reinvention written all over it, doesn't it?

Case closed.

wayfriend wrote: Well, that's got reinvention written all over it, doesn't it?

Case closed.

Indeed.

kids like Mothra. kids have parents. parents have money.

sgt.null wrote:kids like Mothra. kids have parents. parents have money.

But...kids liked Mothra when WE were kids.

I'm not sure if kids even know what or who Mothra is these days unless they happen to watch a movie with their nostalgia fogged parents.

My question is why did THEY (the parents) like Mothra.

I never did.

Maybe this will explain. Mothra is the Washington Generals of the giant monster movies. In case you don't know, the Washington Generals are the team that plays against the Harlem Globetrotters, and they always lose. They are inoffensive and set up by design to be knocked over in the last minutes of the game by those that they are expecting you to see and be rooting for. And the Washington Generals have fan pages too. Probably because some people root for the underdog no matter what.

And what's up with these guys, anyway?

It's karaoke night at the J-Pop club.

I've always liked the idea of a bunch of writers sitting around a table brainstorming the next movie monster:

"What about a giant bug or insect?"
"That could work. Maybe a spider?"
"Nah, too obvious. Let's make it a cockroach or something."
"That's just gross. We need something scary. What about a wasp or a scorpion?"
"No, I've got it. A moth."


Moths give me the creeps. And yet, a giant moth would probably be pretty harmless. Mothra is exactly what Mothra should be. As to why, I don't know. I didn't read the article because I don't want to spoil my mental image of a writer who feels the same way as I do about moths.

Cag, all these years later, I still stare at your signature gif and crack up! I swear, it never gets old!

all you need to defeat Mothra is a big light...

sgt.null wrote:all you need to defeat Mothra is a big light...

The sun?

aTOMiC wrote:

sgt.null wrote:all you need to defeat Mothra is a big light...

The sun?

Godzilla IV: The Quest for Peace.


(Godzilla Facepalm)

Fist and Faith wrote:Cag, all these years later, I still stare at your signature gif and crack up! I swear, it never gets old!

I would probably post more if I wasn't distracted by these ladies. And the Sacred Chao