When it comes to the king of the (giant movie) monsters, sure,Godzilla takes the top spot. Not evenKing Kongcan come close, even if Kong has the title “King” and he had his first movie released more than 20 years before Godzilla’s first. But after those two, as far as picking a bronze medalist goes, a decent number of contenders emerge. Gamera is quite legendary, initially being a Godzilla knock-off of sorts but growing in stature over time, and then another King that isn’t Kong, King Ghidorah, is also incredible. But then Mothra emerges, and though she admittedly at first seems like just a giant moth, she’s oddly endearing and memorable in her own way.
She’s well-known for being the most famous female kaiju, celebrated for what’s basically an inability to die (she’s reborn many times, as technically different creatures that all share a spirit, in a way), and beloved for always being a heroic kaiju.When Godzilla is saving humanity, she’ll be on Godzilla’s side, and when he shifts into villain mode, she’ll often show up to try and stop him. She’s a rather adorable yet ferocious underdog of a giant movie monster, and has had several solo movies that are surprisingly free of Godzilla (that is despite most of her best-known appearances being inGodzillafilms). Those movies are ranked below, starting with the decent and ending with the surprisingly good.
4’Rebirth of Mothra II' (1997)
Director: Kunio Miyoshi
It would be nice ifRebirth of Mothra IIwas an improvement on the first movie, but it’s not, and so this 1990s trilogy ultimately needs to be discussed and broken down out of chronological order.Some sequels equal or surpass the originals, but not this one… though thankfully,Rebirth of Mothra IIisn’t without some redeeming values… just less so than the other films in theRebirth of Mothratrilogy. This moviecontinues the fantasy feel (over sci-fi)found in the firstRebirth of Mothra, and pits the titular kaiju (well, technically avariation of Mothra called Mothra Leo) against a sea monster known as Dagahra.
In fairness, Dagahra isa pretty cool-looking kaiju, andsome of the fight sequences between it and Mothra are satisfying in a somewhat cheesy yet endearing way. But then there are large stretches ofRebirth of Mothra IIthat suffer in comparison to the action-packed parts; namely, the human storyline is pretty uninspired stuff. There’s a focus on makingRebirth of Mothra IIkid-friendly, which isn’t inherently bad, though it doesn’t charm quite as much as some of the better family-friendlyGodzillaorGamerafilms do. Mothra fans will like this one, and it’s worth watching as part of an overall trilogy, though it inevitably emerges as the weakest entry in said trilogy.
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3’Rebirth of Mothra' (1996)
Director: Okihiro Yoneda
TheRebirth of Mothratrilogy avoids being one of those raretrilogies where the first movie is the worst, because the original here is slightly better than the aforementioned Rebirth of Mothra II. The two best entries within this trio of movies, though flawed, were both directed byOkihiro Yoneda, so take that for what it’s worth. Anyway, 1996’sRebirth of Mothrais a fairly confident start to a run of soloMothramovies thatcan be compared to the HeiseiGameratrilogy, with those three movies also coming out around the same time (1995 to 1999)… though those ones are admittedly a little more high-quality.
Rebirth of Mothramanages to be somewhat emotional, with much of the storyline focused on an aging Mothra who has to contend with a King Ghidorah-like monster called Desghidorah, all the while hoping to give birth to a new Mothra that can continue what she does – namely, protecting Earth. Again, explaining these all out of order… that new kaiju has already been mentioned: Leo Mothra. 1996’sRebirth of Mothracan be compared toGodzilla vs. Destoroyah, released in 1995,which had a similarly emotional storyline following Godzilla (who’s dying) and Godzilla Jr. That one was a better film and more impactful overall, butRebirth of Mothradefinitely isn’t bad, and will probably decently please most fans of kaiju movies.
Mothra vs. Godzilla
A new Mothra takes to the air and battles against Desghidorah to save all of humanity.
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2’Mothra' (1961)
Director: Ishirō Honda
Before she was asometimes friend and sometimes foe to Godzilla, Mothra debuted in her own solo movie way back in 1961. Significantly, this was only seven years after the firstGodzillamovie, and also came out three years before the two monsters faced off. Notably, that 1964 film was calledMothra vs. Godzilla, so she was technically placed before Godzilla in the title, so that’s kind of huge, when you think about it. But still, 1961’sMothraisn’t quiteperfect like Godzilla’s first film, andMothra vs. Godzillamight arguably be better too, but this one still delivers the goods as far as classic kaiju cinema goes.
Mothra(1961) is a solid introduction to all things regarding the titular monster, her original home (Infant Island), and the mythology surrounding her; namely, there are tiny people who live on the same island as Mothra, and there are two fairies among them who can sing to summon Mothra, the island’s goddess. It’s silly on paper, but it all works here, and it’s a fun introduction to a character that would go on to be a staple of the remarkableGodzillaseries.It establishes Mothra as a wholesome and heroic giant monster right from the start, and it’s hard not to love her after seeing this film.
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1’Rebirth of Mothra III' (1998)
Some people will argue that the original soloMothramovie is the best, or at least the most pure, and that’s okay. But, forthose who like their kaiju movies gonzoand/or in the same vein as something like the bonkersGodzilla: Final Wars,Rebirth of Mothra IIIhas you covered. Even if one’s not quite as much of a fan of this style of kaiju film, it’s not a hot take to say thatRebirth of Mothra IIIis the best of theRebirthtrilogy, in any event,finding the most for the titular character to do, and having the previously mentioned Leo Mothra face off against the one and only King Ghidorah.
Well, Mothra faces off against a younger version of King Ghidorah, because time travel is involved and ultimately necessary for the eternal underdog that is Mothra to defeat such a fearsome foe. Going back many years,Rebirth of Mothra IIIalso features dinosaurs and further variations of Mothra, making it feel bigger, wilder, and certainly more ambitious than priorMothramovies. It’s goofy stuff at times, but undoubtedly a ton of fun for anyone after such a thing, withRebirth of Mothra IIIarguably emerging as one ofthe more underrated kaiju movies out there.
