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spongebobssquarepants · 1 month

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#memes #movies #meme #twitter #twitter meme #posts #funny #movie theater #movie critic #reblog #kane52630

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ki11tr4p · 6 months

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Like c’mon what were they expecting?

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nanmemes · 6 months

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It’s insane how out of touch movie critics are.

#fnaf movie #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #five nights at Freddy’s movie #rotten tomatoes #movie critic #source: that one film theory episode about how rotten tomatoes movie critics are out of touch

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virginia-the-opossum · 1 month

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Im not seeing alot of posts on here about this, but i have on youtube sooo...

Doctor Skipper, Nerdstagic, Cinema Sins, Rotten tomato critics, other movie critics and youtube movie reveiwers have ruined media literacy by their need for money.

All they do is sit around and hypercritic movies that they know jack shit about while pretending they do, some of them havent even watched the movie, they just want attention and to ruin the movie for its fandom and its chance in the box office.

Doctor Skipper and Nerdstagic have both made videos shitting on the Monsterverse and American Godzilla in general because Godzilla Minus One was "better". Yeah, the movie was awesome! And it deserves all the attention and The Oscar it got. But GxK: The New Empire isnt even out yet, stop bullying it, telling people something is going to be trash before they see it, means theyre going to view it as trash through the lense of your opinion.

Godzilla Minus One and GxK: The New Empire dont compare, they are two separate genres. Godzilla is allowed to be goofy or serious. There is no right or wrong Godzilla. If you like goofy, good for you! If you like serious, good for you! People are allowed to enjoy the two genres separately or together. I love both! But critics dont look at the fact that in the og showa era made by ToHo, it was goofy as hell, he was doing dances and flying using his breath.

The directors of both movies support each other and love each other's work.

Yes, all the shitty sequel cash grabs we've been getting are awful. But Godzilla isn't that,.... yet. If we keep getting divided on these issues and only viewing them to trash and meme, that spreads negative interest, but more profits. More profits means theyre gonna do it again. Boycott movies you know you wont like, but leave other people alone about it, and especially don't make videos without researching the subject or even watching the movies. Just like some of the recent Marvel movies and shows, if we let it turn into a cash grab, our fandom will inevitably die. Like the posters and trailers for GxK- "Rise together or fall alone".

Sidenote: theres nothing funny about the Lucky Dragon Incident.

Sidenote 2: Please stop spoiling GxK

Edit Sidenote 3: stop using ai for your clickbait thumbnails for your edits of GxK trailers

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zebracorn-chan · 6 months

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If you're upset the FNaF Movie got low ratings by critics I would like to remind you what they think about "Cuties".

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gyarucoded · 6 months

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quick loki preview bc i have fallen down the rabbit hole since i have nothing else new to watch

the way loki used his magic was such a serve omg

i'm still in love with b-15 ♡

i appreciate the subtle humor, the jokes in other new mcu contents (minus the guardians of the galaxy) annoy me but here it's well balanced yet funny👍

when brad said "playing dress up" to loki idk what he fully meant but my mind wandered to teen loki switching fem presenting & borrowing [stealing] frigga's clothing to try them on for funsies n shit (i used to do that w my mom's wedding clothes as a child 2 lol)

when brad was messing w/ loki he had the opportunity to do the most suicidal thing ever and add sth like "who isn't even your real mother" after bringing up frigga (bro would have gotten ANNIHILATED Ijbol)

the slap was so funny & satisfying at the same time. i didn't saw it coming but i love this side of mobius

this ep's genuinely the most TERRIFYING loki has been in the mcu. in the chase scene and both of the interrogation. i absolutely support it idgaf !! he was more intimidating then he was in the first avengers movie which says a loooot

when loki mentioned the new york incident that was either lazy writing or babe got brain damage cuz i am pretty sure when he was mad at thor & odin that was in new mexico?? when he sent that metallic shit down or wtvt💀 to prevent thor from returning. but i forgive only because he mentioned tony lmfao

i love seeing sylvie finally being content. even if it was thru fuckass mcdonalds. i hope she won't be reduced to the "weird love interest" cuz her chara has potential and you can tell she's tired of this bs as well...

another episode of sylki being forced, toxic, keep disagreeing with & avoiding each other with rather tense chemistry instead of a romantic one they supposedly meant to have & being one sided as hell. their "romance" makes zero sense in this series' context & i could go off for longer regarding this topic but i'll save it for a seeperate post, later!

o.b & casey are so wholesome

bro i'm starting to ship lokius i think? (not in a fetishzing way i just like their dynamics and they just both happen to be dudes/male presenting) cuz i am sensing romantic & soulmate-ish undertones. sad that disney is a coward to make it canon...

overall i loved the 70s-90s vibes they seem to be going for. this show deffo has the best aesthetics we've seen in marvel phase 5 so far and i can't wait to see what's coming next.

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tulip-in-a-cup3 · 6 months

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Is the Romantic comedy is still relevant?

Like many, I have spent countless endless hours watching romantic comedies. At one point they were the only sort of film I consumed (a very dark period) and also one of the many sparks of my love of film. But as I grew, changed and discovered all sorts of different films I next to completely forgot all about rom-coms only really revisiting them when I feel the need to turn my brain off and watch pretty people do things on screen. But now when I do turn one on I can't help but but notice how painfully sexist and unproductive they can be.

The romantic comedy is a very popular offshoot of the classic comedy genre. Rom-coms have been around since the time of Shakespeare's A Midsummer's night dream. The romantic comedy focuses on the romantic relationship between two characters. The movie usually follows a fairly basic structure with the characters meeting, falling for each other, facing some sort of adversity, and ultimately having a happy ending with them together. That's not to say some don’t break out of this with 500 days of summer being a perfect example. This genre of film became increasingly popular particularly among women because it was one of the only times that women were at the forefront of a movie. They were also easy, quick, and incredibly cheap to make. Allowing them to make massive profits when it came to the box office. Although romcoms did see a significant decline during the late 2000s and early 2010s we have seen a steady increase in them since the rise of streaming platforms producing their movies. On these streaming platforms, romantic comedies have managed to find an audience but that poses the question: are romantic comedies still relevant today?

Most romantic comedies tend to all have main characters that are white, cis-gendered, heterosexual, skinny, and Neurotypical. The rom-con never really showed the range and forms love could take. Rom-coms also sprinkled in this lovely layer of misogynistic undertones. Films like How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days depict women as “emotional, irrational and clingy” and that all these behaviours do is drive a man away, men of course being the complete opposite of these behaviours. Bride wars also show women in questionable ways with the leads completely turning on each other simply because of a wedding venue. Reinforcing the stereotype that marriage is a woman’s number one endgame. Even my personal favourite Bridget Jones isn’t immune to the problems laced throughout rom-coms. Bridget acted like her very healthy 136lb made her disgustingly fat or the fact she felt her whole life was a failure due to her being SINGLE of all things. There are many more examples I don't wish to get into that show how Rom-coms treat women. But does this mean we need to throw them in the bin completely?

No of course not it was an unproductive question in the first place. rom-coms can be misogynistic, but they are also changing take for example movies like To All The Boys I've Loved Before which has an asian american protagonist or Crush on Disney Plus which has a lesbian lead and follows multiple lgbtq characters (although it did get next zero marketing and only me and like three other people know it about subject for another day). The rom-com is not the same anymore just like how the landscape of film has changed. People are demanding representation and slowly we are receiving it. The rom-com is also one of the only genres that is dominated by women and tearing it down and ripping into does in some regard play into the demonization of all things enjoyed by women. Rom-coms are still relevant because love is still relevant. We just need to see it done in a way that reflects the variety of love we have and doesn't reinforce outdated stereotypes about women OR men. Rom-coms bring a lot of joy and fun that cinema needs and branding them as not relevant is moving backwards.

#movie #movie review #cinemetography #movies #film #filmmaking #500 days of summer #bridget jones diary #bridget jones #how to lose a guy in 10 days #movie critic #feminism #to all the boys i've loved before #crush

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bigsillyclown · 5 months

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I haven’t seen trolls 3 yet but let me tell y’all grown men have rotted peoples brains when deciding that they know everything about animation for little kids because trolls 1 and 2 are good and I’ll fight you on that

Sorry but not every movie needs to be mature and lore driven

#trolls #trolls 1 #trolls world tour #trolls band together #movies #movie critic

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estelscinema · 4 months

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Poor Things Movie Review

Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

Since the beginning of his career, Yorgos Lanthimos has been pushing the boundaries of filmmaking. He is unafraid to handle difficult themes and complicated subjects with his strange aesthetic. So when he decides to adapt a whimsical Victorian science fiction novel that explores the complexities of what it means to be a woman, I would be down immediately. However, I wish I didn’t get my hopes so high for Poor Things as I am left deeply conflicted. On one hand, it is a technological achievement for Lanthimos. The world-building and the aesthetics of the film are beautiful. But on the other is an alarming and problematic story that is framed as female empowerment.

A mad scientist (Willem Dafoe) discovers a dead pregnant woman (Emma Stone) floating in the River Thames. Using his Frankenstein methods, he revives the woman by replacing her brain with that of her unborn child. As the weeks and months go by, her speech begins to become more coherent and her motor skills more refined. When she discovers masturbation, her “father” drafts up a contract for her to be married to his assistant (Ramy Youssef). However, before the marriage, she runs off with the lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) where she discovers her sexuality and the reality of human nature. From this synopsis, it sounds like a modern retelling of Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein”. However, Poor Things is more of a horror story than Frankenstein will ever be.

Throughout Poor Things, we witness Bella (Emma Stone), be groomed, sexually assaulted, and r*pe by men. However, instead of framing these atrocities for what they are, it is framed as female empowerment as she experiences her sexual awakening. As previously stated, Bella has the brain of a literal child, thus causing her to be emotionally immature and mentally handicapped, despite having the body of a fully grown woman. Many men immediately see her mental capacity and take full advantage of her. For example, when Duncan (Mark Ruffalo) arrives to draft up the marriage contract, he immediately notices that Bella is mentally handicapped, so he sexually assaults her. However, instead of framing it as a crime, Bella enjoys it and furthering her sexual awakening. Then the next thing you know, she runs away with her groomer, despite the fact she can barely put together a full sentence. However, her grooming does not end there. During a low point, she is manipulated by a Madam of a brothel, to sell herself to make some coin. But instead of framing this situation as a cautionary tale of selling yourself for money, it's framed as female empowerment as she is owning her sexuality. Despite the Madam being fully aware that she is mentally handicapped.

I don’t know about you, but if this does not make your skin crawl, I don’t know what I could say to you. This is a disgusting portrayal of feminism, as it frames these disgusting scenes of abuse and r*pe as sexual exploration. Poor Things is a r*pe fantasy of what men think female empowerment is, as it sexually exploits and sensationalizes Bella Baxter’s journey. From the uncomfortable close-up of Emma Stone experiencing orgasmic pleasure, to the sheer amount of fully nude shots Stone had compared to her male counterparts, is disgusting. I am fine with sex in film, but here it is so uncomfortable and unnecessary. Bella is reduced to nothing more than an experiment and a sex toy for men, as the film primarily focuses on her physicality and her relationships with men rather than showing her autonomy or resilience to sexism. Furthermore, by the end of the film, you wonder what it is saying. What I got was that the only way a woman can be enlightened, empowered, and strong is by having a lot of sex with other people. No offense but that comes across as a man's version of feminism.

Now within this r*pe fantasy, there are moments in Poor Things where it becomes classically feminist. While Bella is traveling on a boat to Alexandria she meets Martha (Hanna Schygulla) and Harry (Jerrod Carmichael). Unlike the rest of the film, Martha challenges Victorian-era norms as she exhibits a strong sense of independence and intelligence, unafraid to assert herself in a male-dominated society. While Harry acknowledges her intelligent wit and autonomy. Not once do they treat Bella as a sexual object. Together they teach Bella philosophy, literature, and human nature. Thus empowering her mind and spirit as she discovers there are more pleasures to life than sex. She learns of the mutual respect and admiration they have for one another, thus she begins to challenge her views of Victorian gender roles. Furthermore, when Bella is working in the brothel, she develops a close relationship with her co-workers highlighting the bonds between women. It’s a perfect highlight of feminine strength. However, these scenes are few and far in-between. I wish Poor Things would have explored these areas of feminism, as it shows that women are more than sexual objects. But sadly today feminism believes the only way women can be empowered is by having a lot of sex or by turning them into a man (it would have been funny if the baby was a boy).

To further add to the positives, I mostly enjoyed the performances, but I don’t think they are as groundbreaking as many people consider them to be. Emma Stone gives a very interesting performance. She is a very charismatic and versatile actor, which clearly shows in her performance when studying her body language and mannerisms But when studying her performance more, it does come across as a stereotype of someone who is mentally disabled. Her character is one-dimensional and her struggles and resilience seem to be non-existent in her performance. Whether this was writing, direction, acting, or all of the above, I expected more out of her than this stereotypical portrayal of someone who is mentally handicapped. Mark Ruffalo gives the standout performance in Poor Things. He is hysterical as his pathetic manchild of a character. However, an element missing from his performance that would have been a great extra layer would have been to frame his character for the sexual predatory that he is. Willem Dafoe is good here, but nothing really special. He is wasted as his character feels one note not only in writing but in theme. He never confronts his unethical Frankenstein methods, which is a massive waste of an opportunity. I greatly enjoyed the presents from Hanna Schygulla and Jerrod Carmichael, and I wished they were in the film more.

Furthermore, as with all Yorgos Lanthimos films, you know they will be technically spectacular. The production and costume design will fully immerse you into this Steampunk fantasy. The costumes are intricate and delicately textured, which feels both old and futuristic. The production design feels both old and futuristic with the flying rail cars to the Victorian interiors. The cinematography is beautiful with pastel-like colors that fill every frame. Furthermore, the score is unique and ties perfectly into Lanthimos’s aesthetics.

Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things presents a troubling array of issues that undermine its potential. If Bella had been a fully grown adult (both mentally and physically) who had just been sheltered her whole life, with predatory characters being framed as predatory characters, and less of the male gaze, I most likely would have enjoyed Poor Things. However, because Bella is a child who is being sexually exploited, whatever themes Poor Things tries to tell are immediately tainted by the film's predatory nature. It lacks the nuances of feminism and female empowerment, as it misunderstands what it is to be a woman. It is a shallow and distorted depiction of women’s agency and struggles told through the eyes of a man.

My Rating: C-

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airconditionertm · 2 months

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Why does every thing have to be criticaly aclaimed to be good now

I don’t get why people stopped liking fun movies, like it’s not enough for a movie to be entertaining enjoyable and funny anymore everything needs to be „a good movie „ which is super deep and intellectual.I feel like this is honestly why the movie and cinema landscape is so bad right now because if a movie is not „good „ it is immediately torn to shreds by all the super smart critics on social media because they can’t just let themselves enjoy things if it doesn’t make them seem smarter. If any of the now iconic movies from the 2000 and 2010s like pitch perfect came out today they would probably be torn down and be considered a so called bad movies . I feel like this is A big reasons for why stuff like romcoms teen comedy’s and family movies have basically died out . Just because a story isn’t deep or intellectual doesn’t mean it’s not worth telling especially ,Stories that make people happy that make them laugh. we live in a world that isn’t always great so people should at least be allowed to enjoy things just because they make them happy.

Sorry for the rant this was all prompted by me coming out of the theater for argyle and searching it for mabey some fun edits of the characters or people talking about the movie only to find people just talking about how bad it was and what a flop it was. Where it was honestly a really funny and entertaining movie like literally the entire theater was laughing when I was watching it and it made me really sad and i felt almost insulted like am I stupid for enjoying this movie.

#movies #teen movies #romcom #movie critic #cinema #rambles #rant post #rant #argylle #no punctuation #let people enjoy things

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kuriipi · 3 months

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I need you guys to stop lying and pretending like all Lanthimos' movies are some form of high art.

The guy is literally every greek film bro that went to cinema school.

I do believe he genuinely believes he is revolutionising and combining the greek mythos with modern philosophical ideas. A harsh critic of the fickle and contradictory human nature. But that's where the problem mostly lies. He's not in the slightest bit subtle.

His earlier stuff is seriously just a bunch of pretentious one liners masked as some big profound truth.

"oh you don't like a killing of a sacred deer bcs you don't get the original myth" like no. I get it. And I also know that the greek myth wasn't really a much about divine punishment as it was about facing the reality of your actions. Agamemnon didn't want to sacrifice his daughter to stop the punishment that fell upon them all, after he had killed the sacred deer. He is forced to do it after outside pressure, forced to move past his denial and recognize that it is his only way of atonement. And then the gods still ultimately decide to save Ifigenia because after all she was faultless in all this.

Making "the killing" a medical malpractice is honestly brilliant. Agamemnon hadn't known it was Artemis' sacred deer that he had killed. He only found out after his punishment had already begun. Colin's character hadn't meant to kill the man either, hadn't known of his identity either. But this is as far as the briliance goes.

It is a deeply dark story about a man's desperate attempt to escape fate, to find a loophole, but ultimately it falls flat cause there is not an ounce of sympathy for the characters. You can't feel anything for them or their struggle because they are , intentionally, written so uncannily. Most if not all of Lanthimos' characters really lack the human element.

And although I get the thought and it really does work for a story on human connections like 'the lobster ". The unnatural and completely "un-human" way the characters are portrait adds more layer, a greater punch. Honestly it's extremely well fitted and executed. But for "the killing of a sacred deer" a story whose point really is about the despair, the cruelty of actions and events one is far too powerless to prevent it's...well I think it's a pretty terrible execution.

"you don't like the lobster because you simply can't see the point" Yes it's about society, everything is, it's about forced intimacy, the fear of loneliness, societal pressure and they way we would rather lie to ourselves and our potential partner if it meant we won't be alone. It's about dating for the sake of dating, about children being reduced to nothing more that accessories. About the reactionary solitude, the loners being just as cruel as the hotel enforcing the same strict rules but at the opposite direction. (It doesn't even matter if that is the actual point of the movie because if I talk long enough with enough buzzwords, throw enough ideas at the wall, you'll believe I know exactly what I'm taking about.)

And it's still not really that good.

The premise falls flat. The macabre aspect of being turned into an animal, if you fail at forming a connection, the horrifying depersonalisation, dehumanising the characters is hardly explored.

Ok fine, it was just the premise, just to set the scene (arguably it's the most interesting part of the story, but I digress.)

It's all about human nature. Yes, but it's nothing more than a cynics caricature of it.

But you see the loners are treated like animals but we see how they function and enjoy mundane things like shampoo and going to the mall, and are actually human. Yes me playing with my barbies at 10 had more depth than that. On other news water is wet.

The humans are complex, and actually human and also just as bad as the other humans isn't deep enough of a point to make me watch 2 hours of a stagnant film, and endure like five separate dialogs about ass fucking and masturbation. And how you need a partner to protect you from being sexualy assaulted (like from whom, if that's the case why not just simply turn the entire male population into animals, they seem to have ways of procuring children out of thin air so that doesn't seem to be a problem)

"You can't ask things like that. It's about philosophy and human nature not mechanics plot holes" yes but they're still part of a rather drawn out movie.. if he didn't want me to comment on the plot wholes he should've made the film one hour shorter and avoided them all together.

Like I'll be honest what annoys me the most in his films is the way he forces you to watch these scenes that can only be described as pretentious if not outright bad, that are so meticulously woven into the story. How deep how profound all sex is rape, humanity is cruel and uncaring, detachment is the bain of our modern society. I'm going to add 50 one liners about ass fucking because then it's just about sex, depersonalised. It's really not deep at all.

Like I'm so sorry that not wanting to watch Colin Farrel fuck a woman cosplaying as a corpse multiple times in a movie makes me unappreciative of high cinema. But I guess it is what it is.

(That said, his newer stuff is getting better at keeping up the engagement and evoking more sympathy for the characters. There is far more space to connect to them. The ending of "The favourite" let me feel the despair, the hopeless and absolutely miserable situation the characters found themselves in at the end of the movie.)

#movie critique #movie analysis #yorgos lanthimos #the lobster #the killing of a sacred deer #the favourite #art critique #movie critic #philosophy #greek mythology #greek myth

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littlelenas-blog · 18 days

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Critique:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great Things about this Movie:

Debates what it means to be human, and how humans can be more animals than ape

“They’re just smarter apes” just like us?

Raises amazing self reflection questions, what we need to survive and be happy really what we need? Or just what we want?

Can we find peace without a destructive modern society?

The Caesar vs Koba rivalry demonstrates not only what a good leader but how hate persists past trauma alone, and forgiveness and trust will always outlive hatred and resentment

Demonstrates not only the horrible results of war in a nuanced manner but also its uselessness

Shows positive masculinity through main characters like Caesar and Malcom by comparing them to war driven, hateful, aggressive men like Dreyfus and Koba

Bad Things About this Movie:

Lack of female perspective: most of the movie is propelled by male protagonists

Only woman is a doctor who lost a child, and the only female ape in the movie is Caesar’s wife and Blue Eye’s mother

There is a major portion of the movie that could have been driven by women or solved by a female perspective, however in order for the story to progress I understand that it needed to be more of a manly action movie than anything

Does depict war as something that’s not only singular to humans, which is only semi-accurate and spreading a message I would not prefer to be spread—as animal’s already have a bad rep and human’s have a superiority complex

Overall I loved it! Always very good movies, a wonderful trilogy, and the story is full of heart and action, it’s absolutely amazing. Only lacking what female perspective and protagonists could add.

#planet of the apes #rise of the planet of the apes #dawn of the planet of the apes #movie critique #movie critic #planet of the apes franchise #planet of the apes trilogy

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justbusterkeaton · 1 year

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“Today I look at Keaton's works more often than any other silent films.

They have such a graceful perfection, such a meshing of story, character and episode, that they unfold like music.

Although they're filled with gags, you can rarely catch Keaton writing a scene around a gag; instead, the laughs emerge from the situation; he was “the still, small, suffering center of the hysteria of slapstick,” wrote the critic Karen Jaehne.

And in an age when special effects were in their infancy, and a “stunt” often meant actually doing on the screen what you appeared to be doing, Keaton was ambitious and fearless. He had a house collapse around him. He swung over a waterfall to rescue a woman he loved. He fell from trains. And always he did it in character, playing a solemn and thoughtful man who trusts in his own ingenuity.”

- Roger Ebert

#buster keaton #roger ebert #silent film #silent comedy #1920s #1920s cinema #golden age of hollywood #silent movies #slapstick #comedy #Karen Jaehne #film critic #movie critic

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virginia-the-opossum · 25 days

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GxK was fucking awesome, fuck the critics

#godzilla x kong #godzilla fandom #godzilla x kong: the new empire #godzilla #movie critic #movie hypercritics can go fuck themselves

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thanksviving · 1 year

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my husband made his very first youtube video and i would be SO GRATEFUL if you guys checked it out !!! He worked so hard on it.

I always tell people that one of my favorite things about Oliver is the way he talks about movies. I’ve never met anyone more romantic about them than he is. No matter the film, he can always find something to like. It’s not just that he wants to give filmmakers the benefit of the doubt, but he can truly connect to the essence of a story’s intention and identify the most beautiful themes. (And I’m not gonna lie, it can be annoying when I just want to be a hater…)

He has an enviable memory when it comes to remembering the plots, cast lists, release years, and award history of pretty much every movie he’s ever seen. He’s so many people’s go-to guy when it comes to movie recommendations, and I can’t help but be so proud of him whenever I hear him discussing his thoughts with other people. The best part is that he will never make you feel bad about your own opinions; he loves hearing other perspectives, is open to having his mind changed, and genuinely just wants to talk about his favorite thing in the world: Movies.

When he told me he was thinking of starting a youtube movie review channel, it felt like a perfect fit. I almost can’t believe he hadn’t done it sooner!

I love this guy. I think he’s so fun to listen to. And he has such a sweet perspective that I think you’ll like him too. I hope you can all take a few mins to watch his first video, like, and subscribe — And if movie reviews just aren’t your thing, at least let it play in the background!

#oscars #academy award #youtube #movie review #movie critic #filmmaker #film nerd #best picture #avatar #everything everywhere all at once #everything everywhere #top gun #top gun maverick #elvis music #movie lover #movie buff #support #blockbuster movies

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thebrikbox · 7 months

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Mothra vs. Godzilla, 1964

Mothra, Mothra, Mothra! Ishiro Honda once again delivers a monster masterpiece, Mothra vs. Godzilla. The American version is Godzilla vs. the Thing

We were first introduced to the island god in 1961’s box office hit, Mothra. The giant moth is the peaceful protector of Infant Island and the earth if danger arises. We also met the twin fairies and the natives who guard their protector passionately. The Mothra song sung by the fairies is one of the most recognized tunes in the world (you can download it on iTunes).

Honda intended to show the kind of destruction nuclear testing can do, Infant Island in the movie, however, an undertone of industry greed surfaced as the main message that money and fame could corrupt men.

The Story

A typhoon, strikes Karuta Beach. A reporter, Ichiro Saki, and his photographer, Junko Nakanishi, go to Shizunoura to get photos of what damages was caused by the typhoon. Junko discovers an object floating in the water and wants to photograph it, then they receive word about a giant egg that washed ashore. They leave their location to investigate it and take the strange object with them.

Saki and Junko meet Professor Miura who is there examining the egg. A shady businessman named Kumayama stops Miura from working claiming the egg belongs to him. When asked how that is possible, the seaside village leader claims the egg washed onto their shore and it’s rightfully theirs, so he sold it to Kumayama for a large sum of money. Completely taken aback by the situation, Miura reluctantly leaves.

Saki, Junko, and Muira to a nearby hotel to discuss the egg situation. They see Kumayama sneak to a room; suspicious, Saki follows him to find out what’s going on. In the room, Kumayama meets with a financial investor, Jiro Torahata, about the egg. Pleased to know the egg now belonged to him, Torahata says he will construct a giant glass incubator to encase the egg and charge people fees to view it. The men are interrupted by twin fairies from Infant Island, or Mothra Island in the American version, who say the egg is rightfully theirs and they want it back. Torahata and Kumayama try to capture the twins, but they escape. Saki enters the room upon hearing the ruckus and recognizes Torahata.

Saki regroups with Junko and Miura and tells them about Torahata’s background about being a wealthy investor who owns Product Enterprises. The fairies come forward and introduce themselves. They explain that they pleaded with Torahata and Kumayama to return Mothra’s egg, The Thing in the American version. The fairies take the three to see Mothra and they agree to help by persuading the bad men to return the egg.

The following day, Saki, Junko, and Muira visit Kumayama and Torahata and explain to them the egg doesn’t belong to them and it rightfully belongs to Mothra. The bad men sarcastically tell Saki to get a power of attorney from Mothra to convince them the egg is The Thing’s property. Junko opens a decorative box to reveal the fairies inside. They ask the bad men to return the egg to them, but the response they get is an offer to buy them from Saki for a large sum of money. Saki and his friends leave feeling defeated. They regroup in a bar to come up with another plan to get the egg back. Realizing probability is hopeless, the fairies return home on Mothra’s back.

The village fishermen visit Kumayama with demands for money owed them for the egg and land rent. Kumayama turns them away telling them he’ll pay them later. He calls Torahata to tell him to pay what he owes, but said he won’t because he needs the money, instead, he convinces Kumayama to accept a loan he can repay from his share in the company stock.

The following day, Saki and Junko visit Muira at his lab. Before they’re allowed in, they’re “washed” down because they were contaminated with radioactivity from the object Junko found in the water at the beach. Muira returns to examine the egg with Saki and Junko to check for radioactivity, but he’s stopped. Saki looks for Junko and finds looking at a beach some distance away. He calls her to leave but she refuses and tells him she sees the ground “bubbling.” Suddenly, Godzilla emerges and everyone runs to safety.

Saki and his friends fly to Mothra Island to ask for help; the natives refuse to because they wouldn’t return the egg. However, Mothra calls out to the twin fairies and they ask it fight Godzilla. Mothra agrees to and Saki and the team return home.

Meanwhile, the defense force devises a defense strategy to defeat Godzilla hoping Mothra comes to their aid. Godzilla made it to the egg and begins destroying the incubator with its tail. He starts on the egg, and then Mothra arrives and a battle ensues.

The fight is intense, Mothra uses all its energy and flies away to die atop the egg. The fairies take Saki, Junko, and Muira to the egg for it to hatch. When they arrive, Mothra has died and the twins begin chanting a song to encourage the larva to hatch. Surprisingly, twin larvae emerge and they fight Godzilla with their webbing. After the battle, the caterpillars swim back to Mothra Island.

The Reception

Mothra vs. Godzilla was released in Japan April 29, 1964. In May of the same year, Henry Saperstein acquired rights to the movie August 26, 1964 as Godzilla vs. the Thing.

Reviews for the Japanese version was great, except for the military scenes. Critics said the military appeared meek compared to previous movies. American critics gave decent reviews. The problem for them was that foreign actors wouldn’t appeal to a target audience that didn’t recognize them.

Dang. Harsh.

Final Word

This particular Godzilla film was one of the best Honda made. Two babies crawling on their bellies defeated the king and it was exciting to watch it happen. I love Godzilla, but the first thing that I thought of was: “ teamwork makes the dream work.”

Cast and Crew

Starring Akira Takarada, Yoriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Yu Fujiki, Kenji Sahara

Directed by Ishiro Honda

Special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya

Movie Grade: 0.0 to 4.0

Score: 3.6

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