Movie Trailers – Godzilla vs. Mothra

Back when I was a teenager living in the UK (I still do, just want to point out how hard it is to be both a Godzilla fan and a UK resident), discovering new Godzilla films post 2001, was very difficult. The only asset I had in finding any new ones, was, well…BLIND LUCK! Ever since a combination of a certain monster movie being released in 1998, and the year 2001; TV channels in the UK stopped showing classic Godzilla films.

It was really annoying. I just wanted to watch my favourite movies. But instead, that 1998 film was the only one shown for the next 14 years. The last time a channel in the UK showed a classic Godzilla film, was in 2001, where Channel 4 (a consistent shower and supporter of classic Godzilla films) showed a Mothra vs. Godzilla, and Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla double feature. After that, at least up until 2014, the only Godzilla film that got any UK channel airing, was 1998. It was so disappointing!

So really the only chance I got to watch any new Godzilla films, up until I sort reached adulthood and got access to Amazon, and discovered a way to purchase and watch Region 1 DVD’s; was based entirely on blind luck. And luckily, one day in a charity shop, I found a VHS copy of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.

Now I had already seen this film a few times, but this VHS copy was much clearer than a TV recording of the film a few years earlier on BBC Two‘s Monster Night. And on this VHS copy, was a trailer, for another Godzilla film. Godzilla vs. Mothra was one I had only ever heard about, but never saw a single frame of (as YouTube didn’t exist yet). Until Now!

The trailer starts off rather weird, as it begins with a scene of a rope bridge collapsing, and swinging into a possible rock face. Then it cuts to something else, a clip of Godzilla roaring onto the scene, followed by people gasping in horror, and then Mothra and Godzilla engaged in combat. It’s quite a montage of weirdness, but the really good stuff is yet to come.

One thing you hear many people complaining about with trailers today, is that they ‘give away too much information’, or ‘tell the film’s entire plot’. With this though, you cannot claim any of that, as piecing together this trailer, in order, creates a very different plot, to the actual end product. We get nice moments showing Mothra, Mothra’s twin fairies, key characters introducing themselves, and little snippets of the film’s actual soundtrack. But then, we get the best thing of all. We are told of a meteorite crashing to earth, and based on what happens next, you might think the following introductions are linked. As if the meteorite carried the new monster perhaps?

As for that new monster I just mentioned, that monster is Battra. This early appearance by Battra’s Larva form is sadly very brief, but it helps increase the trailer’s adrenaline, as we then get some nice juicy scenes of monster made destruction, and tense human scenes too. This all finally leads to some gripping, but intense scenes of monster combat!

Seeing this trailer for the first time all those years ago, made this film top of my must see list. I couldn’t get enough of it, I loved every second of it over and over again. And you might be pleased to hear, that in another case of blind luck, I found a VHS copy of it online whilst I was still in my teenage years. I bought it, and instantly loved it!