Gonna re-watch KOTM & then GVK for the 1st time soon.
Re-watched these...
Mothra (1961)- Decent
- Decent score.
- Interesting slightly subversive handling of some of the characters, the reporter who appears to be a comic relief type chubby guy is basically the lead & gets the most stand out heroic/badass moments (this happened in the Japanese cut of Godzilla Raids Again as well)
- Extended sequence with Mothra & Tokyo tower is well done.

- The atomic heat ray guns are damn cool and honestly more impressive than the later 60s/70s Maser Tanks that would become mainstays of the Showa era.
Mothra vs Godzilla / Godzilla vs The Thing (1964)- Among the 3 best films of the Showa era (50s-70s), fully Great.
- Refines & improves on virtually everything from 61: Capitalist villains are better here & less cartoon-ish, the fairies are used better, the natives of their island are more advanced where as they were presented as pure reactionary savages in 61, a better more detailed & flexible adult Mothra prop, among the best scores of any G film.
- Film has a searing distaste for authority, almost all authority figures (politicans, police, businessmen, plutocrats, village leaders, even a priest) are presented as being corrupt, liars, reckless or cowardly. The military is surprisingly presented fairly well, they are shown cooperating with the US for the greater good, they come up with some grounded but still cool plans against Godzilla but even here their biggest failure was out of their own recklessness. The press is shown in the best light but even with them their editor is presented as a petty tyrant against staff that aren't in his favor.
- The primary battle is solid. Only slight problem is IMO there was too many hyper close up shots.
- Sets for the Nagoya attack particularly the tower & castle are great.
- Possibly the best Showa Godzilla suit. The torso/legs could be more sculpted/muscular but the the head/spines/hands are damn good. Head is shaped kinda like a snake but the details around the cheeks/lips are mammalian. Eyes/eyebrows are notably menacing.
