After “Godzilla”, Toho made several other monsters movies including “Mothra”. This is a cheesy but fun giant monster film that is worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of the “Godzilla” movies. It’s a shame monster flicks such as this get overlooked simply because they were made outside America.

After survivors of a shipwreck manage to survive on a mysterious island believed to have high levels of nuclear radiation on it, an expedition to the island leads to the discovery of two tiny girls. When a greedy businessman kidnaps them in the hopes of exploiting them for financial gain, the giant monster Mothra is awakened and heads to Japan to rescue them. Guns, planes and tanks are useless against the creature that will not stop until it has rescued the girls.

The characters in “Mothra” are pretty much the same as the characters you find in other Japanese monster movies. Some of the characters are clearly designed to be comedic but the gags often fall flat. The twin girls become a little annoying with their almost constant singing. Mothra is a great giant monster and we get to see her in two different forms. It’s great watching Mothra decimate large areas of Japan with the military powerless to stop here.

“Mothra” is good Japanese monster movie and do not ignore just because Godzilla is not in the title. Although Mothra would go on to appear in several of the “Godzilla” movies, it’s nice to see her on her own. Of course, it’s a bit of a shame that you do not get to see Mothra do battle with any other monsters but the film itself is entertaining. The action is good, I liked the special effects and overall, I find the movie to be rather satisfying. It might not be for everybody but I recommend “Mothra”.