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[tab title="Movie Review"]

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Sony and Toho Productions join forces and bring audiences the trilogy of films that reintroduced the world to Mothra and the tiny singing of Moll and Lora (otherwise known as the Elias Sisters) after a long cinematic draught. Rebirth of Mothra and its two sequels are more kid-friendly than memory suggests but that certainly isn’t a detractor because they are still a hell of a lot of fun.

While the original design of the gigantic moth hasn’t changed since its 1961 imagining, the foes Mothra faces seriously have. Each of the three films contained in this set raise the stakes for Mothra and the survival of the earth, including its children. Each film has a rip-roaring sense of imagination around it and challenge viewers with a different approach to some very common (and devastating) social concerns.

Inspired in part by our lack of awareness about the consequences of deforestation, Rebirth of Mothra and its evil monster Desghidorah have a message for humanity: Protect the earth or it may very well destroy you. Mothra, born out of a sort of cosmic consciousness, is the carrier of the message. The old-school practical effects are appreciated and still work in establishing a believable atmosphere where giant moths flying and fighting in and around outer space seem perfectly palpable.

The immediate sequel, Mothra II: The Undersea Battle – concerns itself with an environmental message about dumping our waste in the ocean and, in Mothra 3: King Ghidorah Attacks, the messaging service gets disabled for a PSA about the holy terror that is King Ghidorah. More explosive than the other two in the series, this time-travelling story is reason enough for owning the set.

In each of the films, the twins, Moll and Lora, are joined by a third (and more dangerous) sister, Belvera. She’s a nasty one but not beyond a redemption (of sorts) as even she realizes when enough is enough and alliances must be forged in order for survival to occur. The human characters are less than memorable but – as imagined by the sole screenwriter (of all three film) Masumi Suetani – pull of their parts with enough flair to entertain.

These three Kaiju flicks are kid-centric and wildly adventurous and, at this price, simply a steal. They may not compare in tone to the other Godzilla films of the era but they are still a necessity in that universe and fit nicely next to the long-standing Toho mythos.

Fly the not-so friendly skies with the Rebirth of Mothra I, II, III.

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Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - September 9, 2014
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (2 BDs); UV digital copy; Digital copy
Region Encoding: A

Sony Pictures and Toho present Rebirth Of Mothra I, II, III in 1080p high definition with a 1.85:1 widescreen format and a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track. This my first time seeing these films, but I imagine these films have never looked better. They are very brightly vibrant; the colors really pop. They also have really great scores. The sound is mixed very well. Watch them with subtitles as the English dubs are seriously ridiculous.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

Trailers only. Deal with it.

• Original Theatrical Trailers (3 min)

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