Mosura 2 - Kaitei no daikessen

Japan • 1997 • 100m •

• Directed by: Kunio Miyoshi. • Starring: Megumi Kobayashi, Sayaka Yamaguchi, Aki Hano, Hikari Mitsushima, Masaki Otake, Shimada Maganao, Atsushi Okuno, Hajime Okayama, Maho Nonami, Mizuho Yoshida, Masahiro Noguchi, Kazushi Nemoto, Kentarô Sakai. • Music by: Toshiyuki Watanabe.

Three kids join Mothra's priestesses on a journey to find the Lost Treasure of Nilai Kinai, an ancient lost "under-the-sea" civilization in hopes of preserving the Earth's declining environment. Pollution has unyielded the evil monster Dagahra, a monster seemingly too powerful for Mothra to vanquish. As a result, the environment's fate lies in the hands of the Lost Treasure.

Review:

Image from: Mosura 2 - Kaitei no daikessen (1997)

Most people would think this movie is made for children, and it is. Toho has a tradition of making kaijyu movies for children on summer vacation each year, and this was one of them. But the movie is good on its own right with brilliant cinematography, good special effects, and story plot which only the Japanese would be daring enough to come up with. The plot is telling about the destruction of environment, and this awakens the monster Dagara which an Atlantis like civilization called Ely Kanai have created 12000 years ago to protect the environment, but has turned evil. Dagara's awakening also awakens what is known as the treasure of Ely Kanai called the Gorgo. Three elementary school children of Ishigaki island finds Gorgo and wonders what it is. Mothra's companion Elias and their evil sister Belvera shows up, Elias to help the children and to save the earth from Dagara and the other to capture Gorgo and use it to destroy the earth.

Belvera claims that humans are useless and keeps destroying earth's habitat and deserves to go extinct. Elias has the opposing view that they still have qualities worth saving.

When all American movie studios were busy making very dark movies such as the Batman series (which still continues today) which is based on some sort of amoral intent on the villain's part, or revenge and anger for their motive, Japan was cranking out this brilliant (I mean brilliant cinematography) movie which had positive message towards our children about the earth's environment (The first Rebirth of Mothra had message in that vein also). I bet no one in American movie studio would even consider such plot seriously, but which one has more positive message (to our children and to us)? The movie is uplifting, and is worth enjoying. I give it high marks for bucking the trend of dreary dark movies.

Review by ebiros2 from the Internet Movie Database.

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