Rebirth of Mothra II (1997)
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A transforming miracle! (奇跡の大変身!)
The battle to protect lives begins. (命を守るための戦いが始まる。) |
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— Tagline |
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A miracle occurs. To protect lives. (奇跡が起こる。命を守るために。)
When a super-ancient civilization <Nilai-Kanai> awakens from its 11,000-year slumber, the beautiful south seas become a battleground, wagering the future of life itself. (一万千年の眠りから超古代文明《ニライ・カナイ》が目を覚ますとき、美しい南の海は生命の未来をかけた戦場になる。) |
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— Tagline |
Rebirth of Mothra II (モスラ2 海底の大決戦 is a Mosura Tsū Kaitei no Daikessen, lit. Mothra 2: The Great Undersea Battle)1997 tokusatsu kaiju film produced by Toho, and the second entry in the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy. It was released to Japanese theaters on December 13, 1997.
Plot
Off the coast of Japan, the environment has been ravaged with poisonous starfish-like creatures called Barem. Meanwhile, the Elias sisters, Moll and Lora, survey the destruction and enlist the help of three children, who had just discovered and befriended a strange little creature dubbed "Gorgo" to help find the mysterious treasure of Nilai-Kanai, an ancient lost civilization, to save the Earth from the declining environment.
The Elias then tell the children that the people of Nilai-Kanai created a monster called Dagahra as a method of pollution management gone wrong and only Mothra Leo can stop it; however, he will need the help of the lost castle of Nilai-Kanai itself and the mysterious treasure within. Belvera, the evil Elias sister, manipulates two fishermen to get the treasure for herself. They all journey to the lost castle hidden beneath the ocean waters, and it magically rises out of the water when the travelers discover it.
Dagahra, awakened after a sudden increase in pollution levels, then releases a swarm of Barem into the sea, killing many types of sea life. Moll and Lora call Mothra Leo, who nearly succeeds in defeating Dagahra, until the sea monster takes the battle underwater where it is in its element. Dagahra incapacitates Leo by covering him with Barem. Leo lands on the newly raised Nilai-Kanai temple, but before Dagahra can give the killing blow, the structure activates and defends Leo. With Leo covered in Barem and powerless, Dagahra goes on a destructive rampage.
Inside the temple, Moll, Lora and the three kids attempt to find the treasure, while Belvara and the two mind-controlled fishermen try to thwart their mission. After stealing some jewels they've found, the fishermen inadvertently unlock a gateway and awaken the Princess of Nilai-Kanai. The Princess tells the three Elias sisters that Earth must be protected and saved, that the children are the hope of future generations, and reveals that Gorgo is the lost treasure.
Moll and Lora then use Gorgo's energy to revive Mothra Leo and, as a result, turn the hero into Rainbow Mothra. Leo is then able to destroy the Barem covering his body. After taking a severe beating, Dagahra once again retreats into the water, where Rainbow Mothra turns into Aqua Mothra. This time Rainbow Mothra's new form allows him to overpower the sea monster. He finally finishes his battle with Dagahra by splitting into thousands of miniature Aqua Mothras; entering Dagahra's body and destroying the Barem producing there, and without the Barem, Dagahra self-destructs. Meanwhile, the temple begins to collapse. With the building crumbling over them, Moll and Lora ride onto Fairy to safety, while Belvara releases control of the fishermen, who help the children escape. The Princess raises Dagahra's body and drops it onto the temple, reducing everything into a wave of water. Aqua Mothra then returns to his single form, and then back into Rainbow Mothra; saving the world once again.
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Kunio Miyoshi
- Written by Masumi Suetani, Tomoyuki Tanaka (characters)
- Produced by Hiroaki Kitayama, Shogo Tomiyama
- Music by Toshiyuki Watanabe
- Cinematography by Yoshinori Sekiguchi
- Edited by Miho Yone
- Production design by Tsuyoshi Shimizu
- Assistant directing by Masaaki Tezuka
- Special effects by Koichi Kawakita, Kenji Suzuki
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Sayaka Yamaguchi as Lora
- Megumi Kobayashi as Moll
- Aki Hano as Belvera
- Hikari Mitsushima as Shiori Uranai
- Masaki Otake as Kyohei Toguchi
- Shimada Masanao as Yoji Miyagi
- Nonami Maho as Princess Yuna
- Atsushi Okuno as Mikio Otani
- Hajime Okayama as Junichi Nagase
- Misako Konno as Toshiko Uranai
- Fumie Hosokawa as Akiko Kimura
- Kazushi Nemoto as Masahiro Noguchi
- Kentaro Sakai as Police Officer
Appearances
Monsters
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Weapons, Vehicles, and Races |
Soundtrack
- Main article: Rebirth of Mothra II (Soundtrack).
Alternate Titles
- Mothra 2: The Great Undersea Battle (Literal Japanese Title)
- Mothra: The Sunken Kingdom (Mothra: Das versunkene Königreich; Germany)
Theatrical Releases
- Japan - December 13, 1997
U.S. Release
Rebirth of Mothra II was released on DVD by TriStar Pictures in 2000, packaged with Rebirth of Mothra. It premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel on May 31, 2003, the same day as the other two films in the trilogy. All three films were included in a 2014 Sony Blu-ray set, which finally made the Japanese language track available in the U.S.
Box Office
The film grossed around $7,000,000 at the box office.
Reception
The film is widely considered the weakest of the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy.[citation needed]
Video Releases
Tristar DVD (2000)[1]
- Region: 1
- Discs: 1
- Audio: English (2.0 Mono)
- Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
- Special Features: None
- Notes: Packaged with Rebirth of Mothra.
Toho DVD (2006, 2013, 2015)
- Region: 2
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese
- Subtitles: Japanese
- Special Features: Audio commentary by Hikari Mitsushima, trailers and DVD spots, message from special effects director Koichi Kawakita, behind-the-scenes tokusatsu featurette, Hikari Mitsushima interview, booklet
Sony Pictures Blu-ray + Digital HD (2014)
- Region: A/1
- Discs: 2
- Audio: Japanese (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0)
- Subtitles: English, French
- Special Features: Four trailers for Rebirth of Mothra, four trailers for Rebirth of Mothra II, three trailers for Rebirth of Mothra III
- Notes: Packaged with Rebirth of Mothra and Rebirth of Mothra III.
Toho Blu-ray (2017)
- Region: A/1
- Discs: 3
- Audio: Japanese
- Subtitles: Japanese
- Special Features: Audio commentary by Hikari Mitsushima, trailers and DVD spots, message from special effects director Koichi Kawakita, behind-the-scenes tokusatsu featurette, Hikari Mitsushima interview, booklet, image gallery
- Notes: Packaged with Rebirth of Mothra and Rebirth of Mothra III.
Videos
Trailers
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References
This is a list of references for Rebirth of Mothra 2. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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