Godzilla Vs. Biollante Criterion 4K UHD Review
“Godzilla Vs. Biollante” is an exciting entry in the long-running sci-fi franchise.
Set after the events of “The Return Of Godzilla” (AKA “Godzilla 1985”), 1989’s “Godzilla Vs. Biollante” begins with a mad scramble to obtain Godzilla’s cells. The cells end up being obtained by the Saradia Republic who hope that Dr. Shiragami can use them to transform the desert sands into grassy plains. Alas, the grand plans are shattered when the Biotech institute is bombed and Shiragami’s daughter Erika dies in the blast. The story jumps ahead 5 years where all hell breaks loose. Godzilla has awakened and has escaped the volcano he fell in, multiple companies are vying for Godzilla’s cells, the JSDF is looking to create an anti-nuclear energy bacteria weapon to combat Godzilla and nuclear weapons, and Dr. Shiragami has mixed Erika’s cells and Godzilla’s cells with a rose and creates the titular Biollante. What happens next? You have to tune in to see.
Having released the entire Showa era, Criterion dips into the Heisei era to release one of the most beloved entries in the Kaiju franchise with “Godzilla Vs. Biollante.” Written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori, this multi-genre installment is fast-paced and jam packed with plot. ‘Biollante’ is part spy film, part 80’s action film (especially with the opening shootout and the JSDF Super-X2 ship action), part mad scientist story, and part horror movie (the scene with Biollante attacking the humans is pure 80’s horror). This is the type of Godzilla movie where you don’t actually mind when Godzilla isn’t on screen because there’s so much going on here. Naturally, fans still want to see Godzilla facing off against Biollante and armed forces and you get plenty of that here as well. Of course, there’s a plethora of weird stuff here too like ESP with plants (yes, you read that right). You can’t have a Godzilla movie without something weird happening.
In typical Godzilla fashion, the film is much more than a mere Kaiju tale as the story touches upon biotechnology and playing God. Late in the movie the quote “Godzilla and Biollante aren’t monsters. It’s the unscrupulous scientists who create them that are the monsters” pops up and really sums up the story as a whole.
There’s a lot of characters floating around this particular entry. The standout are Kōji Takahashi as the distraught scientist who creates Biollante (Dr. Shiragami) and Masanobu Takashima who plays Major Kuroki who also appears in the fan favorite “Godzilla Vs. Destroyah.”
Godzilla fans will be over the moon with Criterion’s release of”Godzilla Vs. Biollante.” Here’s hoping Criterion releases more Heisei era films AND “Rodan” down the line.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.85:1 2160p. How does it look? With the previous Blu-ray releases long out of print, Criterion has stepped in with not only a Blu-ray release, but a 4K as well. The 4K digital restoration is deeply impressive. The colors are crisp, the image is sharper, and the exterior scenes really pop (see Godzilla emerging from the volcano and Biollante barreling towards Godzilla for reference).
Audio Track: Japanese 5.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? From the score to the Kaiju action, this 5.0 track delivers. Note: There is no English dub, but good chunks of the film are in in English.
Extras:
* Blu-ray copy
* A booklet/poster with artwork by Eric Powell with an essay by horror/sci-fi expert Jim Cirronella and credits.
* A 2024 commentary by film historian Samm Deighan.
* 5 TV spots and 7 trailers
* A 6 minute 45 second silent reel of deleted special effects.
* A 1993 “Behind The Design” video narrated by special effects-director Koichi Kawakita about the Biollante Super-X2 vehicle designs.
* “The Making Of Godzilla Vs. Biollante”- A 49 minute 1993 making of documentary containing crew interviews, set footage, and stories about the production.
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