Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) [Tokusatsu Review]

Godzilla vs. Biollante; or, the King and the Overgrown Weed

Four years after the moderately successful reboot of the Godzilla franchise and the start-up of the Heisei Series, the Big G returns again from the dead in order to fight off a mutant product of reckless science known as Biollante.

Release Info

Directed by: Kazuki Ōmori Starring: Koji Takahashi, Kunihiko Mitamura, Yoshiko Tanaka, Megumi Odaka
Language: Japanese Original Title: ゴジラvsビオランテ Runtime: 105 min

Synopsis

The film opens with the aftermath of Godzilla 1984’s finale. A deadly mercenary steals Godzilla cell samples from Tokyo ruins and gives them to Dr. Genshiro Shiragami (Koji Takahashi) at the Saradia Institute of Technology and Science. The Japanese scientist wants to use the cells to produce genetically modified plants for the foreign superpower of Saradia. However, there is an explosion at the institute in which Shiragami’s daughter, Erika (Yasuko Sawaguchi) dies. Five years later, a massive volcanic eruption occurs at Mount Mihara and, as it turns out, Godzilla is still alive. Bio-Major terrorists threaten Japan to force them to give up Godzilla’s cells, or otherwise, they will blow up the mountain and unleash the King. Meanwhile, Dr. Shiragami is experimenting on his own with the cells on Erika’s roses, leading to the creation of the abominable Biollante. Now, only the King can face the horrible monster.

The Real Eco-terror
Allegedly, the makers of the film held a public story contest for a possible film script and, thus, they eventually went with the idea about a gigantic plant and a dead daughter devised by a dentist. Interestingly, the second-best script in the contest was about Godzilla facing a highly advanced AI Computer (that’s the Kaiju film I’d love to see!), but instead of saving it for later, Toho reworked it and made Gunhed (1989) movie.

Nevertheless, how does Godzilla vs. Biollante hold up? It is certainly a better film than Godzilla 1984 in terms of the improved King’s appearance and better special effects, but it has a few flaws. Firstly, there’s too much spy elements incorporated in the story. We have over-the-top Bio-Major mercenaries, a Saradian assassin ("Damn, it's Godzilla!"), police investigators, wiretapping, classified documents and so on.

 

Secondly, the music score by Koichi Sugeyama is quite interesting, but it is nowhere near as great as the memorable themes of Akira Ifukube. Allegedly, the working cut of the film had Ifukube's music incorporated, but for some reason, Toho decided to change it. Aside from that, the film is more than watchable. We get great action, a lot of rumble and destruction. Even though Biollante seems a weak enemy at first, she becomes a badass opponent in the finale when extremely wounding the King, but we all know who’s going to be the winner in the end.

With regard to performances, Kenpachiro Satsuma obviously rocks as Godzilla. In terms of human characters, Koji Takahashi as Shiragami, Toru Minegishi as Gondo, Yoshiko Tanaka as Asuka, and Megumi Odaka as Miki Saegusa are all great, especially Miki whose character will go on to have a special relation with the King for the rest of the Heisei series.

Recommendations

Highly recommended to all Kaiju fans. Apart from the fact that Godzilla vs. Biollante may seem to some as an outdated film, it is certainly still entertaining and has great battles in it. Godzilla vs. Biollante is a classic entry in the series in its own right.

Overall score: 7/10