Godzilla vs. Biollante

This is a Godzilla movie that tells a very different story than the previous films. The root of the story all lies on one aspect-the Godzilla cell. The plot is solid and intriguing - a story about some of the world's power-hungry people who want to get their hands on some Godzilla DNA for their own devious purposes. When the Japanese refuse to hand over the DNA, terrorists release Godzilla from his lair and he begins a new spree of terror. In an act of desperation, a scientist merges some of the Godzilla cells with a rosebud, mutating it into the one of the most unique monsters in the Toho universe - Biollante. The two do battle as our protagonists in the film try to track down the terrorists. As a result, what we have is not the usual Godzilla vs. movie with an alien-invasion plot. This one is unique and substantive in its monster origins, plot flow and character development.

While an exciting movie, there are some people that this film could have done without, like the horrible Saradian agent SSS9 and the campy Biomajor people. I have to give credit to this movie, anyhow, because it introduced the Godzilla-centered psychic Miki Saegusa (played by Megumi Odaka). She would take a very significant role in this and the following Godzilla films. Her using her psychic powers to locate Godzilla and stopping him from coming ashore in Osaka was intriguing.

Overall, not a bad Godzilla film. Very distinctive, albeit a little too focused on the human subplot and the military, and the Biollante angle wasn't emphasized enough.

Grade B-

Another great entry into the rebooted franchise. It picks up where the last Godzilla films left of. However, it soon turns into an espionage thriller, Americans and, most dangerously of all, middle eastern folk, try and steal a Godzilla fragment to experiment with. It leads to the creation of a giant plant. Nothing too dangerous you might think, but as it mutates, the design is really quite breathtaking. This film once again takes it up a notch. It feels so genuine in its portrayal of the events, and even manages to convince the audience that this is all very real. As always, the score is truly dominant. It flows throughout the film bringing both dread and excitement. I loved how they gradually introduce the more "out there" ideas. This time, it's telekinesis with flowers. Like the classics, it is a story of man and nature, and how fooling around could lead to absolute destruction by giant monsters. There were also a number of humane touches and some maturity lacking from earlier attempts. When asked if he will go to America a young man says that he wont, as every country has bad things about it. For once, the foreign devils aren't to blame. Just humanity as a whole.

Gojira vs. Biorante (or Godzilla vs. Biollante as it's know here in the USA) opens up right where Godzilla 1985 left off. A group of scientists searching through the rubble that was once Tokyo make an interesting discovery: Godzilla Cells. These "Godzilla Cells" are actually palm-sized flakes of Godzilla's skin that were either scratched or blown off. Now many different groups of people are fighting to get these cells and one group in particular called Bio Major, which is an American terrorist organization, will stop at nothing to get these cells, even if they have to release Godzilla from his volcanic prison. On a lighter note, a prominent Japanese scientist who lost his only daughter in a terrorist bombing, combines the Godzilla Cells with the cells of a rose plant. Once these cells are joined together, they form a monstrous rose that the scientist names Biollante. Now Godzilla gets loose and pretty soon you can guess that Godzilla and Biollante are going to go at it.

This is in fact my favorite Godzilla movie in the second generation of Godzilla films. It has a real dark tone and a really haunting score. It should also be pointed out that the film is probably the most violent in the second generation of Godzilla films. I say this because there are several bloody shoot-outs, Godzilla gets stabbed in his side by one Biollante's tendrils, a man is strangled to death, and a man is disintegrated by electricity.

Finally, has anyone noticed that the Godzilla costume in this movie is different than the one in Godzilla 1985? I think that is because the costume in G-1985 was stolen and was rumored to be worth over $100,000.

Anyway, Godzilla vs. Biollante gets a 10/10.

What? a Godzilla movie on Blu-ray, well about time. Well of course destroy all monsters came out on Blu-ray, but was discontinued. I would love it if they re-released all the films on Blu-ray, that would be a dream come true.

Blu-ray disc: The picture quality is much better, but I can only compare it to my VHS tape. Whats one thing that Godzilla movies have a lot of, explosions. What does Blu-ray enhance, explosions. Well unfortunately the sound wasn't on par with most films, what I mean by that is, the explosions lacked base, and there for didn't rattle the walls. That was my only complaint. And for the first time I actually get to watch how one of these films is made, it includes a behind the scenes bonus feature. The MPAA rating in the opening states that there is the usual Godzilla violence, I thought that was funny.

The film: This film is a big leap forward for the series. The action scenes look great, and the special effects are outstanding. The final form of Biollante looks incredible. Some of the musical scores are great too. Take note this film is actually pretty violent, lots of blood spraying, and there is more swearing than usual, man there's even a sexual reference at the end. Not really PG material, but oh well.

Overall it's pretty entertaining, with the fight scenes being the highlights. Although Biollante served a small part, it's still worth watching.

Gojira vs. Biorante is not a masterpiece in any shape or form, but I really liked it and thought it was a lot of fun. It is perhaps a little too long and the ending falls a little flat. Quibbles aside, it never fails to be entertaining. The film does move briskly, while I loved the idea of the story which was nicely constructed and fun. The visuals are great too, the colours look great while the cinematography is good and the effects are excellent, Godzilla especially is brilliantly done, so is Biollante. The score is quite nice also, it isn't amazing, but it is memorable and quite an interesting one. The dialogue is reasonable enough, while the direction is good and the acting and characters are likable without anyone in particular standing out too much. So all in all, quite a nice surprise and entertaining. 8/10 Bethany Cox