Across its 70+ year run, the Godzilla franchise has been through numerous reinventions to keep the series alive. The Heisei era is considered the most adult oriented period, as it used the single continuous timeline to bring the titular creature back to its roots as a destructive force feared by humans. Criterion have given their stunning treatment to Godzilla vs. Biollante, the second entry into this era which was born from a public story-writing contest.
Serving as a sequel to 1984’s The Return of Godzilla, this story opens with footage from its predecessor showing how Godzilla’s rampage through Tokyo left the titular monster trapped within a volcano. A sample of Godzilla’s cells are discovered in the aftermath, which leads to corporate espionage and murder as various figures desire using the cells for their own purposes.
One affected party is geneticist Dr. Shiragami (Kōji Takahashi), who wishes to genetically modify plants to thrive in the desert, but has his world shattered when a terrorist bombing destroys his lab and takes his daughter’s life. Years later, Shiragami tries to scientifically preserve his daughter’s soul by merging her cells with that of a rose. Once he gains access to the Godzilla cells, he merges it with the rose to create a large plant-like monster called Biollante.
Needless to say, that is quite the set-up to craft a new combatant to fight this franchise’s lead. There are a few pieces in play, such as a girl with psychic abilities, and a scientist worrying about the ethics of his work, but the emotional core remains centred around a father messing with nature while trapped within grief. In fact, writer/director Kazuki Ōmori expands that idea to show a world stuck in the grief of Godzilla’s rampage, with their peaceful lives shattered as they fear such a destructive force may return.
These fears are shown in how Tokyo reacts to such a reckoning, whether it is a memorial lounge to honour those whose lives were lost in the attack, alerts set up to monitor the situation, or a task force struggling to justify itself as years pass without incident. Yet, this also comes out in their defence plans, as they wish to use genetic modifications to create a bacteria that can destroy Godzilla. It is a tale as old as time, with humans facing a large problem by creating a deterrent which could feasibly become what destroys humanity.
As it counts down to the ultimate clash, foreboding signs arise in various forms, such as rumbles in the distance, and worsening weather. It resembles a tense countdown to the impending arrival of Godzilla, and the creation that hopes to combat such a destructive force. It eventually arrives in the form of Biollante, a foe that actually does not appear as much as one would expect, but the wait is worthwhile. Their thrilling brawl shows Godzilla doling out brutality, tremendously delivering all the excitement your heart could desire, and highlights the great practical effects bringing alive these creative scenes.
Nestled within the narrative is a sunglasses-wearing hitman, a constant adversary for the humans who approaches ending his target’s lives and seeing Godzilla’s rampage with a casual attitude. He is an effective reflection of how the real monsters are not Godzilla or Biollante, but instead those who created them by tampering with nature, or ending lives in the name of such advances. The blending of the expected kaiju carnage with an ecological message makes for an excellent addition to this series, and is absolutely both worth watching and adding to your collection.
Godzilla vs. Biollante is out now on Criterion Collection UK Blu-Ray
James’s Archive – Godzilla Vs Biollante (1989)
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