With this LOOOOONG overdue official DVD release, I could not wait to review the movie itself. The review of the actual dvd may not be all you expect as Destroy All Monsters had been. As a film,however, Godzilla vs. Biollante is one of the, if not best in the entire Godzilla series. The effects are very good...and Biollante in all forms is a difficult beast to animate. The cinematography however, helps hide some defects as it is grainy in an almost realistic way. The Godzilla suit also is one of the best and the monster is animated in many different ways that show him as an animal who is a force of nature, but really doesn't realize it. Sometimes the movements of Godzilla seem as if he's a cat playing with a piece of yarn. Other times he turns and roars as if annoyed. The fight sequences are not long, but well done. The story is somewhat compelling and not entirely predictable. Some of the characters were developed nicely. Dr. Shiragami comes off almost like Dr. Frankenstein, but the actor is too emotionless. In fact much of the acting (especially the American actors as usual) is pretty bad....surprisingly, it doesn't hurt the movie at all, yet gives it a familiar feel. I could write a lot more, but if anyone hasn't seen this it would ruin it. It is entirely possible as this movie had little hype here due to an unfamiliar monster fighting Godzilla....the box office draw in Japan was very low, which encouraged them to bring back familiar foes such as Ghidorah and Mothra (who would appear in the next 2 films and draw much better at the box office). The irony now being that if Biollante were brought back in a Godzilla movie the fans would love it!I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!ADDENDUM: I ordered this through Amazon for 4.99...how can you go wrong? You can't! The extras include a documentary w/ SUBTITLES..on the making of...this includes a lot of the extra material that was edited out and you can see why it was. Apparently this movie had more extra footage than any other Godzilla movie. I have all of this w/ a Japanese version, but the extras don't have subtitiles and I really enjoy hearing the point of view of the staff working on the film..it is very insightful...and then when you watch it; after seeing all of that, it makes the film that much more incredible. Biollante is a magnificent monster and it is amazing what they were able to pull off with it (her?) The ONLY shortcoming is in the extra regarding the designs; they ONLY did Biollante and the Super X2...NOT Godzilla....which is a bummer ONLY because it's one of the finest G suits in the entire series. Seeing how they animate it in the making of feature, however, is amazing to see...they were creating a lot while they were filming and in a similar fashion to 'Star Wars' they not only pulled it off, but they set standards which future Kaiju features would try to live up to.If you are a Godzilla fan, you already have this movie; but for this price, you want the extras.
This film is my favorite Godzilla film of all time! Me, and my brother have been waiting a long time for this film to be released on DVD. That wait was finally over when I went to Amazon three days ago, and came across the Blu-ray version. I was so shocked, and dumbstruck! I immediately purchased it! On top of that, I recieved it early than expected! Two days ahead of time! Amazon, I thank you again for your speedy services! You have really made my Christmas this year! With that bieng said, now for my review. I watched this movie all the way threw last night with my brother, and we can't be more happy than we are now to say that watching this film again on Blu-ray is like taking a trip back down memory lane. We had no complaints about the revised film. Other than the fact that I hear alot of people had problems with the audio, and quality that the Blu-ray could've put more effort into. As for the glitch, that no matter how many times you turn off the subtitles, it still won't turn off. Not everything is ment to be perfect yah know, everything has its ups, and downs. I mean think for a second, and see how long it took for it to finally come out for DVD, and Blu-ray. Were lucky to even have it at all. Anyway, compared too my old VHS tape. It definitely beats it out 100, to 1. Anybody who owns a VHS tape knows the older it gets, it becomes unplayable. Mine sure did. It got grainer, than those annoying light scratches started showing up making my VHS version unplayable. That is now gone however, and I'am able to watch my favorite Godzilla film time, and time again without having to worry about that problem. The Bonus Features showed all the hard work, and dedication that Toho had put into making this film. I highly respect them for making this magnificent film that I love so much. I hope that one day, they will release the Return of Godzilla on DVD, and Blu-ray. Just like they did this one. To all Godzilla fans, and Newcomers alike. If you don't own this yet, I Highly Recommend You Get It! If your able to withstand the minor issues in the Blu-ray version, which I have no problems with. Yes! Than you should definitely not miss this one out! On top of that, its only 7 bucks, with shipping, and handling! Cheaper than most Blu-rays out today! Whats not to like! Newcomers might find it difficult to get into this, if you have not seen Godzilla yet, which I completely understand that. Your entitled to your own opinion. But, if you have an interest in Giant Monsters, than this film is definitely for you. I have to say it, if you don't own this now, your missing out on the Best Godzilla film of all time! Bar None!
I wish I would have reviewed Godzilla Returns way back when I recieved that one. Now I have a chance to talk about both, sort of. This is a direct to Japan version of this movie, with no English track or titles. Fortunately there is an option for English subtitles. And for me, that's really enough. This is a well done movie and now that I look at it, one of the best from the Heisei Godzilla series. It has great elements of classic sci-fi as well as a very sincere feel, similar to the origional 1954 Gojira. The scientist father character is compelling with his duel wreckless and wise natures. He's a character who learns from his mistakes, and actually lives long enough to pass this wisdom to others. His is a great, tragic character arc. This is the first movie to use Godzilla's standard Heisei look, and I think it's pulled off quite well here. He's a slow, lumbering character, but the point is, it doesn't matter how slow he is or if you can spot him. Because you can't stop him! Te close ups of his face are fantastic. I really like the detail on the fleshy tongue. And Biolante is one of the great classic, tragic monsters. She's dangerious, deadly, devious, but has the trapped soul of a lovely girl. As for the DVD itelf, it's pretty basic. There are vew special fetures or options, but as this is the only official DVD release for this film, that automatically makes it the best. The video quality is somewhat lacking too, but nothing you're not used to if you grew up watching these movies on TV as a kid. But I can see this being somewhat of a dissapointment for many, as there is no English dub. Again, that's fine by me, but it is a little harder trying to watch this with friends who refuse to watch a movie with subtitles. But to be honest, the 80s/90s series had some pretty weak English voice talent, and hearing the origional actors is kind of nice. Also there's a bonus special feature at the end, after credits. It's about a 40 minute behind the scenes spot, that shows quite a bit of detail on making the film. This is a rare thing for 80s films in general, so it's kind of nice. Again, it's a little tough going with no English to stand on, but the behind the scenes visuals themselves are nice! I still with whatever studio holds the American distribution rights would hurry up and for this thing over already! Or better yt, give it to Classic Media so they can do what they did with the Godzilla movies they release!
This film is as good as any Godzilla film including the 1954 original! Why? Blasphemy? It is as relevant and thought provoking as was Gojira and this is what makes for a great Godzilla film. Gojira ('54) dealt with radiation exposure and nuclear war, something very much on Japan's mind after Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as the nuclear proliferation madness in Russia and China. Godzilla vs Biollante concerns the misuse of genetic engineering resulting in one of the coolest monsters in film. Godzilla vs Hedorah (the Smog Monster) gave us a pollution mutation that almost wiped out the big G! Sadly only appeared in one other film and for a few measly seconds (Godzilla Final Wars). Godzilla 2000 gave us an alien organism that replicated anything it touched (can anyone say The Thing From Another World?), Orga, a truly cool and different Godzilla foe. And, one of my personal favorites, Godzilla vs Destoroyah, the 1995 film that set the stage for the horrible, awful, detestable (so bad it fits perfectly with some of the worst Godzilla films) U.S. remake in 1998, Thunder-Iguana! That is what the folks at the Sci-Fi Channel would have called it if they made it for broadcast. Destoroyah is big, bad, shape-shifting, ass-kicking, man suit of pure fun! This film had it all from ESP, to disintegrating fish, to science used for weapons, to radiation and meltdowns! Awesome!Of all the Godzilla films, Godzilla vs Biollante is perhaps the least known because it took so long for it to appear in the states and received no hype of any kind. I remember finding it in 1989 in a Blockbuster video store or some such on VHS tape. They had one copy and I had to rent it. I loved it from the first second thanks to the cheesy American acting (many of the "actors" were actually US servicemen), to the whale call singing giant rose version of Biollante. But, when the "G cells" took over and Biollante became the badass tentacled lizard thing, I fell in love. What an awesome monster! Toho outdid themselves and never received the credit or money they should have for creating such a film! Every second was pure Big G bliss. I hope this new Blu-Ray release gives this film it's due presenting us with a near perfect version to sit back and enjoy on our big screen home theaters. We didn't get it on the big screen though I wish someone would do that for us. Who knows, maybe at a G-Fest or something?Anyway, my big five Godzilla busting badasses are (in no particular order):1. Hedorah2. Orga (please give us more of him)3. Biollante4. Destoroyah (all versions of this creature)/Godzilla's nuclear reactor heart. Godzilla's melting death scenes were some of the most intense ever filmed with great special effects and music. Awesome!5. King Ghidorah. Every version of this guy is cool and is the only one to make multiple appearances against Godzilla. I wish that just once he would win a battle and stomp on some Tokyo butt once and for all!I own at least one copy of every Godzilla film. Most of them are in the original Japanese and are Japanese edits. The Return of Godzilla (Godzilla 85) is so much better without the Americans added, but, if you like campy bad acting, then Raymond Burr (a great actor) and the other Americans make the US edited version perfect. Me? I love them both!Let's hope the good folks giving us Godzilla vs Biollante will give us a Return of Godzilla (both versions) soon.
I had heard of this movie only a few years ago. As a life long Godzilla fan this was a movie I had not seen before and I was pleasantly surprised by it. The scene where the soldier character shot Godzilla in the mouth and his line after always gets me giggling a little. If I remember correctly at the time of this movie coming out it was the first time in the series that G cells were explored a bit more and while the music choices in spots is a bit weird it's still an enjoyable movie to watch for any Godzilla fan.