Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Best movie ever!

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Strange that a movie about Godzilla fighting a giant plant with the head of a red rose would be one of the best of the entire franchise, dating back from the origins, but it's true... GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE is also the first of five co-starring Japanese starlet Megumi Odaka as Miki Saegusa, bringing to light another miracle...That a young, really cute Japanese girl (vulnerable and sympathetic, with upturned leafy ears that gives her a unique koala bear pixie look) who is gifted with ESP, could actually read Godzilla's mind without it being too lame or corny: She's what Amy Irving is to THE FURY (think CARRIE with powers in check). And her four other "Heisei Godzilla" films (later distributed by Miramax on awesomely inexpensive blu rays) lasted throughout the entire 1990's...The main character is a middle-aged scientist whose daughter died five years earlier in a laboratory explosion, and he winds up working for a corporation, reluctant at first, but then his creation becomes even more dangerous than Godzilla, or has the potential: that aforementioned plant-beast uses an octopus-tangle of furious stems to attack, each with fang-snapping mouths that resemble the titular "Feed me Seymour" from LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS combined with the fury of The Muppets drummer Animal, in droves...But the final battle between the reptilian and the organic are the first of several peaks that, while going on about twenty minutes too long, winds down a complicated yet clearly told story with a smooth cold war thriller vibe involving an Arab assassin cutting through and around various Japanese henchmen trying to steal the plot-device aka McGuffin from competing labs...Those being Godzilla's very own cells, which was one of several ingredients to bring this new creature to life, and what woke Godzilla up from his volcanic slumber (ala GODZILLA 1985): But his true adversary is a flying vessel that, with blasting lasers laced with anti-nuclear-matter, resembles an otherwise random benign shuttle in any old school outer space movie...Combining b-roll nature shots edited into the expository mainline provides a sort of documentary vibe, along with strategic grids and slick gadgets, all the while allowing Mika to use her brain power only during times needed to make that aspect more interesting within the two most suspenseful and urgent situations... The Japanese military either anticipating Godzilla's arrival or dealing with his usual citywide ravaging that, at that point, 1989, still using the beloved man-in-suit applied effects, actually looks impressive given how much the burning city's flamed-redbrick background, or dark-lit lagoon sequences or even the open sea battles, visually evens-out the screeching, upright-standing creature that, while dated, many find far more entertaining, and even formidable, than what computers do so easily, and without the same creative finesse or overall sense of doom and dread: But it's the multi-tiered story that drives this monster instead of the monster highlighting a one-dimensional action flick.

After rising from his volcanic grave, Godzilla is threatened by a mutated rosebush.I think the story to this film is pretty decent, and maybe I should give it a better rating. You know, maybe. The idea is that Godzilla's cells are in a lab and the scientists want to use them for things -- one guy thinks it will help his rose bushes live longer. He was probably right, but it also transforms the bush into... Biollante! (Or Biorante, if you prefer.) And that is just silly! Godzilla fights giant monsters, not giant bushes... what a crazy idea. I mean, I guess after you have made fifty or so Godzilla films you are ready to try just about anything, but I feel like this might have been a misstep.

The movie about Godzilla has been remake with different "enemy" for so many years. The first Godzilla was made around 1950s. Since then Gojira (as the Japanese are calling it), has been fighting with all kind of "human protectors" and always on the loosing side, yet nothing seem to be able to kill it. After more than 50 years of trying to kill Gojira, the Japanese director are still using the traditional method of bombs, bullets, fire, laser. Of course all these are useless against the Gojira. The same thing happens again on this Gojira vs Biorrante. The Japanese army must be very dumb and stupid to attack the lizard with the weapon that has proved to be ineffective. Okay, a movie does not always follow the human logic, but let's think.... this is the sequel of the previous Gojira movie. If during the previous one the army can not kill or wound the lizard by using normal weapon, where is the logic for them to use similar weapon again on the next bout ?The acting on this kind of Gojira movies is always on the low quality. This is something which I can not understand. On other title, the Japanese can have a good performers, but for whatever reason, they do not seem to be able to improve the quality of the actors. The acting is so bad that it is almost like a play and not a movie. I would expect an improvement on the quality, but sadly I am very disappointed with this one, but maybe this is just for the kid's consumption.....

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