Monster Discussion #41: Biollante

[JVM]

One of Toho's most popular monsters state-side, but one of the most overlooked.

[TokyoVigilante]

One of the best monsters ever produced. Just such an extreme departure from the standard man-in-suit profile, I'd even say they're more successful at hiding that profile then what the Ultra series produced, and despite being like nothing Toho has ever really worked with, I'd say that Biollante was shot, angled and choreographed perfectly; never worked beyond the limitations of the prop (unlike, the titular opponent of Biollante would be later on) and looked glorious in every frame.

Origin wise, it has a bizarre mix of spiritual/new age with old school science-gone-wrong. And the roar is creepy as hell.

I'd like to see Biollante come back, but it'd be hard to bring Biollante back with out just straight remaking the film she's from.

[HayesAJones]

A pretty awesome monster. Probably one of the best executed monsters in the series.

[cloverfan98]

One of the more unique monsters ever made, and for that its awesome.

[Tohosaurus]

As another poster said, its departure from the typical man-in-a-suit look really helps it. Love the look of Biollante in her second form; too bad her movie just didn't include her in it much.

[Tohosaurus]

I think there should be more kaiju like Biollante and Legion where they barely have a humanoid form.

Agreed. I'd like to see a new Godzilla vs The Sea Monster ... this time with something more interesting that a huge lobster. But maybe the below is more humanoid than Biiollante ...

[MungusMung8694]

I agree with the more experimenting...i am really tired of KING GHIDORA yeah hes a staple and size wise he works.....but im just sick of him...time for something new....2012 would be a great starting point for something new....something mean, something more powerful than the big G...but something he has to over come proving he has a couple of brains behind all that power

as for a return of BIOLLANTE...im down with that

[edgaguirus]

Biollante is one of the best Godzilla monsters made. One might scoff at the monster being a huge flower, but Biollante's second form was a fierce and imposing creature. She looked great.

Now if we could just get her into the metal bikini.

[MungusMung8694]

^ ummmm...no to that bikini

[Tohosaurus]

I agree with the more experimenting...i am really tired of KING GHIDORA yeah hes a staple and size wise he works.....but im just sick of him...time for something new....2012 would be a great starting point for something new....something mean, something more powerful than the big G...but something he has to over come proving he has a couple of brains behind all that power

as for a return of BIOLLANTE...im down with that

I think that's a problem that many have with the Heisei and Millennium series, that they weren't too creative and mostly just rehashed classic kaijus.

[Goji]

Biollante is most definitely in my top 5 favorite Toho monsters. A really unique monster design brought to life by some really solid execution. Gotta love that roar too. Almost as haunting as Godzilla's 54's. Almost.

Origin wise, it has a bizarre mix of spiritual/new age with old school science-gone-wrong.

This is one of the things I like best about Biollante other than the things I mentioned. Her origin is part of what made the film's narrative actually interesting, IMO.

[Tohosaurus]

Biollante is most definitely in my top 5 favorite Toho monsters. A really unique monster design brought to life by some really solid execution. Gotta love that roar too. Almost as haunting as Godzilla's 54's. Almost.

This is one of the things I like best about Biollante other than the things I mentioned. Her origin is part of what made the film's narrative actually interesting, IMO.

Hmm. Maybe a thread on which Toho (or just Godzilla) movies are "scariest" would be a good thread.

Love her roar too. Definitely agree that I like how she was born EXCEPT for the whole soul of the daughter thing. WTF were they thinking when they randomly tossed a dead doctor's daughter's soul in the mix? But other than that, it's awesome. Frankly her soul didn't play into the character of Biollante anyway so that's why I overlook it.

[Showa Gyaos]

Biollante is the best executed Heisei baddie. She looks realistic, and is not a suit, but rather one giant prop.

[Legionmaster]

And she's probably Toho's best executed kaiju ever, not just in the Heisei series.

[Hedorah]

She gets major bonus points for managing not to look like your stereotypical guy in a suit. In fact, for the longest time I wondered if she was even a suit or just a giant prop like Mothra. Good job Toho, now if you can make more suits that don't look like suits you may just make another new monster that can become an instant classic like Rodan or Ghidorah.

Because Rodan and Ghidora don't look like guys in suits, right?

I think you may have misunderstood, he wasn't saying that Rodan and Ghidorah didn't look like suits. He was saying that if they gave the proper care to future monsters they can look as believable as Biollante did.

[miguelnuva]

This come up after the GxM Godzilla vs Biollante FM thread. I rewatched G vs B and then compared it to G vs KG.

When once Goji v2 comes around Godzilla is a high tire kaiju for the heisei series but what would heisei v1 be ranked at. Now it's hard to rank a heisei monster low or mid tire as there all freakisly powerful but if I had to choose I'd put Godzilla v1 and Final Form Bio as a Mid tire heisei monster.

1. Biollante only has the broken regneration her other powers don't seem like they'd hurt the big dogs of the Heisei series(Destroyer,SpaceG,SMG and Heisei v2.)

2. It can still be debated if Goji at then time was even 100% due to the ANEB, IMO Godzilla was growing weaker the whole fight and Bio's final attack just pushed hi temp over the edge.

3.Heisei v1 Goji is a mid tire Heisei monster, (I'd put him, Bio and Ghidorah around the same power) when you compare him to Heisei v2, SMG SpaceG and Destroyer.

4.Even if Goji wasn't sick from the ANEB he and Bio were still pretty much the same and Goji may have been winning or Bio may have been winning on how you look at it(I think they were the same till the ANEB kicked in).

So Like I said this is just my oppion feel free to discuss.

[Brian4205]

Agreed.

[Lord Gappa]

I think Biollante's got the package to give some kaiju a run for their money.
Her amazing regen, acidic spray, bone piercing tendrils, and massive size are worthy of calling powerful.

[VamprisArachne]

I wouldn't say overrated, but she does have a lot of good weapons/abilities at her disposal, probably not as strong as destroyah or spacegodzilla, but still a kaiju to be reckoned with.

She also had a cool design , not very many plant kaiju out there

[Biollante]

Huge cult favorite. But overrated.

Oxymoron?