| Kazuki Omori's Godzilla
vs. Biollante is one of those movies that
define how I review films. I make it no secret
that the movie is my all time favorite, yet I’m
not dishing it out a perfect score. The reasoning
behind this is simple: I don’t conduct these
reviews solely based on my enjoyment, but on the
merits of the production and how I think the general
moviegoer would enjoy the production. In the case
of Godzilla vs. Biollante, I feel the
film has some very strong aspects to it, but I
can’t ignore some of the more apparent faults.
Thankfully the story isn’t one of them,
as it develops a lot of nice ideas but it’s
a difficult area to analyze as some of the elements
aren’t properly explained. Regardless, the
weaker aspects of the movie would include the
minimal character development and the poor performances.
On the other hand, the film does boast some impressive
special effects work, an outstanding soundtrack,
and excellent pacing that keeps the action sequences
coming, which is enough to make this, easily,
one of the more enjoyable Godzilla movies out
there.
The movie starts off following
Godzilla's attack in the mid-1980’s on Tokyo,
which caused the monster to tumble into the depths
of Mount Mihara. From the destruction, a select
number of Godzilla cells have been recovered.
A precious commodity, hoped to hold the secret
to Godzilla’s amazing regeneration, the
cells cause several different factors to clash
in the ruined streets of Tokyo in hopes of securing
them. The Japanese military is successful, as
is a lone Saradian agent who also takes a sample
back to his home country. Doctor Genichiro Shiragami
then experiments on the cells with plants in Saradia,
trying to develop a highly resistant form of vegetation
that could be mass-produced in the surrounding
desert. However, Bio Major, an organization trying
to monopolize genetic engineering, catches wind
of the research and bombs the Saradia based laboratory,
destroying the Godzilla cells and killing Shiragami’s
daughter, Erika, in the process.
Five years later, a group of ESP
trained children, taught under Miki Saegusa, predict
Godzilla's reemergence. The prime minister is
skeptical, but precautions are laid into place
as the Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria, a substance
that eats nuclear material and is constructed
from Godzilla’s digestive genes, and the
Super-X 2 are readied. For the ANEB, the Japanese
government needs the aid of doctor Shiragami,
who hesitantly agrees on the condition that he
might be able to study a sample of the Godzilla
cells on his own. With the cells, the doctor continues
his work, combining Godzilla’s genetic structure
with those of a rose and the essence of his deceased
daughter. However, Bio Major once again becomes
interested in the doctor’s work, and dispatches
two agents to Shiragami’s laboratory to
secure the research on the ANEB. While there,
the two men run across the Saradian agent and,
to their surprise, Biollante, the unintended result
of Shiragami’s experiments. Biollante manages
to kill one of the bio-agents, as the other two
men escape. The genetic monster then makes its
way to nearby Lake Hashi where it greatly increases
in size.
Meanwhile, Bio Major has set up
a contingency plan to secure the ANEB: planting
explosives around Mount Mihara that, if the ANEB
isn’t turned over, will detonate and free
Godzilla. The Japanese government gives into the
demands, but the exchange is ruined by the intervention
of the Saradian assassin, who kills the Bio Major
agent, leaving no way to stop the explosives,
and steals the ANEB for himself. Consequently,
Godzilla is freed and begins heading toward the
Japanese mainland. The Super-X 2 is sent to halt
the monster's advance, utilizing its fire mirror
to deflect Godzilla’s ray, but is eventually
defeated and sent flying out of control.
That night, Godzilla arrives at
Lake Hashi and does battle with his genetic twin:
Biollante. The fight is fierce, but short lived
as Godzilla incinerates the rose-like monster
before moving on. The nuclear menace then retreats
back into the sea, in route to attack a nuclear
power plant to restore his energy reserve. Kuroki,
the commander in charge of the operation against
Godzilla, notices that the beast’s current
path appears to be toward Ise Bay and the nuclear
power plant in Nagoya. He then deploys the naval
and air forces to that region to prepare for a
full out assault. However, the general’s
prediction creates a grave situation as Godzilla
instead appears in the Osaka Channel. The commander
then enlists Miki in an attempt to stall Godzilla’s
advance through ESP; however, her efforts are
for naught as the nuclear menace continues his
onward trek toward Osaka. The city then is thrust
into an emergence evacuation, during which the
SDF manages to secure the ANEB from a Saradian
shipping front located in the city.
With the might of the SDF miles
away, Godzilla arrives in the city at nightfall
nearly unopposed, crushing the industrial megalopolis
with ease. The only thing standing in the nuclear
behemoth’s way is the Super-X 2, which has
made its way from Ise Bay, and a quickly prepared
squad of soldiers with ANEB loaded rocket launchers.
The attack is successful in infecting Godzilla
with the bacteria, but at the cost of both the
Super-X 2 and general Gondo.
As Osaka lies in ruins, Godzilla
begins a slow trek toward Yokohama and the nuclear
power plant located there. Much to the SDF’s
surprise, Godzilla seems unaffected by the bacteria
coursing through his veins, which leads to the
speculation that the ANEB might not be spreading
quick enough due to his low temperature. With
this theory at hand, the SDF plans one final assault,
amounting maser tanks and the TC system near the
Yokohama power plant in a bid to raise the creature’s
temperature and allow the bacteria to finally
place Godzilla out of commission. Luckily, the
theory proves to be correct, as the weapons greatly
increase Godzilla’s body temperature, causing
the bacteria to spread. However, the virus is
not fast enough to stop Godzilla, who crushes
a good portion of the attack force until a large
collection of spores begin to rain from the sky.
The Earth then quakes as Biollante, in her final
towering form, emerges to face Godzilla head on.
Evolved into a much more battle ready state, Biollante
easily faces her genetic twin to a standstill
until the bacteria immobilizes Godzilla, causing
the creature to faint in the water nearby.
With Godzilla defeated, Biollante
transforms into an airborne form and travels back
into the sky in a series of spores as Shiragami
and others look on. Shortly after, though, the
doctor is gunned down by the Saradian agent, sealing
with him the means of mass-producing the ANEB.
However, the agent is not fortunate enough to
leave the area with his life, as a resulting battle
leads the gunman to the TC field where he is disintegrated.
Following the skirmish, Godzilla awakes, having
his temperature cooled from his time in the water.
Fortunately, the creature is in an extremely weakened
state, and travels out to sea, where he spends
an indefinite period of time at the ocean’s
floor, hibernating.
Overall, the plot is hard to analyze,
but it does seems to do more right than wrong.
Its history is fairly interesting also, as Toho
held a contest for the story back in 1986 to start
generating early hype for the production, something
which the firm had done for Terror
of Mechagodzilla (1975) as well. Over
5,000 screenplays were submitted, many from outside
Japan. The winner ended up being Shinichro Kobayashi,
a dentist and part-time screen writer, whose screenplay
for Godzilla vs. Biollante was heavily
adapted by director Omori before filming started.
One can’t discredit Kobayashi’s
influence on the final product, although several
of the more ingenious plot devices were actually
taken from other entries or were introduced by
Omori. For example, the idea of the Anti Nuclear
Energy Bacteria, which did not appear in Kobayashi's
screenplay, is great, especially the very sensible
explanation that it’s constructed from the
digestive cells of Godzilla. It’s also nice
to see biological weapons introduced into the
Godzilla series, as it’s something which
hadn’t been touched on prior. However, it’s
not quite clear exactly how the ANEB would have
neutralized nuclear weapons as is often talked
about in the movie. It seems like the bacteria
would have been used for clean up after the destruction
had occurred, not something that would outright
disable nuclear weapons. Still, this creates a
strong sense of Japanese nationalism in the movie,
as the idea of shifting world power by neutralizing
nuclear weapons in Japan’s favor is brought
up, although thankfully it’s never laid
on as thick as in the director's Godzilla
vs. King Ghidorah (1991).
The sense of continuity in the
movie is another aspect that the writing team
does well, with small details like the “Godzilla
Memorial Lounge” (a restaurant constructed
from a building that the monster stepped on) being
nice touches. The start of the movie being the
climax of The
Return of Godzilla (1984) is also nice,
although a similar motif was done in Terror
of Mechagodzilla (1975) which was also
born from a similar contest (coincide, I suppose).
Unfortunately, the Super-X2 vs.
Godzilla battles seem very meager when counterbalanced
with the riveting confrontations with the Super-X
seen in The
Return of Godzilla (1984). However, they
aren’t “centerpieces” in the
movie and are far from boring either. One of the
highlight battles, though, would have to be the
film's final, mammoth SDF counteroffensive against
Godzilla in the rain. Complete with waves of masertanks,
the TC system, tanks, rocket launchers and helicopters.
Still, the focus here is on the confrontations
with Biollante, who ends up being one of the most
memorable foes Godzilla has ever faced. The plant
based monster is hopelessly outmatched in her
“rose form”, while the sheer size
of her final form makes the climax exciting. In
contrast to other Godzilla films, the final battle
is very short, but nearly every moment counts,
in particular Biollante’s awesome reveal
with a huge chunk of Earth being overturned as
Godzilla has to stretch his head to look up at
this gigantic opponent. It should be addressed
that there is a slightly anti-climatic fight between
Kirishima and the Saradian Agent that follows,
but it proves to be a very short tussle and is
actually very well staged. It’s also a nice
lead into Godzilla’s eventual revival in
the sea, so that this doesn’t seem too sudden.
For all of the praise that screenwriters
Kobayashi and Omori deserve, though, there is
also some scorn that needs to be squared away.
What leads the way in this aspect is Erika’s
character. The audience can accept that she and
her father had a strong relationship without this
being documented too much, but it’s never
quite clear what happens to her following the
explosion at the laboratory or exactly how she
becomes a part of Biollante. It can be assumed
that she is somehow connected with the roses that
Shiragami keeps outside his home, which would
also account for his odd reaction during the earthquake
when the glass on the “greenhouse”
shatters. However, it’s something that is
never explained and it will take the viewer more
than one watching to even come to the mentioned
conclusion above.
As hinted at with Erika, the character
development in Godzilla vs. Biollante
isn’t particularly strong; in fact, it’s
rather weak. The audience never feels for any
of the cast, as the movie introduces far too many
characters to develop properly, although at least
it’s not so bad that their intended purpose
for the plot isn’t clear. Most of the characters
here are pretty one dimensional, as the writing
focuses on one element of their character and
continues to utilize that, and nothing much else,
for the remainder of the movie. The prime example
of this would be the main character, Kazuhito
Kirishima, and his continued outcry against using
the ANEB. The film does have some minor evolving
of the characters through the course of the film,
such as Shiragami’s changed view on his
work, and how he vows never to take part in it
again. Of course, then there is General Goro Gondo,
whose not really developed at all but plays the
part of the movie’s comic relief well, while
credit should go to the writing for not making
him too over the top. One character which is worth
mention, though, is that of Kuroki, the young
inexperienced general. He is interesting for a
number of reasons, although chief among them is
that it’s not something that the audience
has seen before in a Godzilla movie. He’s
not simply there for scenery either, as his huge
blunder of trying to predict Godzilla’s
arrival at Ise Bay is very refreshing. His failure
can also be seen when he hopes that Miki might
be able to delay Godzilla in time to remobilize
the troops, only to have her faint as Godzilla
continues his onward trek. It’s not a character
device that the writing team overuses either,
and it’s also nice to see the character
mature slightly through the course of the movie,
which is realized when his general superiors hand
him his hat at the end of the film.
Unfortunately, the acting in Godzilla
vs. Biollante is adequate at best, and does
little to breath life into the rather simple characters.
In fact, for the most part, the actors are pretty
dry in their roles here. Leading the pack is Koji
Takahashi as Doctor Genichiro Shiragami, who seems
to sleepwalk through his character. His delivery
here is extremely monotone, while his English
is awful when the movie requires it. Thankfully
Kunihiko Mitamura is far better here as the movie’s
lead character Kazuhito Kirishima, although his
performance is far from noteworthy all the same.
He does a decent job with the character, not giving
a memorable portrayal or enhancing the scenes
that he is in, but there’s nothing to be
cross with either. Something that shouldn’t
go unmentioned, though, is the English speaking
actors, which are just god awful in this movie.
The reporter at the start, whose delivery is so
slow that it's aggravating, is just one of many
examples of this. However, the greatest causality
is the Saradian Agent, who I can’t even
tell if he is merely slaughtering the lines or
his dialogue in the first place was awful (“kiss
you guys”?). Although the most memorable,
for both good and bad reasons, English spoken
line would have to come from the American bio
agents when they yell “Shit, damn we are
the lethal weapon!” All in all, there is
so much English being spoken in the movie that
I actually prefer the International version of
Godzilla vs. Biollante, as the delivery
there is far superior. Everyone else here is adequate,
there is not much to praise but the supporting
cast doesn’t drag down the movie either.
To dive into the better side of
the movie, special effects director Koichi
Kawakita is really at the top of his game
here, although the effects of Godzilla vs.
Biollante are far from perfect nonetheless.
Still, if one is expecting Hollywood standard
effects in Japanese films I’d say to look
no further than the budgets to say that such standards
would be unfair, although the work in Returner
(2003) might be one of the few exceptions. For
the time period, the special effects in Godzilla
vs. Biollante are very impressive although,
as expected from a movie constructed in less than
a year, they are uneven in spots, but not to the
degree that the Godzilla series is “famous”
for.
To start on the positive side,
the film boasts some great green screen work,
which would include scenes like the SDF advancing
while Biollante’s Rose form can be seen
in the distance, which beyond being convincing
is also an amazing shot. Of course there is always
the mind-boggling sequence of seeing Godzilla
through the window blinds, which is so convincing
that I’m not even sure it’s green
screen, although I have no idea how else the scene
would have been created. Sadly, the matt work
(paintings utilized as backgrounds) is less convincing,
such as the extended view of the giant Saradia
science institute, although, thankfully, it doesn’t
draw negative attention to itself outside of the
few scenes in Saradia.
On another, slightly less positive,
note the Osaka cityscape set looks a little too
confined here, especially in contrast to the amazing
and expansive Tokyo set seen in The
Return of Godzilla (1984). However, comparing
the model work in the 1984 Godzilla film to any
of the other entries in the series is a little
unfair, as Teruyoshi Nakano produced the best
looking cityscapes seen in a Godzilla film, since
or prior. All in all, though, it’s not bad,
in fact it probably wouldn’t even be worth
mentioning in other Godzilla movies, except the
other special effects aspects are done so well
that it draws more attention to itself.
In regards to the kaiju side of
things, the Godzilla suit looks great here, although
not as polished as it does in Godzilla
vs. King Ghidorah (1991). For the design,
the special effects team went back to the drawing
board, creating a far more feral look for the
monster while dropping the large fangs present
in The
Return of Godzilla (1984) in favor of
two rows of teeth. It was a look that resonated
as it was, more or less, left unchanged in the
five films that followed. For this movie, Kawakita,
wisely, relies on the highly detailed animatronic
head and neck for a great deal of the movie, which
nets him far better results then it did Nakano
in the previous Godzilla entry. Godzilla vs.
Biollante also lends itself to making the
suit appear better, staging most of its effect
shots at night and raising scenarios that keep
the Godzilla suit wet, where it looks much more
convincing. Some could discredit Kawakita’s
efforts on account of it, but, really, if the
effects look good then that's all that should
matter.
Equal praise could also be sung
for the special effects team’s efforts with
Biollante, who is remarkable for a number of reasons.
The first is that the monster’s two forms
hardly fall into line with the steam-lined “man-in-a-suit”
humanoid appearance that most of Godzilla's rivals
fall under, giving Kawakita the tremendous task
of breathing life into this unorthodox design.
To his credit, his attempt is meant with success.
The rose form is pretty simple, but it plays its
intended part well. The final form, and another
remarkable aspect of the special effects, is something
else altogether. For the second form Kawakita
constructed a mammoth prop for the monster, allowing
it to easily topple over the human size Godzilla
suit, while constructing a large series of tentacles
at the base as the creature fills the frame in
most of its sequences. The size of the prop also
allows for a large level of detail to be placed
into the design and gives particularly good results
in the head area, particularly the teeth lined
mouth.
All in all, Godzilla vs. Biollante
is Kawakita’s finest hour. The film isn’t
nearly as inconsistent as the rest of his work,
while the “spark happy” days are yet
to come for the special effects director.
To look at the less technical aspects
of the film, Godzilla vs. Biollante also
excels with the film’s pacing. No scenes
drag on here, while the movie cycles through action
sequences quickly to keep them exciting for the
viewer, while not so fast that the movie seems
disorienting. The film has some light set up to
it, introducing the ANEB and the characters, before
Godzilla is unleashed and then movie becomes a
roller coaster ride tell the end of its duration.
There are breaks in the action sequences, allowing
the story to develop slightly, but each are interweaved
well into the flow of the movie, while none of
the segments feel like they are interrupting the
unfolding mayhem.
Like a lot of Godzilla movies,
though, the soundtrack here is easily a highlight.
Overall, Koichi Sugiyama does an outstanding job
on Godzilla vs. Biollante, constructing
some very beautiful tunes that fit the intended
sequences perfectly. The background music in Saradia
is a good example of this, while the movie's main
theme is excellent as well. However, what makes
Godzilla vs. Biollante’s soundtrack
really exceptional is the interweaving of maestro
Akira
Ifukube's music. There are a couple of Ifukube’s
themes present, culled from the composer’s
Ostinato CD, which are placed appropriately
through out the movie, and enhance the viewing
experience tremendously. The movie’s best
track, though, would have to be the opening music
cue, which is actually a perfect combination of
both Sugiyama and Ifukube’s work. Had the
film just relied on composer Sugiyama I feel he
could have risen to the occasion, but the introduction
of the Ifukube themes give a very classic feel,
as his music is also far better suited for the
sequences that it’s used in.
Pound for pound, there are some
obvious faults in the film, but it’s still
a very enjoyable ride, and one that is required
viewing for fans of the kaiju genre. In reflecting
on the review, I wanted to give the movie a higher
score, but couldn’t under good conscience.
Had this been the International version I might
have been inclined to actually bump up the score
to an even 4.0; not because the dubbing is especially
good, but because it masks the mostly lackluster
performances in Godzilla vs. Biollante
and gives out better dialogue to the numerous
English speaking roles. Regardless, it’s
unfortunate that the film didn’t do as well
at the box office as hoped, although in retrospect
it did better than all but one of the Millennium
entries, as it lackluster performance in theaters
called for director Omori to go back to the drawing
board by making a far campier follow-up: Godzilla
vs. King Ghidorah (1991).
|
(3.5/5)