Why So Blu?

Godzilla vs. Biollante – The Criterion Collection (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

It is truly a great time to be a Godzilla fan. The 70+-year-old character is as popular as it ever was. That appreciation has led to spectacular new films and the release of older ones on modern formats. Godzilla vs. Biollante is one of my favorite Godzilla films, let alone my favorite of the 80s/90s Heisei era. Still, it was also known for a long time as one of the more difficult entries to get a hold of. Thanks to the Criterion Collection, this 4K UHD release delivers this wonderfully strange addition to the franchise onto a disc that has allowed for an excellent new transfer, some fun bonus features, and more.

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Film:

Set after the events of 1984’s The Return of Godzilla, Godzilla emerges from his volcanic tomb at Mt. Mihara, only to be called to a fight by the giant plant kaiju as humans attempt to figure out their best course of action. Referred to as Biollante, this dangerous creature is the result of genetic tampering involving the combination of Godzilla DNA, human DNA, and rose DNA. While various forms of espionage occur among humans in a quest to retrieve the Godzilla cells, the battles raging above them test the limits of the King of the Monsters.

This is a truly bizarre film. Toho hadn’t released a Godzilla film that was this weird since Godzilla vs. Hedorah (aka The Smog Monster) back in 1971. Similar to that film, it performed below expectations, leading to the revival of more classic monsters. Still, Biollante was something fresh for the series, taking a cue from Little Shop of Horrors, of all things, to deliver an all-time classic kaiju creation that’s as vicious as it is elaborate. It took over 20 people to operate Biollante in her final form, and it was worth it to see this magnificent creature design in full effect.

As found in the best Godzilla films, this entry does find a means of incorporating social commentary concerning the abuses of biotechnology, along with the trust of the government. At a time when the effects of the Cold War had been explored both in the original film (by way of the atomic age), as well as well as the continued tensions between the U.S. and Russia in Godzilla ’84, ‘Biollante’ was a chance to do something else that was still reflective of the era and managed to pull it off, while feeding into this wacky story idea.

The actual monster came as a result of a huge contest. In terms of the movie’s plot beats, they have the feel of something lifted straight out of a James Bond movie. Written and directed by Kazuki Ohmori, who would go on to follow this up with the very fantastical Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, here’s a film that’s in complete control of its oddness while still working as one of the true classic Godzilla movies.

Like Godzilla ’84, this entry continues to push away from the family-friendly tone of the later entries in the Showa era. Godzilla is a mean monster, really riding the line as far as being considered an anti-hero. Plus, thanks to the modern filmmaking approaches of the day, this is a far more atmospheric Godzilla movie than seen in the past. It has monster gore, grit, shadows, and other elements to really highlight the deliberate choices made in the filmmaking.

I’ve long championed this film as a true highlight of the franchise, and for good reason. It comes at a significant point for the series, features an all-timer enemy monster for Godzilla to go up against, a pretty mournful plotline that also features lots of spy action, and it all looks great. Even if it’s not exactly the first one I’d recommend anyone to check out (this isn’t a beginner-level entry point), it has so many things that allow me to love this film as much as I do. Where else in a Godzilla film could you shove in a reference to a kiss from a rose?

Additional Note: I’ve written and spoken a lot about Godzilla over the years, and you can find all of that work HERE, including the podcast I have just started with fellow film critic Terence Johnson – 2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla.

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Video:

Encoding: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: 2160p

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

HDR: N/A

Layers: BD-66

Details: “This new 4K restoration was undertaken by TOHO Archive Co., Ltd. And created from the 35 mm original camera negative.”

Clarity/Detail: This is a great example of what the power of 4K can deliver. Going from a barely available whatever-looking Blu-ray to a whole new restoration really shows off what kind of effort was going into this movie. The spy action stuff really hits well, with so much detail to engage with. However, that’s nothing compared to the incredible special effects work that brings Biollante to life, along with Godzilla, which can now be seen with great clarity, and would make any fan proud. Sure, a lack of HDR and the nature of these films can only allow for so much to truly shine, but the picture is sharper than ever, which is more than enough for an entry in this series.

Depth: Look at the scenes featuring large crowds or how the miniature models are arranged to convey the size of Godzilla, and one can appreciate just how well the dimensionality functions for this presentation. The scenes in water, where Godzilla and Biollante face off, also show an outstanding level of depth being taken on by this film.

Black Levels: A proper 4K transfer wins again when considering the strength in the black levels. The image is much less washed out than before, with deeper blacks and almost no sign of crushing. It’s a benefit here, given all the nighttime sequences that attempt to create so much atmosphere for these giant monsters to fight in.

Color Reproduction: As bizarre as Biollante is, the uses of reds, greens, and yellows to deliver on its look go a long way in showing off the strength of the colors at play here. There is plenty of good stuff to show what a standout this film is when considering the liveliness of a movie like this.

Flesh Tones: The human interactions allow us to see proper care going into everyone, looking nicely detailed without overproduction taking away from this restoration.

Noise/Artifacts: The film looks nice and clean, with no issues in sight.

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Audio:

Audio Format(s): Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0

Subtitles: English SDH

Details: “The 5.0 surround soundtrack was remastered from the 35 mm original soundtrack negative.”

Dynamics: A remastered soundtrack works excellently here, as all the dialogue, roars, explosions, and music come through in fantastic fashion. Koichi Sugiyama provides the score, which incorporates some of the classic themes, and it all sounds great. The action delivers on pure volume, but the mix is terrific.

Low-Frequency Extension: N/A

Surround Sound Presentation: While certainly front- and center-focused, there’s no issue with taking in so much of this audio and having it divided up as effectively as it is here to have a room that feels like it’s in a world where Godzilla exists.

Dialogue Reproduction: Everyone is heard loud and clear.

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Extras:

Featuring a new commentary, along with featurettes largely unavailable in America (and with English subtitles) until now, there’s a nice collection of extras here, given how little I may have initially expected to come from this release. Who knows what’s to come if more Heisei-era films arrive on 4K, but this is a solid collection of supplements for now. With the exception of the commentary track, which is available on both discs, all of the extra features are housed on the Blu-ray disc.

Features Include:

• Audio Commentary featuring film historian Samm Deighan – A great listen for those wanting to dive into the history of this film, and have plenty of context added to support what’s taking place and the series’ history as well.
• The Making of “Godzilla vs. Biollante” (SD, 49:00) – A solid making-of feature from 1993 featuring director Kazuki Omori, special effects director Koichi Kawakita, and mother crew members.
• Behind the Design (SD, 3:01) – A look at the various concept designs for the creatures and vehicles featured in this film.
• Deleted Special Effects (SD, 6:45) – No sound, just images of the various monsters and special effects that would be a great moving ambiance creator on my wall if projected right.
• TV Spots
• Trailer (HD, 2:12)
• PLUS – An essay by science fiction and horror film expert Jim Cirronella.

 

Summary:

Writing about Criterion Collection releases of Godzilla films for work is a real treat, and I don’t say that lightly. A particular privilege comes with this kind of stuff, and I’m happy to share my thoughts on Godzilla vs. Biollante. It’s a terrific monster movie that looks and sounds fantastic on 4K UHD. Plus, it has a nice collection of extras to go with it. Any fan or even anyone curious will get plenty of what this release offers.

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