One Of The Best Godzilla Movies Ever Is Finally Available On 4K Blu-ray
With its first movie of the Heisei era, Godzilla vs. Biollante brought the King of the Monsters into modern day.
Godzilla is unquestionably a pop culture icon. While monsters who started life as a man in a rubber suit don’t often get to claim such status, it’s fair to say that the King of the Monsters has earned it. Dating back to the original sci-fi classic more than 70 years ago, the Godzilla franchise has birthed some truly memorable bits of cinema. Now, one of the best (and arguably most underseen) moments in the history of this storied franchise is getting a new shot at life.
The folks at Criterion have given 1989’s Godzilla vs. Biollante a sorely deserved 4K Ultra HD upgrade, with the ‘80s classic kaiju flick arriving in its newly restored version this month. Though perhaps not as loudly celebrated as 2023’s Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One, for example, in-the-know fans have long held up this wonderfully bizarre, visually stunning work from director Kazuki Ōmori as an all-time bright spot in the series. With any luck, this truly stunning new release will open it up to a wider audience.
Godzilla vs. Biollante takes place in the aftermath of 1984’s The Return of Godzilla, which kicked off what is known as the Heisei-era of the franchise. In the aftermath of Godzilla’s previous attack, an arms race of sorts kicks off as nations seek to collect the monster’s cells. The Japanese government uses the cells to create a new bio-weapon. Meanwhile, geneticist Genshiro Shiragami, grieving from the loss of his daughter, experiments with some of the monster’s cells, some human DNA, and a rose, resulting in a bizarre hybrid monster dubbed Biollante. Let them fight, as it were.
The initial wave of Godzilla films from the ‘50s through the ‘70s, known as the Showa-era, are an interesting mix. Many of them are beloved, several of them are pretty bad. All of them are relatively dated, though can certainly be appreciated by today’s viewers. The Heisei-era, meanwhile, offered a major leap forward, visually speaking. These films offered a wonderful mix of classic “rubber monsters and miniatures” chaos, mixed with slightly more modern visuals. For some, this is the golden era, with Godzilla vs. Biollante representing a true high point.
The mix of men in suits with ‘80s technology helped revive the Godzilla franchise for modern times.
Godzilla vs. Biollante is a truly strange movie — delightfully so. The nice thing about having a series with seven decades worth of movies is that there are multiple flavors. We have something as relatively grounded and straightforward as Minus One. Then we have this, which is a big swing, one that connects. The story is wacky but it works. Most importantly, it features some of the best visual effects in the history of Godzilla, which is truly saying something.
Biollante is unquestionably one of the most unique and visually impressive monsters ever put to screen. What more can one ask for from a monster movie? In an era of paint-by-numbers franchise filmmaking, this feels refreshing all these years later.
As for the new Criterion release itself, it’s emblematic of what the company does. There’s a reason that cinephiles have come to trust them implicitly. The 4K restoration looks truly wonderful. Anyone who owns the coveted Godzilla Showa-era box set Criterion put out several years ago knows the care that goes into these restorations. The release is also jam-packed with bonus features, including a new audio commentary track, several making-of docs and some pretty great cover art. While I haven’t had the chance to dig fully into the features quite yet, what I have explored makes me miss the heyday of DVD special features being an expected part of any release. Also, not for nothing, but the essay is printed on a fold-out poster that is very much worthy of some wall space.
The cover of Criterion’s release of Godzilla vs. Biollante.
Another reason why this new 4K and Blu-ray release takes on extra meaning is that Godzilla vs. Biollante, for quite a few years, has been largely out of print on physical media. If you wanted to add a copy to your shelf, it was probably going to have to be an overpriced DVD from eBay. The movie has occasionally been available on various streaming services, but that’s been inconsistent.
Now, it is going to be readily available for fans to watch if they want to watch it. Plus, the version that’s out there offers impeccable presentation. It also ensures that future digital releases can look better than they ever have. Criterion has done a true service by giving this satisfyingly strange, stone-cold monster movie classic new life. Whether you’re seeing it for the first time or revisiting it, it’s hard to imagine a better way to go.
