by Hybrid Gojira » Sat Sep 13, 2014 3:54 am
I just finished watching this. GvsBiollante was always my favorite as a kid, and it holds up well after repeat viewings. Tonight was no exception.
This was the first time I watched the Echo abridge DVD, and for the most part it's a billion times better than the dub (with the exceptions being anytime anyone in this movie speaks English - yikes! It's literally almost impossible to understand). This incarnation of Godzilla is probably my favorite. He is ferocious, his roar is powerful, and he fights with tenacity. Godzilla shoots numerous beams in this film, but there's a nice dynamic between that and Biollante's plethora of vines when they fight. The characters in this film are mostly fleshed out and all seem to serve a purpose. I think more could have been done with Miki, but there is a lot going on in this film and the characters are enjoyable for me. Gondo is great and serves as a needed comedic relief since the majority of the film is handled with such a serious tone. Shiragami plays the "mad scientist" well. His love for his daughter blinds him, but in the end he realizes his mistake. Okouchi, on the other hand, is only concerned with what can be gained from the Godzilla cells. It is a stark contrast between political gain and scientific advancement, all the while the morality of it all and what it means for mankind is coming into question. By the end of the film we hear Shiragami's take - "men are the real monsters" because we created Godzilla and Biollante. GvsB plays out in a real world setting - if there were Godzilla cells and ANEB/weapons/new forms of food (grain is mentioned) could be made, then every country/corporation would probably be scrambling for the G-cells.
It's unfortunate that this outing represents the height of Kawakita's effects in the series, at least for me. Biollante is easily one of the coolest kaiju ever conceived and is truly terrifying. Her presence on screen matches Godzilla's own. The rain scenes, the fights, the military battles - all are epic in this film. I was never bored. Godzilla looks great as well and he seems like a living creature rather than a man in suit for the majority of the action sequences. I really can't say enough about the film. My wife even liked it.
I'd rank this film in my top 3.