TALKBACK #17: Godzilla vs. Biollante

[Benjamin Haines]

[jellydonut25]

I personally don't see anything WRONG with not voting the original as the number one favorite.

I mean, it's a GREAT movie...but if I'm sitting down to watch a random Godzilla movie, it's probably not what I grab. It's great, but it's not really fun.


As to Destoroyah and such...I think one thing far too many kaiju fans do is look at JUST the surface of the film...and listen, you do KINDA need to do that from time to time to enjoy these goofy movies, but fans do things like look at Destoroyah's design and argue that because he LOOKS cool, he's badass and powerful and awesome, or that because Godzilla's meltdown itself is emotional, the whole movie is a powerful film, or that because there are references to the original film it's a brilliant movie.

[Dr Kain]

My ordering goes GMK, 54 (this IS the best though), Biollante, Mothra vs, and Mecha93.

I don't have any problem with Destoroyah on that list. We have had this debate many times, but it is definitely in my top 10 list, if not #5 or #6.

[DannyBeane]

[daikaijusaurus]

[MekaGojira3k]

That graphic only suggests considering MZ.
It is wrong.

And as for G vs. Biollante being number one, they could have picked a LOT worse.

[Legion]

[Jorzilla]

I've seen a lot of fall out from the announcement of Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah returning in the Legendary series. A lot of people tend to turn to either Biollante or Gigan as the monster that they REALLY wanted to see in a new film.


The one thing that generally bothers me about those types of opinions, is that when tasked to think of a plausible situation is that they generally default to the simple genetic engineering origin or something along the lines of Godzilla's blood infecting a plant. Essentially they completely bowl offer the human aspect of Biollante, both the spirit element (which I personally think can be axed), but more importantly the grief of Dr. Shiragami who used Godzilla cells to create a monster to save his daughter's image. That tragedy is a HUUUUGE part of what makes Biollante interesting as a monster. This is something I would definitely liked to be preserved in any sort of remake of this film. However, most fan fiction/theories tend to approach Biollante as a simple problem of "how can I mate a plant with Godzilla and then have them fight each other?" I think this is fundamentally wrong...the origin of the monster is completely integral to the entire plot and drama of the film. Simply put: It is probably a monster that would be damn hard to actually re-use outside of this one instance in cinema.


This is something I've generally felt about the IDW comics, which are restricted to NOT showing monster origins. Biollante and Destroyah (to a lesser extent) are always the monsters that come across as strange to see randomly in the middle of a comic series.

[Gojira-2000]

You could use Biollante and still keep the basic premise of involving Shiragami and his daughter in there. Biollante could be created as a sort of GM crop that is designed to absorb incredible amounts of CO2 emissions. The reason for Dr. Shiragami to risk this is because of his daughter Erika's death due . In his research Shiragami found monster DNA* (not necessarily Godzilla's) that could help create such a plant that could deal with this worldwide issue. Unfortunately the plant horribly mutates, and much like GM crop , cross-pollinates with other non-GM crops and plants, mutating them in the process and creating the potential for a world filled with giant monster plants.

* I'd say a new monster/MUTO, one that survived initially after the mass extinction that resulted in most of the other monsters dying out, or going into hiding. This monster would've adapted to the , and why it's a good candidate for Dr. Shiragami's work.

[Jorzilla]

So on a different note.

I was thinking about this today; Isn't Godzilla vs. Biollante the first Godzilla film that has a main character from the military? The Showa films always had military types, but the people in the human story were generally scientists, policemen, reporters, spacemen, etc. Godzilla vs. Biollante has 3 characters that are essentially branches of the military:

Lt. Gondo

Sho Kuroki

Miki Sagueusa (sort of, definitely in later pictures)

[XvGojira]

[jellydonut25]

Do you count astronauts Glenn or Fuji as military? How about Akira Kubo in Destroy All Monsters?

[klen7]

i think they fit under XvGojira's "spacemen" category.

[Pkmatrix]

[MekaGojira3k]

I need to watch it again, but that seems reasonable. I APPROVE (like that matters).

[DannyBeane]

Makes sense. Considering Miki's attack knocked her out, and Biollante is about a billion times larger than her it makes sense that a psychic attack from her would be more effective. I must watch Biollante again to confirm.

[Benjamin Haines]

I think it makes sense that Biollante used a psychic attack against Godzilla in that scene but I don't think that qualifies the battle as a victory for her. She still disintegrated and died, whether that was the result of the damage Godzilla dealt or a kamikaze effect of her psychic attack. That's a draw.

[Hybrid Gojira]

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.

[Rody]

Here's a great article that covers some of the details we might have heard in the Echo Bridge commentary.

[MekaGojira3k]

That was a great read!

[Psycho Soldier]

[klen7]

^ You think that's zany? I heard there was a script where Godzilla was controlled by the vengeful ghosts of the forgotten.


I did really enjoy that article and wished that i could listen to the commentary more than ever. Very cool.

[Psycho Soldier]

[DannyBeane]

[Psycho Soldier]