Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) Gojira vs. Biorante (original title)

Director:

Kazuki Ohmori

Writers:

Shinichirô Kobayashi (story)
Kazuki Ohmori (writer)

Release Date:

16 December 1989 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Super-Beast Battle of the Century

Plot:

After rising from his volcanic grave, Godzilla is threatened by a mutated rosebush.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Scientist | Japan | Military | Creature

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Kunihiko Mitamura	...	Kazuhito Kirishima
Yoshiko Tanaka	...	Asuka Okouchi
Masanobu Takashima	...	Major Sho Kuroki
Kôji Takahashi	...	Dr. Shiragami
Tôru Minegishi	...	Lieutenant Goro Gondo
Megumi Odaka	...	Miki Saegusa
Toshiyuki Nagashima	...	Director Seiichi Yamamoto
Ryûnosuke Kaneda	...	Seikun Okouchi
Kazuma Matsubara	...	Self Defense Forces Officer
Yasunori Yuge	...	Prime Minister
Yoshiko Kuga	...	Prime Minister's Wife
Yasuko Sawaguchi	...	Erika Shiragami
Haruko Sagara	...	TV Reporter
Kôichi Ueda	...	General Hyodo
Kosuke Toyohara	...	Super-X2 Controller
Katsuhiko Sasaki	...	Soldier with Glasses
Hirohisa Nakata	...	Helicopter Onlooker
Kenzo Hagiwara	...	Officer
Kenpachiro Satsuma	...	Gojira
Masashi Takegumi	...	Biorante
Yoshitaka Kimura	...	Gojira
Shigeru Shibazaki	...	Gojira
Dêmon Kogure	...	Dêmon Kogure Kakka
Kurt Cramer	...	BioMajor Spy John Lee
Derrick Holmes	...	Biomajor Spy Michael Low
Beth Blatt	...	Reporter
Robert Corner	...	Extra
Abdallah Helal	...	Saradia Scientist
Manjot Beoi	...	Saradia Plant Director
Brien Uhl	...	SSS9
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kenji Hunt	...	John Lee
Takashi Hunt
Hiroshi Inoue	...	Self Defense Forces Officer
Satoru Kawai
Tetsu Kawai	...	Self Defense Forces Officer
Makiyo Kuroiwa	...	Nurse
Hiromi Matsukawa	...	Newscaster
Kazuma Matsuoica
Soleiman Mehdizade
Shiyu Minagawa
Shôichirô Sakata
Kazu Yuki Senba
Kyôka Suzuki	...	Super X2 Operator
Isao Takeno	...	Chief of Super X2 Repair Crew
Noboru Tatsa
Noboru Tatsuma
Shin Tatsuma	...	Director of Giant Plant Obsevation Akiyama
Koji Yamanaka	...	Air Force Staff Officer
Iden Yamanral	...	Abdul Saulman
Ryota Yoshimitsu	...	Self Defense Forces Officer
Yasunori Yumiya	...	Self Defense Forces Officer

Directed by
Kazuki Ohmori

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Shinichirô Kobayashi		story
Kazuki Ohmori		writer

Produced by
Tomoyuki Tanaka	....	executive producer
Shogo Tomiyama	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Kôichi Sugiyama

Cinematography by
Katsuhiro Kato		(as Yudai Kato)

Film Editing by
Michiko Ikeda

Casting by
Tadao Tanaka

Production Design by
Shigekazu Ikuno

Set Decoration by
Yuichiro Endo
Masataka Kawara
Osamu Minamizawa
Akio Tashiro

Costume Design by
Kenji Kawasaki

Makeup Department
Zerai Naoi	....	special makeup effects artist
Harumi Ueno	....	hair stylist
Harumi Ueno	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Kishu Morichi	....	production manager
Takahide Morichi	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kazuhiko Fukami	....	assistant director
Hideyuki Inoue	....	assistant director
Isao Kaneko	....	assistant director
Hiroshi Kubo	....	assistant director

Art Department
Yoshiki Kasahara	....	construction
Minoru Kujirai	....	property master
Eiji Suzuki	....	construction
Gou Suzuki	....	assistant property master

Sound Department
Shinichi Ito	....	sound effects editor
Osamu Kageyama	....	sound recordist
Kazuo Miyauchi	....	sound recording mixer
Mikio Mori	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Sadakazu Saito	....	sound recordist
Tatsuaki Watanabe	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Yûichi Abe	....	special effects assistant
Hideki Chiba	....	special effects assistant
Kenichi Eguchi	....	special effects cinematographer
Hoya Hayashi	....	special effects assistant
Hoya Hayashi	....	special effects lighting technician
Yoshiko Hori	....	special effects continuity
Yasushi Iwata	....	pyrotechnician
Shigeru Izumiya	....	special effects lighting technician
Makoto Kamiya	....	special effects assistant
Koshu Katori	....	wire works assistant
Kôichi Kawakita	....	director of special effects
Kazuo Kayama	....	mechanical special effects
Tomoki Kobayashi	....	prosthetics
Taro Kojima	....	special effects production runner
Masaya Kowakura	....	special effects production runner
Mamoru Kume	....	miniature pyrotechnician
Kiyotaka Matsumoto	....	special effects assistant director
Koji Matsumoto	....	wire works
Mitsuo Miyagawa	....	mechanical special effects
Yoko Nagata	....	prosthetics
Katsumi Nakajo	....	pyrotechnician
Takashi Nakao	....	special effects still photographer
Yasuo Nomora	....	miniatures
Sadao Ogasawara	....	miniatures
Junya Okabe	....	special effects
Kaoru Saitô	....	special effects lighting
Takahiro Sekino	....	special effects assistant
Takahiro Sekino	....	special effects lighting technician
Nobuyuki Seo	....	special effects assistant
Nobuyuki Seo	....	special effects lighting technician
Masahiko Shiraishi	....	wire works assistant
Isamu Suzuki	....	special effects production runner
Tsuneo Tanaami	....	special effects lighting technician
Tadaaki Watanabe	....	miniature pyrotechnician
Toshitaka Watanabe	....	pyrotechnician
Yukari Yaginuma	....	special effects editing
Nobuyuki Yasumaru	....	prosthetics
Masaaki Yokomichi	....	special effects assistant
Masaaki Yokomichi	....	special effects lighting technician
Kou Yokoyama	....	mechanical designer
Tetsuzô Ôsawa	....	special effects production designer

Visual Effects by
Kenichi Abe	....	motion control
Katsumi Arita	....	miniature photography
Michiaki Hashimoto	....	effects animator
Horiaki Hojo	....	visual effects
Yoshio Ishii	....	matte artist
Maruo Iwata	....	timing coordinator
Kenji Kagiwara	....	video effects
Hiroshi Kidokoro	....	miniature photography
Ryoji Kinoshita	....	motion control
Yoshiyuki Kishimoto	....	visual effects
Takahide Majio	....	miniature photography
Hajime Matsumoto	....	effects animator
Masaharu Misawa	....	visual effects coordinator
Kazuaki Môri	....	animation
Yoshio Nozawa	....	miniature photography
Toshihiro Ogawa	....	visual effects coordinator
Masakazu Saitô	....	effects animator
Masashi Sasaki	....	miniature photography
Mitsuhara Umano	....	visual effects producer
Takashi Yamabe	....	visual effects producer

Camera and Electrical Department
Takeshi Awakibara	....	lighting technician
Hiroyuki Futami	....	lighting assistant
Hideo Inagaki	....	electrician
Shohei Iriguchi	....	lighting assistant
Yoshinori Ishizuki	....	still photographer
Kenya Kato	....	lighting assistant
Kazumi Kawagoe	....	lighting assistant
Motonobu Kiyoku	....	camera operator (as Motonobu Kiyohisa)
Kohei Mikami	....	lighting assistant
Takamasa Nakatami	....	lighting assistant
Yoshinao Tanaka	....	electrician
Takashi Wakiya	....	camera operator
Yasuo Watanabe	....	lighting assistant
Hideyuki Yamaguchi	....	camera operator

Animation Department
Ryuichi Akahori	....	animator
Kazuaki Môri	....	animator
Aki Yamagata	....	animator

Editorial Department
Masami Ohashi	....	assistant editor
Mitsuko Saito	....	assistant editor
Miho Shiga	....	assistant editor

Music Department
David Howell	....	conductor
David Howell	....	music arranger
David Howell	....	orchestrator
Akira Ifukube	....	themes
Masao Iwase	....	music producer
Kôichi Sugiyama	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Masao Daimon	....	publicity director
Yukiko Eguchi	....	continuity
Satoshi Fukushima	....	production runner
Takaya Fukuya	....	production runner
Minami Ichikawa	....	publicist
Hisashi Kameya	....	computer graphic artist
Yasuo Kobayashi	....	production runner
Sho Matsue	....	production runner
Satoshi Mizuhata	....	computer graphic artist
Yuichiro Nakanishi	....	publicist
Tetsuo Obi	....	computer graphic artist

Production Companies

• Toho Company
• Toho Eizo Co.
• Toho Film (Eiga) Co. Ltd.

Distributors

• Toho Company (1989) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Dimension Films (1992) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Manga Films (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Alliance Home Video (Canada) (dubbed)
• Astro Distribution (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Echo Bridge Home Entertainment (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• Echo Bridge Home Entertainment (2012) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Kuk Dong
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Videomax (1998) (Mexico) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Marbling FineArts (miniatures and models)

Other Companies

• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

"Gojira vs. Biorante" - Japan (original title)
"Gojira Vs Biorante" - USA

Runtime:

105 min | USA:104 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Spain:13 | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

The destruction of the Twin Towers was done three times. All three takes were used in the film.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: After Shiragami is briefly interviewed by the media Biollante is shown for a brief second appearing regular, but in the very next shot with Biollante it's fully blossomed.

Quotes:

Kazuhito Kirishima:[to Dr. Shiragami] So you did do it. You amalgamated one of Godzilla's cells together with the plant's cells. Are you proud of this? What kind science do you call this?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Angry Video Game Nerd: Godzilla (#4.15)" (2009)

Best film in the second series

Gojira vs. Biorante (or Godzilla vs. Biollante as it's know here in the USA) opens up right where Godzilla 1985 left off. A group of scientists searching through the rubble that was once Tokyo make an interesting discovery: Godzilla Cells. These "Godzilla Cells" are actually palm-sized flakes of Godzilla's skin that were either scratched or blown off. Now many different groups of people are fighting to get these cells and one group in particular called Bio Major, which is an American terrorist organization, will stop at nothing to get these cells, even if they have to release Godzilla from his volcanic prison. On a lighter note, a prominent Japanese scientist who lost his only daughter in a terrorist bombing, combines the Godzilla Cells with the cells of a rose plant. Once these cells are joined together, they form a monstrous rose that the scientist names Biollante. Now Godzilla gets loose and pretty soon you can guess that Godzilla and Biollante are going to go at it.

This is in fact my favorite Godzilla movie in the second generation of Godzilla films. It has a real dark tone and a really haunting score. It should also be pointed out that the film is probably the most violent in the second generation of Godzilla films. I say this because there are several bloody shoot-outs, Godzilla gets stabbed in his side by one Biollante's tendrils, a man is strangled to death, and a man is disintegrated by electricity.

Finally, has anyone noticed that the Godzilla costume in this movie is different than the one in Godzilla 1985? I think that is because the costume in G-1985 was stolen and was rumored to be worth over $100,000.

Anyway, Godzilla vs. Biollante gets a 10/10.