Gojira vs. Biorante (1989)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Kazuki Omori

Writers:

Shinichirô Kobayashi (story)
Kazuki Omori (writer)

Release Date:

16 December 1989 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The most terrifying monster of all time is back in his greatest movie ever

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Creature | Reporter | Monster Movie | Creature Feature

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Kunihiko Mitamura	...	Kazuhito Kirishima
Yoshiko Tanaka	...	Asuka Okouchi
Masanobu Takashima	...	Major Sho Kuroki
Koji Takahashi	...	Dr. Shiragami
Tôru Minegishi	...	Lieutenant Goro Gondo
Megumi Odaka	...	Miki Saegusa
Toshiyuki Nagashima	...	Director Seiichi Yamamoto
Ryunosuke Kaneda	...	Azuka's Father
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
Hiroshi Inoue	...	Self Defense Forces Officer
Tetsu Kawai	...	Self Defense Forces Officer
Makiyo Kuroiwa	...	Nurse
Hiromi Matsukawa	...	Newscaster
Kyoka Suzuki	...	Super X2 Operator
Isao Takeno	...	Chief of Super X2 Repair Crew
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 Omori

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Shinichirô Kobayashi		story
Kazuki Omori		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
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
Koichi 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
Tetsuzô Ôsawa	....	special effects production designer
Kaoru Saito	....	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

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 Kiyohisa	....	camera operator
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)
• Kuk Dong
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Marbling FineArts (miniatures and models)

Other Companies

• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

Godzilla vs. Biollante
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:

First Godzilla film to be made in Japan's Heisei era (Emperor Hirohito had died early the same year, thus was the end of Showa and the beginning of Heisei).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the gunfight in Shiragami's lab when the body of one of Biomajor's agents is being removed a man states " the bodies belonged to two of Biomajor's agents" making it appear that two men were killed instead of one. In fact, the second agent is later seen making the negotiations to hand over the Anti Nuclear Energy Bacteria.

Quotes:

Col. Gondo: All that intravenous stuff's no good for you. Stick to smoking.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Gojira vs. Kingu Gidorâ (1991)

A Huge Step Forward in the Series...

"Gojira 1985" signaled the return for the Big G, and certainly left fans starving for more. So, the boys at Toho put this film together. At first glance, it may seem foolish: big plant creature against Godzilla? Seems like a cake walk for Godzilla.

But no. Biollante, the fiend in this film, is easily Godzilla's most formidable enemy, save perhaps King Ghidorah. Heck, Biollante actually got Godzilla in her mouth! The film was executed very well for a Godzilla movie. It was very fun, with good battle sequences and a good plot for the humans of the movie. It was an interesting take on the Godzilla series, actually.

The monster's costumes were very impressive, and both looked very good... very realistic.

My biggest gripe for the film, however would have to be the pacing. Biollante and Godzilla really only had one good fight, with Biollante's final form only being seen for about ten minutes. The rest of the movie just illustrates Biollante's metamorphosis.

Anyway, the film is fun and worth a look. Unfortunately, unless you want to get the Region 2 version for $65, you'll have to find a bootleg disc... which is the one I have.

8/10.