Godzilla vs. Biollante 4K Blu-ray Review (2025)

After the bombastic return-to-form that was The Return of Godzilla in 1984, Toho had a decision to make.

Do they double down on the Cold War seriousness of that entry? Or go bigger, weirder, and lean into the mad science and monster mayhem that made the Showa era so beloved? Well, they went with the secret third option – do both - for Godzilla vs. Biollante…and it somehow worked. Kinda…

The story picks up immediately after Godzilla’s previous rampage, with various shady governments and corporations scrabbling to get hold of the creature’s DNA (‘cells’), now the most powerful (and dangerous) genetic resource on Earth. After multiple thefts, the cells end up with the mysterious Dr. Shiragami in the fictitious Middle Eastern country of Saradia. But a terrorist explosion destroys his work and kills his daughter, bringing a halt to the ambition to turn the deserts of the region into lush, arable lands to trump (yes that IS the rightly chosen word here) the US in its bid to become the world’s greatest cereal exporter. Until five years later, when Shiragami is asked to join a research team to create bacteria that will ‘eat’ nuclear fallout and waste. Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Shiragami takes these bacteria – made from the last remaining Godzilla cells – and splices it into his own work…a rose mixed with the DNA of his dead daughter. I mean what could go wrong in THAT scenario? Cue the birth of Biollante, one of the most unique and oddly tragic kaiju in the entire Godzilla canon. And the Big G himself? Now rudely awakened from his volcanic prison thanks to more corporate shenanigans, he does the most natural thing a reawakened and resurrected prehistoric mutation would do…head straight for this new plant-based version of himself to see what’s occurring…

Immediately apparent about Biollante is its confidence to be something slightly different from the usual simplistic suitmation slugfest. This is a film about grief, genetic engineering, psychic children, Cold War espionage, corporate bioterrorism, and a giant telepathic rose monster with the soul of a dead daughter. So, while there’s a full-throated commitment to theme and narrative here – that should read themeS and narrativeS – there’s a strange sense of seriousness wrapped up in all those goofy plot beats. A more sombre and almost melancholic tone soon settles over the film, kick started with Biollante herself - equal parts grotesque, beautiful, and deep-rooted sorrow. You almost don’t want it to fight Godzilla…until it does. And then, Biollante’s weirdly alluring design is a triumph of physical effects: a writhing mass of tendrils, glowing sacs, gaping maws and oozing sap, shot fantastically and with room to breathe, completely unhindered by the West’s more traditional style of hiding its monsters behind a combination of total darkness and fast edits.

Godzilla himself also gets a more menacing makeover. Here he is is darker, bulkier, and more animalistic than the earlier Showa incarnations. He’s still a walking natural disaster - gone are his days of being earth’s defender from the wild and weird alien threats of his previous franchise entries - and the film treats him accordingly, with surprisingly restrained screen time early on, making his full appearance as we enter the second act all the more impactful.

...It’s messy, but gloriously so, a rare later Godzilla entry that puts just as much emphasis on ideas and emotion as it does on destruction and spectacle...

Director Kazuki Ōmori handles the jumble of plot threads with more grace than you’d expect. The spy thriller stuff, complete with sunglasses-at-night assassins, sits alongside the ubiquitous psychic kids in white robes predicting monster attacks, which then rubs up against a shootout at a genetic research facility that wouldn’t feel out of place in a late-‘80s Bond film. And while it just about holds together, there are periods where it feels like it sharply jumps between completely different films, notably the end of the second act where Biollante disappears and the extended Godzilla attack on Osaka takes over for a significant amount of screentime. This stuttering however, is papered over by the consistently earnest rather than goofy tone throughout that allows the madness of it all to feel oddly grounded…and of a whole, even when it really shouldn’t.

The pacing stumbles in places, especially in the middle stretch where the multiple plot strands don’t always move at the same rate and some of the acting is expectedly broad for a Godzilla film of the era. And the English-language elements, clearly inserted for international appeal, range from amusing to outright bizarre. But it all adds to the texture - this is a film that really tries, and that effort shows in every frame.

Godzilla vs. Biollante is often cited as a fan-favourite, and for good reason. It dares to think big. It’s messy, but gloriously so, a rare later Godzilla entry that puts just as much emphasis on ideas and emotion as it does on destruction and spectacle. Biollante remains one of the franchise’s most imaginative creatures, and her tragic origins make this one of the best entries in the Heisei era and one of the most fascinating kaiju films ever made.

Note: all images in this review are NOT taken from the 4K disc.

The release notes provided in the accompanying booklet state:

“This new 4K restoration was undertaken by Toho Archive Co Ltd and created from the 35mm original camera negative”.

Which means Criterion deliver a native 4K presentation in the film’s original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and features both WCG and a single High Dynamic Range colour grade pass (in HDR10 ONLY – there is NO Dolby Vision grade on this release).

It’s a frustrating image, there’s no doubt. One minute, it looks fantastically organic and naturally sharp, detailed and textured…the next, it looks digitally manipulated, with grain gone, edges artificially enhanced and skin tones looking somewhat waxy. And then at times, it can be a mixture of both in the same shot. Its naturally clean though, with all damage, dirt and debris removed and the image overall is wonderfully stable.

...this is not a 4K picture to get too excited about...

But the biggest issue is the colour grading. Other Godzilla 4K restorations from Toho have been SDR but this has been given a HDR10 grade…however the numbers from this state that they might as well not have bothered: with a MaxFALL of 85 nits and a Maximum Light Level of just 110 nits (SDR blu-ray can do up to 100), this is simply an SDR grade within a HDR container. And it looks it. It’s a muted colour show, with even daylight scenes looking dull and overcast. It works better in the nighttime scenes, where the blacks at least seem to reach somewhere near true black and with plenty of decent shadow detail on show to give its some depth. Godzilla’s breath is pleasantly bright, and the explosions have some punch to them, but the minute day light creeps into frame, that sense of drabness returns. It might well be a deliberate artistic choice, but it makes for a decidedly ugly watch.

I understand that this film in particular has never been treated very well on previous home releases and that those who have seen them remark that this is a significant upgrade…however the image here overall is somewhat disappointing. Fluctuating detail and grain levels hint at more than a judicious use of digital clean up tools, and that dreary SDR-level HDR grade offers little to get excited about. Overall, this is not a 4K picture to get too excited about.

We reviewed this region free UK Ultra HD Blu-ray release of Godzilla vs. Biollante on a JVC-DLA N5 Ultra HD 4K projector and a Panasonic DP-UB820 4K UHD player.

The following soundtrack is the only one available on the 4K disc (and the 1080p disc to boot):

• Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.0

Subtitles are English (included by default on the Japanese audio track) and an alternative English SDH only.

The restoration notes also state that “The 5.0 surround soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm original soundtrack negative”…which is important to note when the listening begins.

That original Dolby Stereo track was a 4-track one and this new track faithfully preserves that…almost too faithfully. There’s low end but it’s lighter than might be expected and the rears sound like they are still split mono – used sparingly for the odd flyover of the Super X-2 and even more sparingly for Koichi Sugiyama’s score.

...sounds…fine...

But it sounds expansive across the front soundstage, despite, again, little in the way of panning effects and real sonic steering of any kind. The effects have some thump and the music some energy, but it feels a little…hemmed in. Dialogue has a touch of background hiss to it that is oddly noticeable on a handful of occasions, but mostly crisp and seated nicely in the overall mix. The subtitles are decent and seem in sync. Note that for the various scenes with English dialogue, these are accompanied by burnt-in Japanese subtitles.

We may be expectant of an all out aural assault for a kaiju movie soundtrack, but this was a different time and Godzilla vs. Biollante sounds…fine. It sounds likely authentic to its limited 4-channel origins, with minimal tinkering or enhancement done…which we should all be fine with.

We reviewed the region free UK Ultra HD Blu-ray release of Godzilla vs. Biollante on a Denon AVR4300 and a 7.2.4 array of Kef speakers (including the Q range and ci in-walls/in-ceilings).

The following extras are included on the UHD disc:

• Audio commentary #1 - with film critic Samm Deighan (NEW)

The following extras are included on the blu-ray disc:

• Audio commentary #1 - with film critic Samm Deighan (NEW)

• The Making of Godzilla vs. Biollante (legacy, 49 mins)

• Behind the Design – a look at the designs of Biollante and the X-2 (legacy, 3 mins)

• Theatrical trailers and TV spots (legacy, 12 mins)

Off-disc extras also included:

• Illustrated collector's leaflet featuring an essay on the film by Jim Cirronella

No doubt there’s some decent added value here – Deighan’s commentary offers up a wealth of Godzilla history and backstory, as well as detailed production stories; while the lengthy making of’s most notable scenes are in the copious amount of behind the scenes footage of them shooting the monster and model work.

But it’s still disappointing that that’s everything. This is Criterion’s second Godzilla 4K so you might expect there to be more effort put in for a character that is caught in the middle of a significant cultural moment thanks to the ongoing success of the Monsterverse films. And especially at the premium price Criterion is charging in comparison to similar releases from other boutiques that offer up significantly more supplemental features…