STARRING: Kenpachiro Satsuma, Masashi Takegumi, Kunihiko Mitamura, Yoshiko Tanaka, Masanobu Takashima, Megumi Odaka, Konaiji Toyota, Toru Minegishi, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Toshiyuki Nagashima, Yoshiko Kuga, Ryunosuke Kaneda and Koji Takahashi. Written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori. Story by Shinichirō Kobayashi. Special effects by Kōichi Kawakita. Budget $10.7. Boxoffice $9.14 million. Originally released in 1989.
A direct sequel to the truly sublime 1984 The Return of Godzilla, this one sees Godzilla (Kenpachiro Satsuma) emerge from the volcano he fell into at the climax of that one and, feeling a bit peckish, set off for a spot of radioactive fast food. However, mankind has not rested while Godzie slept, no far from it! Using Godzilla cells secretly harvested by the Saradia Institue of Technology and Science who hope to use the celles to transform Saradian deserts into fertile land, their pet scientist Dr. Genshiro Shiragami (Kōji Takahashi) and his daughter, Erika have created an anti-nuclear energy bacteria vaccine. However a terrorist attack leaves her dead and him deeply aggrieved. Five years later, Godzie is out and the Doctor is encouraged to join the fight in defeating him. The good doctor hasn't been idle and has managed to merge the Godzilla cells with a rose bush DNA and his daughter's soul resulting in the creation of Biollante leading to an epic fight between the two titans! Add to that a subplot about secret agents, elite assassins and a race against time to save the world and you have one of the best made Godzilla films!
As I've previously stated I am an avid Godzilla fan and simply love the films of the Big Guy to such an extent that I am critically blind to the alleged failings of the Toho franchise, not so to the Legendary efforts which have been a mixed bag.
ANYWAY, this one. Well, it's not my favourite, it's not as good as Godzilla Vs Megalon, but it's still a delightful and exhilarating rampage. It takes too long to get up and running, and let's be honest, what we want from a Godzilla film is for our titular hero to stomp the living shit out of Tokyo before going head-to-head with another monster(s) of equal or better power. GVB delivers the destruction fantastically and the return of the spectacular Super X flying platform, now remotely controlled like a drone is fantastic! The levels of destruction on display, all done practically and with models and actual explosives, are off the fricking chart, and deliver in nothing but spades!
The human story at the centre of all the Godzilla films is usually the weakest part of the films, but not so here. Infusing the plot not only with secret agents, gun battles and super assassins but also our various heroes racing around trying to rally the troops really helps to make a gripping and exciting romp of a film. The whole approach was devoid of any humour or comedy and presented very earnestly, however as is often the case with Japanese cinema, that approach can offen elicit hoots of laughter, as was the case with this!
The version presented at the Barbican Cinema 1 screening was part of their Kaiju season and was subtitled not dubbed and was packed, which was a delight, how wonderful to see this time of film with an audience of fans. I count myself blessed that I was able to see both of these Godzilla films on the big screen and am eagerly looking forward to Ebirah, Horror of the Deep in November!
Mixing Godzilla levels of destruction and mayhem with a healthy dose of James Bond for a big, meaty no-holds-barred heavyweight bout of big monster smack downs!
9/10
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