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97-585: The production crew of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah remained largely unchanged from that of the previous film in the series, Godzilla vs. Biollante . Because the previous installment was a box office disappointment, due to a lack of child viewership and alleged competition with the Back to the Future franchise , the producers of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah were compelled to create a film with more fantasy elements, along with time travel . Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

194-462: A Godzilla film at his own expense. Toho approved of the project, and Miner hired Fred Dekker to write the screenplay and paleosculptor Steve Czerkas to redesign the monster. The project was however hampered by Miner's insistence on using prohibitively costly stop-motion animation and shooting the film in 3D , and was thus rejected by major American movie studios. Under pressure from a 10,000-member group of Japanese Godzilla fans calling themselves

291-523: A UFO lands near Mount Fuji . When the JSDF investigates, it is revealed that the UFO is in fact a time machine and they are greeted by Wilson, Grenchiko, Emmy Kano, and the android M-11. The visitors, known as the "Futurians", explain that they are from the year 2204, where Godzilla has completely destroyed Japan. The Futurians plan to travel back in time to 1944 and remove the dinosaur from Lagos Island before

388-516: A rating average of 5/10." The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla ( ゴジラ , Gojira ) is a 1984 Japanese kaiju film directed by Koji Hashimoto , with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano . Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures , it is the 16th film in the Godzilla franchise , the last film produced in the Shōwa era , and the first film in

485-492: A rose in an attempt to preserve her soul. Meanwhile, scientist Kazuhito Kirishima and Lieutenant Goro Gondo of the JSDF are using the Godzilla cells they collected to create "Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria" (ANEB), hoping it can serve as a weapon against Godzilla should it return. They attempt to recruit Shiragami to aid them, but are rebuffed. International tensions increase over the Godzilla cells, as they are coveted by both

582-406: A Godzilla suit made specifically with Satsuma's measurements in mind, unlike the previous one which was initially built for another performer and caused Satsuma discomfort. The resulting 242 lb suit proved more comfortable than the last, having a lower center of gravity and more mobile legs. A second 176 lb suit was built for outdoor underwater scenes. The head's size was reduced, and the whites around

679-469: A battle near the shores of Wakasa Bay . Godzilla is only moderately affected, but Biollante, having obtained a more powerful form, arrives to engage Godzilla in battle once again. After a long battle, the fight ends after Godzilla fires an atomic heat ray inside Biollante's mouth, severely injuring Biollante. An exhausted Godzilla collapses on the beach as the bacterial infection finally takes hold, and Biollante splits apart into glowing spores which rise into

776-541: A joke spread by fans which was later misinterpreted as fact. Ifukube declined to score the film due to his priorities, at the time, teaching composition at the Tokyo College of Music. The special effects were directed by Teruyoshi Nakano , who had directed the special effects of several previous Godzilla films. The decision was made by Tanaka to increase the apparent height of Godzilla from 50 to 80 metres (160 to 260 ft) so that Godzilla would not be dwarfed by

873-495: A large plant-like creature which later escapes to Lake Ashi and is named " Biollante " by Shiragami. Bio-Major agents plant explosives around Mount Mihara and blackmail the Diet of Japan , warning the explosives will be detonated and thus free Godzilla if the cells are not handed over. Kirishima and Gondo attempt to trade, but Saradian agent SSS9 thwarts the attempt and escapes with the cells. The explosives are detonated, and Godzilla

970-712: A movie with a very narrow audience. Koichi Kawakita , who had previously worked for Tsuburaya Productions , replaced Teruyoshi Nakano as head of the series' special effects unit after Toho became impressed at his work in Gunhed . Kawakita made use of Gunhed' s special effects team Studio OX, and initially wanted to make Godzilla more animal-like, using crocodiles as references, but was berated by Tanaka, who declared Godzilla to be "a monster" rather than an animal. Kenpachiro Satsuma returned to portray Godzilla, hoping to improve his performance by making it less anthropomorphic than in previous films. Suitmaker Noboyuki Yasamaru created

1067-537: A nuclear reactor, the cadmium shells that are fired into its mouth by the Super X seal and slow down its heart, knocking Godzilla unconscious. The countdown ends and the Soviet missile is launched, but it is destroyed by an American counter-missile. Hayashida and Okumura are extracted from Tokyo via helicopter and taken to Mt. Mihara to set up the homing device before the two missiles collide above Tokyo. The destruction of

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1164-499: A plant. The scientist's initial experiments would have resulted in the creation of a giant rat-like amphibian called Deutalios, which would have landed in Tokyo Bay and been killed by Godzilla. A female reporter investigating the scientist's activities would have suffered from psychic visions of plants with humanoid faces compelling her to infiltrate the scientist's laboratory. The scientist would have later confessed his intentions, and

1261-702: A poll reported by the Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting Corporation  [ jp ] , Godzilla vs. Biollante was selected as the best Godzilla film by a group of fans and judges. Composer Akira Ifukube , who had refused to compose the film's score, stated on interview that he disliked the way Koichi Sugiyama had modernized his Godzilla theme, and defined the Saradia theme as "ridiculous", on account of it sounding more European than Middle Eastern. On Rotten Tomatoes , approval rating of 71% based on 7 reviews, with

1358-466: A public story-writing contest, and set a trend common to all Heisei era movies, in which Godzilla faces off against opponents capable of metamorphosing into new, progressively more powerful forms. Godzilla vs. Biollante was released theatrically in Japan on December 16, 1989. It received generally positive reviews who praised the storyline, visual effects, and Sugiyama's score, but was a disappointment at

1455-619: A traditional Japanese dance. Taking inspiration from the publicity surrounding the 40-foot tall King Kong model from Dino De Laurentiis 's 1976 film of the same name , Toho spent a reported ¥52,146 (approximately $ 475.00) on a 16-foot high robotic Godzilla (dubbed "Cybot") for use in close-up shots of the creature's head. The Cybot consisted of a hydraulically powered mechanical endoskeleton covered in urethane skin containing 3,000 computer operated parts which permitted it to tilt its head, and move its lips and arms. Unlike previous Godzilla suits, whose lower jaws consisted of wire-operated flaps,

1552-489: A tyrannosaur could become Godzilla". The final suit combined features of Tyrannosaurus with Godzilla, and real octopus blood was used during the bombardment scene. Because the Godzillasaurus' arms were much smaller than Godzilla's, suit performer Wataru Fukuda had to operate them with levers within the costume. The creature's distress calls were recycled Gamera cries. The Columbia/TriStar Home Video DVD version

1649-545: A wider and flatter one, and the body cut in half. The upper half was used in scenes where Godzilla emerges from the sea and during close-ups during the character's first fight with King Ghidorah. The suit used previously for scenes set at sea was modified with rounder shoulders, a more prominent chest, and an enhanced face, and was used throughout the majority of the film's Godzilla scenes. The redesigned King Ghidorah featured much more advanced wirework puppetry than its predecessors, and effects team leader Koichi Kawakita designed

1746-557: Is a 1989 Japanese kaiju film directed and written by Kazuki Ōmori , with special effects by Kōichi Kawakita . Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures , it is the 17th film in the Godzilla franchise , the second film in the franchise's Heisei period , and a sequel to 1984's The Return of Godzilla . The film stars Kunihiko Mitamura, Yoshiko Tanaka , Masanobu Takashima , Megumi Odaka , Toru Minegishi , Yasuko Sawaguchi , Toshiyuki Nagashima , Yoshiko Kuga , Ryunosuke Kaneda and Kōji Takahashi . This

1843-588: Is met by Ghidorah. They fight at equal strength, each immune to the other's attacks. With M-11 and Terasawa's aid, Emmy sabotages the UFO's control over Ghidorah, causing the three-headed monster to lose focus during the battle. Godzilla eventually ends the battle by blasting off Ghidorah's middle head. Before sending Ghidorah crashing into the Sea of Okhotsk , Godzilla destroys the UFO, killing Wilson and Grenchiko. Godzilla then turns its ire on Japan, first attacking Sapporo , then Tokyo, where it kills Shindo. Emmy travels to

1940-481: Is released. Godzilla attempts to reach the nearest power plant to replenish its supply of nuclear energy, but Biollante calls out to Godzilla. Godzilla arrives at the lake to engage Biollante in a vicious battle, and emerges as the victor. Godzilla then proceeds toward the power plant at Tsuruga , but psychic Miki Saegusa uses her powers to divert it toward Osaka instead. The city is quickly evacuated before Godzilla makes landfall. A team led by Gondo meet Godzilla at

2037-617: The 1954 Godzilla attack . Hayashida describes Godzilla as a living, invincible nuclear weapon able to cause mass destruction. At Hayashida's laboratory, Maki meets Okumura's sister, Naoko, and informs her that her brother is alive and at the police hospital. A Soviet submarine is destroyed in the Pacific. The Soviets believe the attack was perpetrated by the Americans, and a diplomatic crisis ensues, which threatens to escalate into nuclear war . The Japanese intervene and reveal that Godzilla

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2134-595: The Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign . In February 1944, while threatened by American forces, the Japanese soldiers were saved by a mysterious dinosaur, which Terasawa theorizes was subsequently mutated into Godzilla in 1954 after a hydrogen bomb test on the island. Yasuaki Shindo, a wealthy businessman and army veteran who commanded the Lagos Garrison, confirms that the dinosaur did indeed exist. Meanwhile,

2231-485: The Godzilla series. He relented after the success of Little Shop of Horrors , and proceeded to hold a public story-writing contest for a possible script. In consideration of The Return of Godzilla' s marginal success in Japan, Tanaka insisted that the story focus on a classic monster vs. monster theme. Tanaka handed the five finalist entries to director Kazuki Ōmori , despite the two's initially hostile relationship;

2328-423: The "Godzilla Resurrection Committee", Tanaka decided to helm a Japanese film for "strictly domestic consumption" to be released jointly alongside Miner's movie. In an effort to disavow Godzilla's increasingly heroic and anthropomorphic depiction in previous films, Tanaka insisted on making a direct sequel to the original 1954 movie. He hired screenwriter Shuichi Nagahara, who wrote a screenplay combining elements of

2425-438: The "Godzillasaurus" as a more paleontologically accurate-looking dinosaur than Godzilla itself as a nod to American filmmakers aspiring to direct their own Godzilla films with the intention of making the monster more realistic. Ōmori's original draft specified that the dinosaur that would become Godzilla was a Tyrannosaurus , though this was rejected by creature designer Shinji Nishikawa, who stated that he "couldn't accept that

2522-420: The 1980s. So in those meetings, we decided to remind all those people out there who had forgotten. – Teruyoshi Nakano After the box office failure of Terror of Mechagodzilla , Toho attempted to reinvigorate the franchise several times during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first attempt was the announcement of a color remake of the original 1954 film entitled The Rebirth of Godzilla in 1977, but

2619-529: The Bering Strait and irradiate the dinosaur in order to recreate Godzilla. However, Terasawa discovers too late that a Russian nuclear submarine sank there in the 1970s and released enough radiation to mutate the dinosaur into Godzilla . En route to the Bering Strait, Shindo's submarine is destroyed by Godzilla, who absorbs its radiation, recovers from the ANEB and becomes larger. Godzilla arrives in Japan and

2716-525: The Cybot's jaws were hinged like those of an actual animal, and slid back as they opened. A life-size, crane operated foot was also built for close-up shots of city destruction scenes. Part of the film was shot on location on Izu Ōshima, where the climax of the story takes place. The Return of Godzilla was released on December 15, 1984, in Japan where it was distributed by Toho . The film sold 3.2 million tickets in Japan, earning ¥1.7 billion in rentals at

2813-497: The Heisei series. In Japan, the film was followed by Godzilla vs. Biollante in 1989. The Return of Godzilla stars Ken Tanaka , Yasuko Sawaguchi , Yosuke Natsuki , and Keiju Kobayashi , with Kenpachiro Satsuma as Godzilla. The film serves as both a sequel to the original 1954 film and a reboot of the franchise that ignores the events of every Shōwa era film aside from the original Godzilla , placing itself in line with

2910-551: The Japanese box office due to competition with Back to the Future Part II . It received a direct-to-video release in the United States on November 25, 1992, through HBO Video . It was followed by Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah which was released on December 14, 1991. In the aftermath of Godzilla's attack on Tokyo and later imprisonment at Mount Mihara in 1985, the monster's cells are secretly delivered to

3007-526: The Japanese box office. The film grossed a total of $ 14,000,000 (equivalent to $ 41,000,000 in 2023) at the box office. In May 2016, Kraken Releasing revealed plans to release the original Japanese version of The Return of Godzilla and its international English dub on DVD and Blu-ray in North America on September 13, 2016. However, it was also revealed that the Americanized version of

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah - Misplaced Pages Continue

3104-545: The Japanese mainland. Meanwhile, the Soviets have their own plans to counter the threat posed by Godzilla, and a Soviet control ship disguised as a freighter in Tokyo Harbor prepares to launch a nuclear missile from one of their orbiting satellites should Godzilla attack. Godzilla is sighted at dawn in Tokyo Bay heading towards Tokyo, causing mass evacuations. The JASDF attacks Godzilla but fails to stop its advance on

3201-471: The Monsters! (1956), itself an American localization of Godzilla (1954). The Japanese fishing vessel Yahata Maru is caught in strong currents off the shores of Daikoku Island. As the boat drifts into shore, the island begins to erupt, and a giant monster lifts itself out of the volcano. A few days later, reporter Goro Maki is sailing in the area and finds the vessel intact but deserted. As he explores

3298-628: The Saradia Institute of Technology and Science and the American Bio-Major organization. An explosion from Mount Mihara causes tremors across the area, including Shiragami's home, badly damaging the roses. Shiragami agrees to join the JSDF's effort and is given access to the Godzilla cells, which he secretly merges with one of the roses. A night later, rival Bio-Major and Saradian agents break into Shiragami's lab, but are attacked by

3395-517: The Saradia Institute of Technology and Science, where they are to be merged with genetically modified plants in the hope of transforming Saradia's deserts into fertile land and ending the country's economic dependence on oil wells. Dr. Genshiro Shiragami and his daughter, Erika, are enlisted to aid with the project, but a terrorist bombing destroys the institute's laboratory, ruining the cells and killing Erika. Five years later, Shiragami has returned to Japan and merged some of Erika's cells with those of

3492-429: The Super X by dropping a skyscraper on top of it. Godzilla continues its rampage until Hayashida uses the homing device to distract it. Godzilla leaves Tokyo and swims across Tokyo Bay, following the homing device to Mount Mihara. There, Godzilla follows the device and falls into the mouth of the volcano. Okumura activates detonators at the volcano, creating a controlled eruption that traps Godzilla inside. We went back to

3589-407: The U.S. DVD and Blu-Ray releases from Kraken , though the audio mix was not the original monaural track that was originally heard on Toho's English language prints. The English dialogue was originally mixed with an alternate music and effects track that contained different music edits and sound effects from the Japanese theatrical version, most notably a distinct "cry" produced by Godzilla during

3686-460: The assumption that, unlike Godzilla, Mothra would have been a difficult character to market overseas. The planning stages for a sequel to Godzilla vs. Biollante were initially hampered by Tanaka's deteriorating health, thus prompting the takeover of Shōgo Tomiyama as producer. The new producer felt that the financial failure of Godzilla vs. Biollante was due to the plot being too sophisticated for child audiences, and thus intended to return some of

3783-452: The central district and fire rockets infused with the ANEB into its body. Gondo is killed in the process, and Godzilla leaves unharmed. Kirishima recovers the cells and returns them to the JSDF. Shiragami theorizes that if Godzilla's body temperature is increased, the ANEB should work against it. The JSDF erects microwave-emitting plates during an artificial thunderstorm, hitting Godzilla with lightning and heating up its body temperature during

3880-408: The city. Godzilla soon emerges and makes short work of the JSDF stationed there. The battle causes damage to the Soviet ship and starts a missile launch countdown. The captain dies as he attempts to stop the missile from launching. Godzilla proceeds towards Shinjuku , wreaking havoc along the way. Godzilla is confronted by four laser-armed trucks and the Super X. Because Godzilla's heart is similar to

3977-413: The connection, so the idea of a monster [that] was created by biotechnology was born. —Shinichiro Kobayashi Tomoyuki Tanaka announced a sequel to The Return of Godzilla in 1985, but was skeptical of its possibilities, as the film had been of little financial benefit to Toho , and the failure of King Kong Lives following year convinced him that audiences were not ready for a continuation of

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah - Misplaced Pages Continue

4074-416: The contemporary skyline of Tokyo. This meant that the miniatures had to be built to a 1 ⁄ 40 th scale, and this contributed to an increase in the budget of the film to $ 6.25 million. Tanaka and Nakano supervised suit-maker Noboyuki Yasumaru in constructing a new Godzilla design, incorporating ears and four toes, features not seen since Godzilla Raids Again . Nakano insisted on infusing elements into

4171-501: The darker tone and themes of the original film and returning Godzilla to his destructive, antagonistic roots. The film was released theatrically in Japan on December 15, 1984. Critics praised Godzilla's return, Koroku's score, themes, special effects and darker tone. The following year, a heavily-re-edited localized version, titled Godzilla 1985 , was released in the United States by New World Pictures ; it features new footage, with Raymond Burr reprising his role from Godzilla, King of

4268-410: The death of Eiji Tsuburaya . Composer Akira Ifukube was offered to score the film but respectfully declined. At the time, it was rumored that Ifukube refused to participate in the film due to the changes made to Godzilla, stating, "I do not write music for 80-meter monsters". However, this quote was later clarified, by Ifukube's biographer Erik Homenick and Japanese Giants editor Ed Godziszewski, as

4365-444: The design that suggested sadness, such as downward-slanting eyes and sloping shoulders. Suit construction took two months, and consisted of separately casting body-part molds with urethane on a pre-built, life-size statue of the final design. Yasumaru personally took charge of all phases of suit-building, unlike in previous productions wherein the different stages of suit-production were handled by different craftsmen. The final suit

4462-608: The dinosaur attacks and kills the American soldiers. The U.S. Navy then uses a detachment of warships to bombard the dinosaur from the sea and gravely wounds it. After Shindo and his men leave the island, M-11 uses KIDS to teleport the dinosaur from Lagos Island to the Bering Strait . Before returning to 1992, the Futurians secretly leave three small creatures called Dorats on Lagos Island, which are exposed to radiation from

4559-472: The entirety of South America and Africa . The Futurians traveled back in time in order to change history and prevent Japan's future economic dominance by creating Ghidorah and using it to destroy present-day Japan. At the same time, they also planned to erase Godzilla from history so that it would not pose a threat to their plans. After M-11 brings Emmy back to the UFO, she reprograms the android so it will help her. Shindo plans to send his nuclear submarine to

4656-556: The eyes removed. On the advice of story finalist Shinichiro Kobayashi, a double row of teeth was incorporated in the jaws. As with the previous film, animatronic models were used for close-up shots. These models were an improvement over the last, as they were made from the same molds used for the main costume, and included an articulated tongue and intricate eye motion. The suit's dorsal plates were filled with light bulbs for scenes in which Godzilla uses his atomic ray, thus lessening reliance on optical animation, though they electrocuted Satsuma

4753-419: The fantasy elements of the pre-1984 Godzilla films to the series. Ōmori himself blamed the lackluster performance of Godzilla vs. Biollante on competition with Back to the Future Part II , and thus concluded that audiences wanted plots involving time travel. His approach to the film also differed from Godzilla vs. Biollante in his greater emphasis on developing the personalities of the monsters rather than

4850-406: The film for this release. Godzilla vs. Biollante was released on VHS by HBO Home Video on November 25, 1992. It was later relicensed by Miramax and released on Blu-ray and DVD by Echo Bridge on December 4, 2012. It was released as a double feature and 8-disk movie pack on both Blu-ray and DVD with Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus (2009) by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment in 2013. It

4947-428: The film sold approximately 2 million tickets, grossing ¥1.04 billion . Godzilla vs. Biollante has received positive reviews, with praise for the story, music and visuals. Ed Godziszewski of Monster Zero said the film is "by no means a classic" but felt that "for the first time in well over 20 years, a [Godzilla] script is presented with some fresh, original ideas and themes." Joseph Savitski of Beyond Hollywood said

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5044-406: The film's critique of genetic engineering and biotechnology years before the subject appeared in more popular Hollywood blockbusters like Steven Spielberg 's 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park . Rhoads and McCorkle counter prior reviews of the film and argue that Godzilla vs. Biollante possesses far deeper environmental messages than the obvious ones present on the film's surface. In July 2014, in

5141-555: The film's ending. The U.S. home video version instead uses the conventional music and effects track used for the regular Japanese version mixed in DTS 5.1 surround sound instead of mono. After the film's lackluster performance in the Japanese box office and the ultimate shelving of Steve Miner's Godzilla 3D project, Toho decided to distribute the film overseas in order to regain lost profits. New World Pictures acquired The Return of Godzilla for distribution in North America, and changed

5238-410: The film's music is "a major detraction", but added that it's "not only one of the most imaginative films in the series, but also the most enjoyable to watch." Japan Hero said, "[T]his is definitely a Godzilla movie not to be missed." In their scholarly book on kaiju cinema, Japan's Green Monsters , Rhoads and McCorkle offer an ecocritical assessment of Godzilla vs. Biollante . The scholars focus on

5335-418: The film's release for two years. An out of court settlement was reached with Miramax buying the rights to the film for an unreported figure. Miramax would have entertained thoughts of releasing the film in theaters, but in the end it was decided to release the film straight to home video instead. HBO released the film on VHS in 1992 and Laserdisc in 1993. Miramax utilized the uncut English international version of

5432-624: The film, Godzilla 1985 would not be featured in the release due to ongoing copyright issues concerning music cues that New World Pictures borrowed from Def-Con 4 for use in Godzilla 1985 . Shortly after the film's completion, Toho's foreign sales division, Toho International Co., Ltd, had the film dubbed into English by Matthew and Elizabeth Oram's company in Hong Kong. No cuts were made, though credits and other titles were accordingly rendered in English. The international English dub features

5529-407: The finale would have had Godzilla battling a human-faced Biollante who defeats him by searing his flesh with acid. Ōmori proceeded to modify the story into a workable script over a period of three years, using his background as a biologist to create a plausible plot involving genetic engineering and botany. In order to preserve the series' anti-nuclear message, he linked the creation of Biollante to

5626-609: The first time they were activated. Satsuma was also obliged to wear protective goggles when in the suit during scenes in which Godzilla battles the JSDF, as real explosives were used on set. The film was mainly shot at the Toho lot, although some filming occued on location at the East Fuji Maneuver Area. Designing and building the Biollante props proved problematic, as traditional suitmation techniques made realizing

5723-446: The future with M-11 and returns to the present day with Mecha-King Ghidorah, a cybernetic version of Ghidorah. The cybernetic Ghidorah blasts Godzilla with beams, which proves useless. Godzilla then counters by relentlessly blasting Ghidorah with its atomic breath before Ghidorah launches clamps to restrain Godzilla. Ghidorah carries Godzilla out of Japan, but Godzilla breaks from its restraints and causes Ghidorah to send both crashing into

5820-432: The human characters. Akira Ifukube agreed to compose the film's score on the insistence of his daughter, after as he was dissatisfied with the way his compositions had been treated in Godzilla vs. Biollante . The Godzilla suits used in Godzilla vs. Biollante were reused in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah , though with slight modifications. The original suit used for land-based and full body shots had its head replaced with

5917-506: The hydrogen bomb test in 1954 and merge to become King Ghidorah . After returning to 1992, the Futurians use Ghidorah to subjugate Japan and issue an ultimatum, but Japan refuses to surrender. Feeling sympathy for the Japanese people, Emmy reveals to Terasawa the truth behind the Futurians' mission: in the 23rd century , Japan is an economic superpower that has surpassed the United States , Russia , and China , and even bought out

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6014-410: The idea, taking the idea of Godzilla as a nuclear metaphor seriously. The only dialogue left over from that script was "That's quite an urban renewal program they've got going on over there," said by Major McDonahue. All of Burr's scenes were filmed in one day to suit his schedule. He was paid US$ 50,000. The reverse shots, of the actors he was speaking to, were filmed the next day, and the American filming

6111-424: The island is irradiated, thus preventing the mutation of the creature into Godzilla. As proof of their story, Emmy presents a copy of Terasawa's book, which has not yet been completed in the present. The Futurians, Terasawa, Miki Saegusa , and Professor Mazaki, board MOTHER's time machine, KIDS, and travel back to 1944 to Lagos Island. There, as American forces land and engage the Japanese forces commanded by Shindo,

6208-505: The latter had previously held Tanaka responsible for the decline in the Godzilla series' quality during the 1970s. Ōmori chose the entry of dentist Shinichiro Kobayashi, who wrote his story with the hypothetical death of his daughter in mind. Kobayashi's submission was notable for its emphasis on dilemmas concerning biotechnology rather than nuclear energy, and revolved around a scientist grieving for his deceased daughter and attempting to keep her soul alive by merging her genes with those of

6305-416: The live-action footage effectively. The film however became the first of its kind to use CGI , though its usage was limited to scenes involving computer generated schematics. The original cut of the movie had the first battle culminating in Biollante's spores falling around the hills surrounding Lake Ashino and blooming into fields of flowers, though this was removed as the flowers were out of scale. Unlike

6402-435: The monsters fight each other had been done many times and, clearly, there was a limit to it. So in order to bring back Godzilla properly we had to create an opponent that can fight properly. If there was something equivalent to the terror of nuclear power it must be the bio-technology [with] which human beings would manipulate life, because it can be very dangerous if it goes the wrong way, ethically, I guess. That's where I found

6499-406: The nuclear missile produces an electrical storm and an EMP , which revives Godzilla once more and temporarily disables the Super X. An enraged Godzilla bears down on the Super X just as it manages to get airborne again. The Super X's weapons prove ineffective against the kaiju, resulting in even more destruction in the city as Godzilla chases it through several skyscrapers. Godzilla finally destroys

6596-532: The ocean. Emmy then returns to the future with M-11 in KIDS, but not before informing Terasawa that she is his descendant. At the bottom of the ocean, Godzilla awakens and roars over Mecha-King Ghidorah's remains. Although the previously filmed Godzilla vs. Biollante had been the most expensive Godzilla film produced at the time, its low audience attendance and loss of revenue convinced executive producer and Godzilla series creator Tomoyuki Tanaka to revitalize

6693-550: The orchestra. After the film was released in Japan, Toho commissioned a Hong Kong company named Omni Productions to dub the film into English. In early 1990, Toho entered discussions with Miramax to distribute the film. When talks broke off, Toho filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Federal Court, accusing Miramax of entering an oral agreement in June to pay Toho $ 500,000 to distribute the film. This lawsuit delayed

6790-403: The popular monster series is a disappointing and flawed effort unworthy of the “Godzilla” name." Film historian and critic David Kalat wrote "Despite its shortcomings, illogic, and overpopulated cast, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is crammed full of ideas, richly visualized innovations, a genuine spirit of fun, and some of the most complex emotional manipulation ever to grace the series." The film

6887-492: The previous film, Godzilla vs. Biollante incorporates themes from Akira Ifukube 's original Godzilla theme, though the majority of the soundtrack was composed of original themes by Koichi Sugiyama . The score was orchestrated by conductor David Howell through the Kansai Philharmonic, though Howell himself had never viewed the movie, and thus was left to interpret what the scenes would consist of when conducting

6984-491: The previously cancelled The Resurrection of Godzilla and Miner's still unproduced film, including an intensification of hostilities during the Cold War and a flying fortress which fires missiles into Godzilla's mouth. Koji Hashimoto was hired as director after Ishirō Honda declined the offer, as he was assisting Akira Kurosawa with Kagemusha and Ran , and felt that the franchise should have been discontinued after

7081-464: The project was shelved. A year later, it was announced that Toho would develop a film jointly with UPA studios entitled Godzilla vs. the Devil , though this, along with UPA producer Henry G. Saperstein 's proposed Godzilla vs. Gargantua , also never materialized. Godzilla series creator Tomoyuki Tanaka took charge of reviving the franchise in 1979, Godzilla's 25th anniversary, intending to return

7178-654: The requested design of the creature's first form difficult, and the resulting cumbersome model for Biollante's final form was met with disbelief from the special effects team. Biollante's first form was performed by Masao Takegami, who sat within the model's trunk area on a platform just above water level. While the creature's head movements were simple to operate, its vines were controlled by an intricate array of overhead wires which proved difficult for Satsuma to react to during combat scenes as they offered no tension, thus warranting Satsuma to feign receiving blows from them, despite not being able to perceive them. Biollante's final form

7275-459: The same sense, made the way I made my movie. I just wanted to make a movie with American army people in it, and to put the rumors to rest, I am not anti-American. I love American war movies, but looking at all the ones I've watched over the years, Americans never lose. And so I thought they should lose at least once! Why don't the Americans ever lose?! Godzilla vs. Biollante Godzilla vs. Biollante ( ゴジラvsビオランテ , Gojira tai Biorante )

7372-549: The scene in which Godzilla attacks and crushes American G.I.s went "too far". Conversely, Godzilla historian Steve Ryfle said American media reports of supposed anti-Americanism "weren't really thought-provoking or insightful." Ōmori has denied all such allegations, stating that the American extras in the film had been "happy about being crushed and squished by Godzilla." Commenting on the controversy in 2006, Ōmori stated: I am not anti-American. I love American movies, and I've always watched American movies. Most American movies are, in

7469-402: The series by bringing back iconic monsters from pre-1984 Godzilla movies, specifically Godzilla's archenemy King Ghidorah . Godzilla vs. Biollante director and writer Kazuki Ōmori had initially hoped to start a standalone series centered on Mothra , and was in the process of rewriting a 1990 script for the unrealized film Mothra vs. Bagan . The film was ultimately scrapped by Toho, under

7566-599: The series to its dark, anti-nuclear roots in the wake of the Three Mile Island accident . Hoping to win back adult audiences alienated by the fantastical approach to Godzilla films taken during the 1970s, Tanaka was further encouraged in his vision by the contemporary success of adult-oriented horror and science fiction movies like King Kong , Invasion of the Body Snatchers , Alien and The Thing . A draft story entitled Resurrection of Godzilla

7663-413: The sky, forming an image of Erika among the stars. Shiragami, watching the scene, is shot by SSS9. Kirishima chases the assassin and, after a brief scuffle, SSS9 is killed by a microwave-emitting plate activated by Sho Kuroki. Godzilla reawakens and leaves for the ocean. The original idea was to find something that could match Godzilla's power and terror if we were bringing back Godzilla. But simply letting

7760-424: The theme of nuclear weapons, since that was the theme of the original film. Japan has now learned three times what a nuclear disaster is, but at that time Japan had already had two. The problem was Japanese society was gradually forgetting about these disasters. They were forgetting how painful it had been. Everyone in Japan knew how scary nuclear weapons were when the original movie was made, but it wasn't like that by

7857-413: The title to Godzilla 1985 , bringing back Raymond Burr in order to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Godzilla: King of the Monsters! . Originally, New World reportedly planned to re-write the dialogue in order to turn the film into a tongue-in-cheek comedy starring Leslie Nielsen (à la What's Up, Tiger Lily? ), but this plan was reportedly scrapped because Raymond Burr expressed displeasure at

7954-472: The use of Godzilla cells, and replaced Kobayashi's journalist character with Miki Saegusa . He openly admitted that directing a Godzilla film was secondary to his desire to make a James Bond movie, and thus added elements of the spy film genre into the plot. Unlike the case with later, more committee-driven Godzilla films, Ōmori was given considerable leeway in writing and directing the film, which Toho staff later judged to have been an error resulting in

8051-455: The vessel, he finds all the crew dead except for Hiroshi Okumura, who has been badly wounded. Suddenly a giant Shockirus sea louse attacks him but he is saved by Okumura. In Tokyo, Okumura realizes by looking at pictures that the monster he saw was a new Godzilla . Maki writes an article about the account, but the news of Godzilla's return is kept secret and his article is withheld. Maki visits Professor Hayashida, whose parents were lost in

8148-413: The voice of news anchor and radio announcer John Culkin in the role of Goro Maki, and actor Barry Haigh as Prime Minister Mitamura. The English version fully dubs all dialogue into English, including that of the Soviet and American characters. The international English dub was released on VHS in the U.K. by Carlton Home Entertainment on July 24, 1998. In 2016, the international English dub was included on

8245-483: Was MPEG-4 AVC (1.85:1) [1080p] and the audio was in Japanese and English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0). Subtitles were added in English, English SDH and French. Extras included the theatrical trailer and three teasers in HD with English subtitles. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 56% of 9 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.80/10. Joseph Savitski of Beyond Hollywood said "This entry in

8342-401: Was Odaka's first appearance in the Godzilla franchise as Miki Saegusa , and would reprise the role in every film for the remainder of the Heisei series. In the film, corporations struggle for control over samples of Godzilla's cells, while the monster itself battles a creature born from a combination of Godzilla's cells, the cells of a plant, and the cells of a woman. The idea originated from

8439-549: Was behind the attacks. The Japanese cabinet meets to discuss Japan's defense. A new weapon is revealed, the Super X, a specially-armored flying fortress that will defend the capital. The Japanese military is put on alert. Godzilla attacks the Mihama nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture . While feeding off the reactor, it is distracted by a flock of birds and leaves the facility. Hayashida believes that Godzilla

8536-536: Was completed in three days. One of the most controversial changes done on the film was having Soviet Colonel Kashirin deliberately launch the nuclear missile rather than die in attempting to prevent its launch. Director R. J. Kizer later attributed this to New World's management's conservative leanings. The newly edited film also contained numerous product placements for Dr Pepper , which had twice used Godzilla in its commercials. Dr Pepper's marketing director at one point insisted that Raymond Burr drink Dr Pepper during

8633-569: Was considered controversial at the time of its release, being contemporary to a period of economic tension between America and Japan, but mainly due to its fictional World War II depictions. Gerald Glaubitz of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association appeared alongside director Kazuki Ōmori on Entertainment Tonight and condemned the film as being in "very poor taste" and detrimental to American-Japanese relations. Ishirō Honda also criticized Ōmori, stating that

8730-577: Was constructed to accommodate stuntman Hiroshi Yamawaki, but he declined suddenly, and was replaced by veteran suit actor Kenpachiro Satsuma , who had portrayed Hedorah and Gigan in the Showa Era. Because the 110 kg (240 lb) suit wasn't built to his measurements, Satsuma had difficulty performing, being able to last only ten minutes within it, and losing 12 pounds during filming. Hoping to avoid having Godzilla move in an overly human fashion, Nakano instructed Satsuma to base his actions on Noh ,

8827-520: Was distracted instinctively by a homing signal from the birds. Hayashida, together with geologist Minami, propose to the Japanese Cabinet, that Godzilla could be lured back to Mount Mihara on Ōshima Island by a similar signal, and a volcanic eruption could be started, capturing Godzilla. Prime Minister Mitamura meets with Soviet and American envoys and declares that nuclear weapons will not be used on Godzilla, even if Godzilla were to attack

8924-465: Was even more difficult to operate, as its vine network took hours to rig up on set. Visibility in both the Godzilla and final form Biollante suits was poor, thus causing difficulties for Takegami in aiming the creature's head when firing sap, which permanently stained anything it landed on. While it was initially decided to incorporate stop motion animation into the film, the resulting sequences were scrapped, as Kawakita felt they failed to blend in with

9021-570: Was last released by Lionsgate on Blu-ray and DVD on October 7, 2014. On the latter two releases, the film is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for "traditional Godzilla violence". In 2021, Toho premiered a 4K remaster of the film on the Nippon Classic Movie Channel , along with seven other Godzilla films also remastered in 4K. The film was downscaled to 2K for broadcast. In Japan,

9118-445: Was more financially successful at the box office than Godzilla vs. Biollante . The film attracted controversy outside Japan due to its perceived Japanese nationalist themes. In 1992, Godzilla is still weakened after being infected by the ANEB (Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria). Meanwhile, science fiction author Kenichiro Terasawa is writing a book about the monster and learns of a group of Japanese soldiers stationed on Lagos Island during

9215-399: Was released in 1998 as a single disc double feature with Godzilla vs. Mothra . The picture was full frame (1.33:1) [NTSC] and the audio in English (2.0). There were no subtitles. Extras included the trailer for Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and Godzilla vs. Mothra . The Sony Blu-ray version was released on May 6, 2014, as a two-disc double feature with Godzilla vs. Mothra . The picture

9312-408: Was submitted by Tanaka and Akira Murao in 1980, and had Godzilla pitted against a shape-shifting monster called Bakan in the backdrop of an illegal nuclear waste disposal site. In 1983, Murao and Hideichi Nagahara collaborated on a revised script for Resurrection of Godzilla , however, the project was cancelled due to budgetary concerns. That same year, American director Steve Miner proposed directing

9409-434: Was the first Godzilla film since 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla to feature a newly orchestrated score by Akira Ifukube . The film was released theatrically in Japan on December 14, 1991, and was followed by Godzilla vs. Mothra released on December 12, 1992. It was released direct-to-video in North America in 1998 by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment . Despite mixed reviews from critics, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

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