Following the recent release of the original Godzilla on 4K Ultra HD, The Criterion Collection is bringing Godzilla vs. Biollante to 4K UHD and Blu-ray on March 18.
Released in 1989, the 17th installment in Toho’s classic kaiju franchise has been newly restored in 4K with Japanese 5.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio and newly translated English subtitles.
Written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori (Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah), the film stars Kunihiko Mitamura, Yoshiko Tanaka, Masanobu Takashima, Megumi Odaka, Toru Minegishi, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Toshiyuki Nagashima, and Kenpachiro Satsuma as Godzilla.
Special Features include:
- Audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan (new)
- 1993 making-of featurette with director Kazuki Omori and special-effects director Koichi Kawakita, among others
- 1999 featurette on the Biollante and Super X2 vehicle concepts
- Deleted special effects
- TV spots and trailers
- An essay by sci-fi and horror film expert Jim Cirronella
Criterion writes, “Diving into delirious realms of imagination, this second film of the Godzilla franchise’s 1980s resurgence showcased the towering beast for a new generation of fans. This time, Godzilla’s foe is one of the series’ most wondrously strange kaiju creations: Biollante—a mutant plant genetically engineered from the cells of a rose, a renegade scientist’s dead daughter, and Godzilla itself.
“With a wild plot encompassing spies, psychic children, and bonkers biotechnology—and some of the coolest special effects in the history of Japanese cinema—Godzilla vs. Biollante stands as a high point in the ever-evolving mythology of the King of the Monsters.”
Eric Powell designed the cover art for Godzilla vs. Biollante.
