‘Godzilla vs. Biollante’ Is Getting A 4K Restoration And Blu-ray Release From Criterion In 2025
For years, two Godzilla movies from the Heisei days were hard to come by on DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming in America. They were Godzilla vs. Biollante and Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, which always seemed to be the odd ones out even as the world was discovering the rest of the era.
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Just a few years ago, if you went looking for either one on an ad-based or subscriber-only streaming service, you’d be disappointed. Neither would you find them airing during a marathon on the Comet TV network – back when they commonly did that sort of thing between Buffy and Grimm reruns.
However, the fortunes of these installments began to change in the last year, and things are only getting better. Both Godzilla vs. Biollante and Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah can be watched on Max, which has become a hub for G-content thanks largely to the profitability of the MonsterVerse since 2021. But, that’s not all.
Additionally, Criterion announced their next set of restorations for Blu-ray release in 2025, and Godzilla vs. Biollante is on the list. As Fangoria puts it, this is “a release worthy of a king” that follows the Collection’s restored version of the original Gojira from 1954 this year.
Criterion also released bold new cover art done for the release. It shows a looming Biollante keeping The King of the Monsters all tied up (see below).
That cover is a job well done, but it still doesn’t beat the VHS cover art (find what I’m talking about below, and see if you agree).
To catch everyone up, here’s the synopsis for the film: “The second Godzilla film of the Heisei era following the success of The Return of Godzilla introduces one of the franchise’s most intriguing and unique monsters: Biollante, a genetically engineered mutant hybridized from the cells of a rose, a woman, and Godzilla himself.”
The summary continues, “Can the King of Monsters defeat an evolved version of himself? Boasting some of the best special effects of the series and exploring provocative ideas surrounding biotechnology, Godzilla vs. Biollante stands as a highlight of the Heisei-era films.”
Directed by Kazuki Ōmori and the winner of a screenplay contest, the 1989 film is highly regarded today but didn’t do as well as Toho was expecting. Subsequently, they returned to using popular monsters already established in their canon. This was a trend through the Heisei period up until Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.
SpaceGodzilla wasn’t an entirely new or original creation since he had genetic ties to Godzilla, and maybe Biollante as well. Although that’s not exactly canonical, based on how Biollante and Godzilla vs. Mothra ended – with G-Cells drifting off into space or carried there – it’s heavily implied and plausible.
Both foes have devoted followers lobbying for their comebacks to the movies after decades on the shelf. They could show up in the MV or Takashi Yamazaki’s next film; so the fandom hopes anyway.
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