regardless of how I feel about the movies from this era in general, this is my favorite representation of the big G. Leaning towards, but not completely a villain. A hero only because of the situations he finds himself in. The Godzilla as depicted by Art Adams.
While at first I did find Godzilla Jr’s death to b heartbreaking, knowing that his father is able to bring him back with all of his radiation being absorbed into Jr allowing him to not only fully recover but even become a full grown Godzilla which always compelled me to say this at the end of the movie “the king is dead, long live the king”
Yeah just like how the shin Godzilla is now a part of the reiwa era despite releasing it in the heisei era. And millennium movies are also released in heisei.
I just read through the script of Mothra vs Bagan, which was the basis of Godzilla vs Mothra and it was a really fun read and I loved picturing it in my head. It was like a good old fashioned adventure film with great monster battle scenes, there are changes I would have made, but those would have just been for personal preference. If only Godzilla vs Biollante had suceeded......
Even the MonsterVerse has a better pro environmental message than Godzilla vs Mothra. Also, what I like about Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla 2 is that there's no real bad guy in it, everyone's morally gray with their own flaws and strengths. Godzilla is drawn by the prospect of not being alone, Rodan is protecting his adoptive brother, and the UNGCC is using Mechagodzilla so that humanity can no longer live in fear of Godzilla ever again. Each party protects their own.
Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something. Environmental messages coming from the Godzilla franchise sucked back then and it would still suck now. If somebody wants to have a serious talk about the environment then have a serious talk about the environment. But don't do it in a movie because at the end of the day, it's just going to create a straw man for the opposing side.
@@jag_rex2412 What the actual Hell are you talking about? Environmentalism has always been a factor in the Godzilla franchise. Godzilla is a living force of nature whose wrath was brought upon humanity by them tampering with the Earth. Same goes for the Kaiju.
@@omniviewer2115 here is my ranking of the Heisei Godzilla movies Return of Godzilla: 9.5/10 Godzilla vs Biollante: 8.6/10 Godzilla vs King Ghidorah: 11/10 Godzilla vs Mothra: 10/10 Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla 2: 15/10 Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla: 9.5/10 Godzilla vs Destoroyah: 100/10 (My favorite Godzilla movie)
It’s funny that Omni would describe Godzilla as a demon/ devil rising up out of a volcano in The Return Of Godzilla when later in Godzilla Vs Destroyah we have a devil kaiju that is so horrific both in terms of appearance n in actions that he makes Godzilla almost look tamed by comparison
Well, I enjoyed this vid so much that the selfish fan in me wants to see you give the full retrospective look at (along with seemingly the Heisei Ganera trilogy now), all the Godzilla eras since you did such a great job with this one. I would understand though if that'd be way too ambitious and time consuming for you to commit to. As long as you still plan on analysing and getting interesting discussions going on kaiju movies and all other stuff that interets you, I'll still be an invested fan. Very nicely done on this one all the same Omni (and you too Snazzy). ✌️
Ahh yes, Godzilla 1985. The last movie my Father took me to see in a theater. He was also a Godzilla fan, but was extra excited to see Godzilla 1985, cause of an article in Popular Science magazine, explaining the robotics Toho was gonna use in the suit. I remember us both thinking it would be the robot the whole movie, with no man in suit stuff whatsoever lol.Good times, great memorys : )
I just see this era as a huge waste of potential. Return and Biollante set such a promising tone for the series, exploring new themes the series has never ventured to before with deep and intricate plots. However, Ghidorah marked a return to the campiness of the Showa era, and the era never recovered from it.
Thank you Omni Viewer and Snazzy Chapeau, for a thoroughly enjoyable retrospective report on the Godzilla Heisei era films, it is immensely appreciated!!!!!!!! This video essay has definitely changed my perspective on a few things from the films of this memorable era, things that, admittedly, I've never paid attention to or realized, like the impact of human characters in the story and the represented themes of certain scenarios, monsters etc, I mainly enjoyed the films based on the kaiju action, and the response of the human characters to the destructive fallout, nothing more and nothing less, but this video inspires me to go back and watch the films with the new mental viewpoints presented in this analytical work, thanks again!!!!!!!
I've written a rewrite of Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla that turns it into a Destroy All Monsters/Final Wars level movie and I've thought about whether it fixes your critiscisms I'd say Miki has mostly the same role but I think I gave her more to do, like when she gets kidnapped the reason is so her kidnappers can use the mind controlled Godzilla to blackmail the world, and after her rescue she convinces her kidnappers to release Godzilla from his control. And in the climax she uses her telekinesis to release Mothra (who's a major player in my version) from a crystal pinning her to a crystal wall so she can aid Godzilla. I tried to give Yuki more depth by having release his grudge by feeling empathy for Godzilla having to deal with his son getting kidnapped. And with SpaceGodzilla, well I did give him a clear motivation. In this version he's not a clone, he's another member of Godzilla's species who was further mutated by exterestrial crystals and it is revealed his end goal is to destroy all life on earth and then crystallize the planet and then create crystal beings that will worship him as a god before going on to turn the entire universe into a crystal empire. I also have him contrast to Godzilla in that while SpaceGodzilla enslaves other monsters to be his minions other monsters aid Godzilla out of sheer respect and ultimately in the ending I have it shown that humans have started liking Godzilla for him saving the world this time and have even begun worshipping him as a God. So despite Godzilla never seeking to be worshipped unlike SpaceGodzilla he does something to actually earn being naturally worshipped and respected by others. And I'll also mention that final statement of this version isn't a pointless political warning about G cells floating in space, but instead the characters stating that Godzilla's species isn't that much different than the human race, with Godzilla representing the best of us while SpaceGodzilla represents the worst of us, perhaps it would have been a bit on the nose but I think it would have been more fitting. And ultimately as comes with this origin change and it being the most criticised aspect of the character SpaceGodzilla would have a different name in this version. I created a name that contrasts with Godzilla's. Godzilla's name is a combination of God, liZard and goRILLA, so to contrast I combined Devil, crOcodile and gigantopithECUS, creating the name DEVILOECUS
Just a thought. Had "Biollante" been a box-office smash, I think that perhaps this series would have looked vastly different. It probably would have continued that creative and out-of-the box process. It is something that of course, we will never know, but at least we did get "Biollante".
I do think that the rest of the series was far more creative and Biollante was actually the least creative. The only real creative thing about the film is Biollante and Miki's story. A lot of things people complain about the rest of the series having are present in Godzilla vs Biollante more than any film in the franchise. Which I think is one of the many reasons why Godzilla vs Biollante wasn't successful.
@@GSTE_ For me, the one sin that “Biollante” shared with the rest of the series, was perhaps too many characters. Otherwise, “Biollante”’s narrative is much more straightforward, than say “King Ghidorah” or “Mothra”. Plus, they did find a new and refreshing way to try to defeat Godzilla in a much more grounded environment, than what we would see later.
@@Dontuween A lot of criticism people have for the Heisei Godzilla films is no physical combat from Godzilla and too much beams, which this film has the least physical combat and most atomic breath in probably the entire franchise. Biollante's narritive is far from straightforward unless you mean the way the story progresses then I would agree when compared to Godzilla vs King ghidorah. In terms of the way it handles Bio weapons in the story is far from good. The fights are also extremely repetitive and they all end the exact same way with hardly any struggle and leaves an unsatisfying conclusion each time. It's interesting you mention it being a new and refreshing way to beat Godzilla when the Super x2 was basically a worse version of the first Super x. And I don't really like either, but the Super x2's fights are some of the worst in the Heisei series not even mentioning how it looks extremely unconvincing which is also different from the original Super X. In terms of being in a grounded environment I also disagree considering most of the film was in the ocean and the scenes they did have on land used unconvincing sets. If you didn't mean the super x2 with your statement and you were talking about the other things like the anti nuclear energy bacteria, I would say that was creative but hardly anything was done with it after they shot it into him. The rest of the time it's helicopters and mazers shooting at him. This isn't even mentioning the main problems with the film like Godzilla's designs being very inconsistent from scene to scene. As well as Godzilla looking like a person in a suit due to the proportions of the suit and how most of the details looks like they were sanded down. I personally think Godzilla vs Biollante is the worst film in the Heisei Godzilla films for many reasons, which about 20% I listed here. I also have problems with the rest of the films, but not to the extent as Godzilla vs Biollante.
@@GSTE_ It was the anti-nuclear bacteria, ANEB, that Colonial Gongo, shoots in his mouth, that I was referring to. And it almost worked! It was a much more grounded plan and approach than what we would see later, when the series became much more formulaic. Nothing wrong with being formulaic, but the scripts were NOT very good!
@@Dontuween Like I said in a very long explanation, Godzilla vs Biollante was the most formulaic. The anti nuclear energy bacteria is what ends up knocking Godzilla out in the end of the film, but they way the film handled it felt like it was done just to stretch the screen time. Also in terms of more formulaic the later films are far from that, there is no pattern between any of the films attempts to stop Godzilla or the monster fights themselves. The scripts aren't perfect, but what I'm saying is that Godzilla vs Biollante is much worse.
"The heisei era is average" "Besides gamera did it better in the 90s anyway" Well i got my popcorn for the heisei fans who will inevitably disagree with those statements...(especially the latter one even if there's some truth to both statements) But overall the era starting out good, going downwards then going up just to go back down and end things on a good note is exactly how i see the era. Not perfect like any era but a bit overhyped to an extent but what era isn't overhyped.
And let's just say that I'm one of the people who disagrees quite hard with the second statement. Pretty curious to see how Darth Vader Tyrannus will approach this trilogy in the future if he gets to cover it.
Actually Miki uses her TK powers a grand total of 3 times in the movie (1) when she lifts the bed that she’s strapped to so that Shinjo could take a shot at the yakuza behind her (2) when she opens the partially closed door that’s holding Yuki n (3) she removes the failed telepathy device from the back of Godzilla’s head n he even turns n nods his head as if to say “thanks 4 that it was a pain in the neck”
This is a very well thought out retrospective. I'm surprised you didn't mention how stiff the suits are or the beam wars that resulted from it. I guess my own views on these movies would go like this Godzilla 1985 is a great return to form and a good start for the Heisei era and updated the nuclear fear for the modern day. Godzilla vs Biollante is a genuinely great film and probably the best of the Heisei Era. It's very high concept and deals with some very out there, ideas. I always wondered how much of Erika was in Biollante's personality. I get the feeling the graphic novel Project Nemesis might have been influenced by this movie. Godzilla vs Ghidorah is a guilty pleasure of mine. Yes, the time travel does not make sense, but I do like seeing Godzilla and Ghidorah fight each other. Godzilla vs Mothra is genuinely bad. Godzilla is a third wheel, and it really feels like it should have been just a Mothra movie. Also, the whole meteor thing made me think it was supposed to be set up for the Mothra trilogy, but the Mothra trilogy never mentions a meteor at all so maybe that got dropped during the production of those movies. Honestly, it's really annoying and you'd be better off watching the Showa era Mothra movies. The only good thing I will say about this movie is this Mothra has the cutest design but that's about it. Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II I dislike. I find the protagonist to be annoying, I dislike Mechagodzilla's design because it feels so rotund and dated to the 90's. I am biased since Kiryu has always been my favorite Mechagodzilla but the Heisei one just never did it for me. Rodan's puppet felt too stiff. It's not the worst but I'm not excited to rewatch it any time soon. The whole bit with the moral at the end always reminded me of South Park. But at least with South Park it's parodying this sort of thing but with the Heisei movies it always came off as sincere which made it annoying. Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla is probably the weakest of all the Heisei movies. The plot is meh and the characters never stood out to me tbh. The one nice thing I will say is the psychic energy attacks for Spacegodzilla seem cool in concept but feel like they were held back by the technology of their time. I feel if this was animated it might have worked better. For Spacegodzilla's character it seemed like an enigma to me, but I had an idea for it. My idea for Spacegodzilla would be he is this lonely creature constantly rejected by other monsters. He is rejected by the crystaline aliens that he originally merged with and rejected by Godzilla, so he doesn't belong anywhere. So, he takes Godzilla Jr to be the only form of companionship he can get. This is pretty much my own headcanon that doesn't work with the movie. So, make of that what you will. Godzilla vs Destroyah is a damn good movie. The tone, the acting and the buildup for Destroyah and Godzilla's meltdown are done beautifully. I love how sadistic and demonic Destroyah is as a character. The only complaint I have is with his design since he cannot bend his knees while in the movie posters he could bend his knees. It's honestly a problem I have with the suit designs of the Heisei movies where they made them too thick to the point where mobility is very limited. It's like the opposite extreme of Godzilla Final Wars suit design. That's just how I feel about these movies. A few great movies and concepts but the rest of the series is weighed down by some bad writing and the stiff suits and puppets.
I disagree with the suits being stiff or Godzilla vs Biollante being good. It was also explained by Miki that Erika was no longer in Biollante. In terms of beam spam that would actually apply the most to Godzilla vs Biollante. I also think SpaceGodzilla's attacks were the most creative out of the entire Godzilla franchise, you have a laser which can move mid air and attack weak spots similar to Darkseid. And you have the crystals which can fly into the air or be shot directly at Godzilla. I personally like MechaGodzilla 2's design the most due to it's movements being robotic and it being more of a weapon than an intelligent being that can move on it's own. My main problem with Mecha 1 and Kiryu are that they move like a person in a suit, while the movements of MechaGodzilla 2 look realistic to what an animatronic being controlled looks like. Overall I think the Heisei Godzilla films were very good although there are a lot of problems, the same thing applies to all Godzilla films.
I think I like the idea of Heisei a bit more. I really like the two 80's films. As a matter of fact, '84 and Biollante are in my top 3, with Biollante at #1. I wish they kept the overall feel of these. The lion's share of Heisei did go overboard. Introducing time travel is a jump the shark element. But Space Godzilla is a guilty pleasure. Early Heisei did also have Bubble Economy money to play with. I completely agree with your chart at the end. That's my general feeling towards the series, even though Spacegodzilla is a guilty pleasure.
Seems like the Heisei era is *almost* split in half. With 3 or 4 great films, and 3 mediocre/bad ones. I can see why its considered average or a mixed bag, but its still my favorite Godzilla era overall. Not just because I enjoy most of the movies (this includes vs Mothra, I am so sorry), but because it struck a perfect balance between serious and fun, for the most part at least. The Showa era started strong, but quickly got too goofy for my taste, and aside from a few fantastic entries, the Millennium era kept re-treading old-ground, and felt tired compared to what came before as a result. I don't know where I'd rank the Reiwa and Monsterverse eras in all of this yet.
Omni, there was a deleted scene from "Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla" in which Godzilla tries to free LittleGodzilla from his crystal prison, but fails. After this, Godzilla roars in anger and sets off after his celestial counterpart. Considering that this gave a motive to fight SpaceGodzilla, Toho's decision to cut it seems strange.
I personally would like to see a continuity of Godzilla films that lasts for more than 2 films (the Polygon trilogy not withstanding). Most people argue it will just hold each new entry back by limiting creative vision. I personally beg to differ.
Godzilla vs. Biollante also had a stop motion sequence of Godzilla being constricted by her vine tentacles, but it was cut out in the final version of the film.
It is interesting in watching the Heisei series 30 years afterwards. When I first saw them in the 90s, I generally liked most of them, except for G vs King Ghidorah & Space Godzilla. Today, it is just Biollante with a little bit of Mechagodzilla (I am not the biggest fan of that Mecha re-design). And it is fascinating to see how a lot of G fans want Destoroyah incorporated into the Monsterverse, as the final act of that series. Some have likened it to the Superman/Doomsday scenario, but in reality, Destoroyah had ZERO to do with Godzilla’s demise in that movie! In looking at that feature again, it is two story arcs - Burning Godzilla (the more fascinating one) & the rise of Destoryah, woven together, but not too greatly. I have my suspicions that Burning Godzilla was the main AND only arc, but Tomoyuki Tanaka, with his instance of always having a monster, forced the issue and thus Destoroyah was in the final cut.
Destoroyah was stated that he might be able to stop Godzilla's meltdown and that having Godzilla fight him on land would be much better than Godzilla melting down in the ocean. Destoroyah was shown repeatedly during the fight to be able to drain Godzilla's energy completely so that his red glow is completely gone. Instead of making it better, this makes Godzilla's condition get worse similar to how the Super X3 freezing Godzilla made his situation much worse.
As far as 1 hit wonders go I would easily put Destroyah next to Ghidorah just as I would put Spacegodzilla next to Mechagodzilla they have done so well that I wish someone would bring them back in another movie (might even make a few improvements to whatever was lacking about them)
Yeah. The Heisei is the almost literal Definition of "Mixed Bag" But it has my fave WTF Dub of any movie in The Mothra One. I can watch that movie just to hear it.
Well, admittedly a bit disappointing. I was hoping that over the years (and partly my Monstrous Moment on the subject) had softened your opinion on Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Despite being a mess, I still think the movie has a good underlying message. I think the "imperialism" is supposed to be embodied in Shindo - like I said, he fell back into the "old ways." And thus, Shindo is killed at the end and Japan's imperialist future is subverted. Oh well...I guess this means that one day, we'll need to do a cross-over debating the film. Granted, I'd say I agree with most of your takes here. Though I'm fond of the film, I agree that Ghidorah was where the Heisei took a dip in quality, considering that Return and Biollante had such strong and relevant theming in them. But Toho wanted to play it safe and naturally resorted to using the other four members of their "Top Five" to continue the series. Where you and I disagree is that, I'd rank Mechagodzilla II as being lower on the quality scale. It pains me to think about, but I do wonder how the series would have gone, if allowed to continue from Biollante properly, and keeping the themes about the dangers of genetic engineering. Instead, it feels like the three movies felt like a diversion until an attempted course correction with Spacegodzilla. I'd share my thoughts on that here, but I think I could salvage those ideas into a video of my own.
I don't think Godzilla vs Biollante was that good, and I would say it was the worst of the series. The film also doesn't show the dangers of Bio weapons, in fact it shows just the opposite. It shows that Bio weapons are the only way to combat against nuclear weapons, that being Godzilla. It also presents the bio weapon as a good thing which "America" is trying to take for themselves to leave Japan defenseless. And to continue with that the human characters make Biollante seem to be sympathetic and looked up to despite Miki stating early on that it's entirely a monster and there is no human inside any longer. The film also fails to deliver in really any way and basically has the problems that most people complain the later films have despite it being the opposite. But that's just my thoughts on it.
@@GSTE_ Well that's a fine opinion to have, but I disagree that the film doesn't show the danger of Bio-Weapons. The thing is, Biollante and the ANEB are cut from the same cloth, with Biollante representing what _could_ happen if someone went rogue with genetic manipulation. Throughout the entire movie, Kirashima is even talking about the dangers of forming some abhorrent chimera from genetic engineering, and even states that the ANEB will create problems. However, the _true danger_ becomes apparent when you _know_ the history. Like you said, the ANEB would make Nuclear Weapons useless. What was currently going-on in the world at the time? _The Cold War._ And what was the only thing preventing the US and the USSR from starting World War III? _Their nuclear arsenals._ Fear of the devastation from nuclear fallout was the only thing that prevented a full conflict with conventional weaponry. The point of the movie isn't that the other nations want Japan to be defenseless. They're trying to prevent the Cold War from going _hot._ Granted, I'm certain that some countries that were after it would've used the ANEB for their own purposes; to ensure the balance of power tipped in their favor. But I also disagree with what you said - America isn't the only ones after the ANEB. Sure, Bio-Major is an American company, but their operatives get taken-out halfway through the film. The other-party after that are the Saradians - who are basically meant to represent the Middle-East. Considering that Israel's nuclear arsenal is the only thing keeping every other enemy country in the area at-bay, if the ANEB fell into _their hands,_ then the conflict in the Middle East would've become even bloodier. The point is, by the end of the movie, the point has been proven that the Bacteria is just too dangerous to keep around and produce. This stuff could literally cause a global war on _several fronts_ if it fell out of Japan's hands. It's literally meant to be analogous to the Oxygen Destroyer - it is to be used only once; _on Godzilla._ It's why at the end of the movie, Shiragmi refuses to continue making ANEB even when it's assumed that Godzilla has been dead, and they now have access to a near-endless supply of his genetic material. Too bad for him that the Saradians wanted to _ensure_ that the ANEB won't be made ever again by taking him out. My point is, the Heisei series started out with a Major Emphasis on the Cold War, with Return of Godzilla featuring both the US and the USSR low-key trying to bully-Japan into using nukes on Godzilla. Those themes are meant to carry-over into this film since the Cold War was still-on. (the irony being is that, the Cold War actually ended about two weeks before the movie released in Japan. Which in hindsight probably contributed to why the Heisei took the turn it did.)
@@GanonGhidorah Biollante does show the result of Bio weaponry, and so much could have been done with it, instead it became the most lost potential for any Godzilla monster in the franchise. For example you could have had Biollante attack a city and cause major destruction. Instead Biollante only appears in unpopulated places and only attacks Godzilla. And the scientist looks at Biollante from the beginning to the end of the film like such a great thing or something to be admired instead of being regretful of it's existence. Saying Godzilla vs Biollante shows an anti nuclear message, would be like saying Godzilla against MechaGodzilla (2002) whole message is about the dangers of technology when that just isn't the case. And in reality Godzilla against MechaGodzilla shows the danger of technology better than Godzilla vs Biollante shows the danger of bio weapons. But as for America in Godzilla vs Biollante, it was completely unrealistic, especially considering what the previous film showed. The previous film showed that America would discuss with Japan directly, and America would most likely already have control of the situation or be a big part of it, which was shown in the rest of the Heisei Godizlla series. The main point is that soldiers would not have been sent like that in the beginning of the film, there would have been discussions. I don't think I said that America was the only one, but they were more of a villain in the film than Godzilla or Biollante. They attacked Japan soldiers and stole from them. They sent spies to take a government weapon which was top secret. And for the main one that is just horrible. Godzilla was stuck in the volcano and could not get out for 5 years. America basically sends a ransom for a top secret weapon and if they don't get their way they will release Godzilla to continue destruction on the world. Now it would make more sense if this was a bluff, but it wasn't. This completely goes against what future films show or even what Godzilla 1984 had shown very clearly. In 1984 America clearly showed it would do anything including using nuclear weapons in order to stop Godzilla. They wanted this because they didn't want Godzilla to come to their countries. Releasing Godzilla again to potentially destroy another Submarine or attack America is the 2nd worst writing in the Heisei Godzilla series, with the first being Emmi from Godzilla vs King Ghidorah. The scientist's speech at the end of the film came out of nowhere. Literally the whole film he acted like the bio weapon was the only hope and that Biollante was so magnificent. For some reason only after Godzilla was knocked out from the anti nuclear energy bacteria did he want to stop making it. This speech by him is about as tacked on as Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla's pollution message at the end of the film. I'm not a fan of Godzilla 1984, but unlike Godzilla vs Biollante it shows a realistic version of what would happen if Godzilla showed up in that current time. Godzilla vs Biollante goes completely against that. The reality is that America would be involved directly and have it's own scientists helping them along the way. This was shown in every single Godzilla film from Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla to Destoroyah, and even in Godzilla 1984. If Godzilla 1984 was written by the same people as Biollante, they would have had America shoot the nuclear missile to Japan. And one last thing is that I don't think the anti nuclear energy bacteria could make nuclear weapons useless. The main thing about those weapons are the explosive capabilities. The radiation contamination is most likely what the anti nuclear energy bacteria could help with. The area the explosion happened would still be there. A lot of people like to complain about the anti american way of what they did in Godzilla vs King ghidorah. But in reality that is nothing compared to Godzilla vs Biollante where they made America the main villain of the film.
To me Heisei is definitely an example of a product that has definitely suffered as time passed on For its time it was good and given the lackluster 98 movie and the ever shifting pendulum of quality known as the Millenium era the idea it was the best strengthened However with the passage of time, new films in both Japanese and American and the influx of new fans discovering these old movies The Heisei era is one that undoubtedly was gonna start to show its cracks Is there still good in it? Yes However to say its flawless is a lie Its suffered from overly corrective course, production troubkes and overall a lack of consistency. Still there's some good to be found and I hope people understand those good qualities
The Heisei Godzilla films are definitely not flawless, but they definitely have aged much better than the showa Godzilla films. I don't really know why people don't understand how people only viewed Godzilla as a person in a suit because of how Godzilla was handled in those films, even Ishiro Honda knew and spoke about that. The Heisei Godzilla films were always successful, it had nothing to do with Godzilla 1998. While I think it's good to point out criticism in the Heisei Godzilla films, I think you have to use this criticism evenly for all films otherwise it's just judging films you don't like. For example the Heisei Gamera films and most showa godzilla films don't hold up, and even at the time the Showa Godzilla films weren't convincing.
there was also the alternate ending where godzilla dies before Destoroyah where he dissolves from two extremes of godzilla's meltdown and the military's freeze weapons.
While I disagree with many of your points or Godzilla 1984 and Biollante even remotely being good, I respect your thoughts and your video was very well made. But I think a few of your arguments weren't correct. The meteor thing in Godzilla vs Mothra was explained by the Mothra twins who explained the earth summoned the meteorite at the beginning of the film because of the humans destroying the environment. They also explained the earth created Battra in order to get rid of humans, and as stated in the end of the film battra was going to protect the earth in the distant future from a much larger meteorite. The humans were surprised that Godzilla swam through underground lava. The example you had shown was Godzilla staying inside a volcano for 5 years which shows why the humans would be surprised that Godzilla instead used it at a system of travel which he travelled a very far distance from where he first went underground. The Mothra twins stated Battra was supposed to destroy the Meteorite but not Mothra has to do it instead. The humans going to the basement with baby Godzilla is the most logical thing they could have done, anything else would be far outside being realistic. There are also a few problems you didn't mention with Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla 2 which doesn't really make sense since you pointed out the previous films problems other than Godzilla vs Biollante. The plant thing on Baby Godzilla's egg is able to produce a sound which for some reason gives the monsters powers. This isn't explained and makes far less sense than most of your points for the Mothra film. I do think the characters in Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla are kind of not useful in the film, but they are much more compared to films like Godzilla vs Biollante. In terms of Yuki in the english subtitles for the japanese audio it explains Yuki said he was "done with Godzilla". So he never was on good terms with him. But as for spacegodzilla, Yuki was trying to shoot him because he wanted to defeat SpaceGodzilla and then destroy Godzilla after which was stated by him earlier in the fight. The humans were using Miki to control Godzilla, this is why they needed her. Akira Ifikube also didn't do the music for Godzilla vs Biollante and 1984, so I don't think it's good to use that specifically as an example for Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla because you don't think it's as good. The Godzilla 1994 suit was not in bad shape. The film used 3 suits which were all in previous films. They used the 1993 main suit for when Godzilla was waling in the water during the beach scene. And they used the suit from Godzilla vs Mothra for the water scenes which is why the tail broke apart. The film created a new suit for Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla which is used in almost every fight scene. I feel like you should have mentioned this suit more not only due to it being the most iconic of the series, but also the huge leap in technology compared to any previous film. Godzilla 1994 used a new mechanic which allowing the head to turn in all directions, unlike the previous films which only allowed the head to move up and down. Moguera is shown to be able to stand up to SpaceGodzilla, it's just that SpaceGodzilla is that much stronger than Godzilla. This was shown when Moguera shoots all it's lasers at SpaceGodzilla's back. This has no effect on SpaceGodzilla yet this same blast knocks Godzilla out cold for 2 minutes which never happened in any previous film. Moguera is also shown not to malfunction during battle, is able to fight in close combat and able to get up off it's feet without outside assistance which is all things MechaGodzilla needed. Destoroyah was thought to be made of micro oxygen which is why they tested freezing micro oxygen and they discovered that they could. Godzilla vs Mothra is still liked as much or more than Godzilla vs Biollante, which was shown in a chart about Japanese Godzilla fan's favorite Godzilla films where the film was consistently in the top 10 Godzilla films. Godzilla 1992 is also used as much if not more than Godzilla 1994's design, in things such as the Godzilla hotel and even modern ads. And to end this off I don't know why you seemed to look deep into the problems for the later films yet completely ignore the same problems if not larger ones in the first two films. Such as the characters just standing by and watching in Godzilla vs Biollante and the humans being overly exaggerated evil or just exaggerated in general which makes them age far worse than any of the later films. Also in terms of aging well I think these same criticisms should be applied to the showa godzilla films, since I don't think those films aged well even at the time. Which is one of the reasons why the general audience viewed Godzilla as a joke or person in a suit. But overall great video even if I disagree with your conclusions.
Currently watching this video again, and I'm starting to wonder if Godzilla vs. Mothra may be worth doing a Longman vid on much like what I did for GvKG. I'm not ready to consider the plot in GvM to be as catastrophically-broken as that in GvKG, but I'm open to any and all possibility of the contrary.
Well I wouldn't say Gamera owned the Heisei era in the first part, mostly due to the story writing being much worse and there being tons of other problems with the other parts of the films.
@@GSTE_And that's your opinion, & you're entitled to it. However, I've seen your "criticism" of the Heisei Gamera trilogy & its all bad faith arguments. But I'm not going to get into a argument when Omni already made any argument I would perfectly. Regardless, I disagree with practically every opinion you express, because, like I said, you present bad faith arguments & criticisms that aren't even accurate as if you understand what you're talking about. Just admit it: you're a Heisei Goji apologist. The truth shall set you free.
@@randomnerdery6511 I'm not going to say I don't like the Heisei Godzilla films, but that doesn't mean that I can't see they have problems as well which I am working on a similar thing talking about the flaws in the Heisei Godzilla films as well. The arguments I present in the film are not bad faith arguments just because people don't agree with them. If that is the case then so is every criticism in this video (even though it's not). I agree with a lot of criticisms in this video and while I might not agree or strongly disagree with many things that doesn't mean It's good for me to call him disingenuous or to use subtle insults to his review or channel, or say that he is making the criticisms in bad faith, which are all things that happened when he spent 3 hours talking about my criticisms of the Heisei Gamera films. Also repeating what someone else said isn't a good way to dismiss what I said, using things I actually said when trying to prove how I'm ignoring factual things in the film is the only way to do that. His arguments didn't prove anything I said wrong when most of them were "it's supposed to be that way". Not wanting to start an argument would have been to actually talk about what I said instead of using other people's points and trying to discredit my thoughts. There is another example, here in this very review there are many objectively false things and arguments that ignore what the films state or twisting them to mean different things depending on if how good he think the film is. For the Heisei Gamera films I was being extremely fair and not using my personal preference as a way to determine how much I judge each film. I am going to do a similar thing for the Heisei Godzilla films since I think there are many problems with the films. So yeah if you want to discuss this instead of just saying someone told you what I said wasn't good so my thoughts don't matter, discussing it would be the best thing. I also explained my points in the replies of that stream if you want a very precise explanation of how almost everything they said wasn't true or accurate to the films. I also respect your thoughts on the films, so hopefully you'll decide to discuss this issue even if we disagree in the end.
You are the only person to hit on the Destroya issue. For some many claiming he's the ultimate power in the franchise all his forms are successfully countered by the JDF and can be killed. The JDF gets a rare Kaiju kill to finish him off as I recall. At worst when he shifts forms it gives the JDF a time of being flatfooted until they can bring the correct counter to that form to bear. Destroya feels like more like a hard counter to Showa and Heisei Godzillas. Also the fact that the college dropout theorizes that Godzilla could go critical and could light the atmosphere turning the earth into a sun. This is his best guess in a franchise that only extremely rarely do the humans best guesses or plans actually turn out to correct. At best its the worst case possibility in theory.
Destoroyah was not destroyed by the military, it's wings were frozen which caused it to fall to the ground, and after Destoroyah had just taken the most powerful attack from Godzilla the fact he was able to try and fly away shows how powerful he is. You have other monsters like MechaGodzilla, Moguera, and SpaceGodzilla who were destroyed by fewer blasts and a much weaker atomic breath. The military also did not defeat the giant crab form of Destoroyah or his flying form. In these forms he showed he did not have a weakness to the same lasers which caused him to fall after he was beaten by Godzilla. Also I'm pretty sure it was Meru Ozawa who said that Burning Godzilla's explosion would ignite the atmosphere.
@GSTE_ I loaded my digital copy over v destroya over lunch. Big g pulses and does some beam damage. Destroya hightail it out. The jdf ground tanks and super x3 light him up or chill him out. Big is spectator why he explodes all over wings and body crashes and disintegrates. He was pretty much intact while he retreated. It's up to people to decide but sure looks like jdf gets a rare kill.
@@gitss7367 Sure but let's look at the past. King ghidorah was knocked out by a small nuclear pulse, got one of it's heads cut off by a normal atomic breath and it's wing was cut by the atomic breath while flying which caused him to fall and be knocked out for 100 years. MechaGodzilla 2 was completely destroyed by the energy of Rodan which is nowhere close to Burning Godzilla who was literally shown to be shooting radiation fire out of his back. And then you have spacegodzilla and moguera who were also shown to be destroyed by Godzilla's red atomic breath when he didn't even get a huge powerup like before. Destoroyah was greatly harmed by Burning Godzilla's atomic breath during their first battle which caused him to explode. After Destoroyah returned a few minutes later which that in itself puts him above the other monsters, but Destoroyah takes giant nuclear pulses which no other monster had been shown to before which are actually the first time a nuclear pulse even caused an explosion. Then Destoroyah was hit directly with Godzilla's burning atomic breath which only did one thing which was cut off his ear. His body and chest which is his weak spot was hit directly with no other damage. The military might technically get the kill since they knocked him down, but as shown with King ghidorah if Godzilla would have used his atomic breath while Destoroyah was flying it would have been as effective if not much more. But as shown if you look you can see they aim for the wings, which caused Destoroyah to fall to the ground. I highly doubt anything would have happened if Burning Godzilla had not dealt all that damage before. For example Destoroyah was dropped into a building during his fight with Godzilla jr, and the Destoroyah crab was also shown to be able to handle falling from a high distance as well earlier in the Godzilla jr fight. Sure the military technically would be the one to get the last hit, but I don't think it's good or honest for people to say Destoroyah is so weak that the military stopped him. Unless you want to say that Burning Godzilla is weaker than any previous version of Heisei Godzilla which that also makes no sense.
I always wanted to see a follow to the Heisei films with Jr and seeing what his role will ultimately be. That will probably never happen. I haven't even heard of fan fiction taking this up.
The short films of Takuya Uenishi are official Toho productions and very strongly implied to be sequels to Heisei continuity (Megumi Odaka narrates the first one). If you've never seen them, search for "Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex" and enjoy!
Honestly, all I like about Godzilla vs Mothra 1992 is her design. In fact, before the Monsterverse design, the Heisei Mothra was always my personal favorite interpretation of the queen of the monsters. It's just too bad it was wasted in such a terrible movie with an environmental message so WAY INTO YOUR FACE about it that it makes Jetsons: The Movie's environmental message look like Sonic: SatAM in comparison.
GMK’s Mothra is probably my favorite of her designs. It makes her slick, fast, and flexible during her fights. I also like how it emphasizes her femininity, with more feminine-shaped, purple eyes.
As an old time Showa guy, I also decided to revisit the Heisei series around two years ago, and see if old age had indeed soften me. My analyses was not really. 😕 "Biollante" is the best and actually one of my favorite G-films. But none of the other movies afterwards, comes close to that. Koichi Kawakita's effects in "Biollante" were fantastic and I had anticipated a great progression in his work. Unfortunately (imo), the 1989 movie ended up being his peak in the series. I guess it is a generational thing. We are getting to where youngsters are coming of age and for them, it is the Monsterverse, that is their all time favorite G series.
(15:40) I still stand by with what I said in the past about "Godzilla vs Mothra: Battle for Earth". And that it's one of my least favorite Godzilla movies in the series (especially from this particular era). Granted there are some good things about the movie, like the addition with Battra, the way Godzilla was portrayed in this movie (even if it did feel like a glorified cameo at times lol), and some of the action scene were quite nice (the best one in my opinion was the underwater fight between Godzilla and Battra larva). Not to mention that I do remember having some fond memories of renting the movie back in the day from Hollywood videos when those were still around. But still none of that was enough to save the movie (at least for me it wasn't). The human characters suck (one of the worst in the series in my opinion), the story is clunky and uninteresting, and at the end Godzilla really has no relevance to the story and feel like it should have been a solo Mothra movie instead. Which is why I don't really re-visit that movie as often as the other films.⚡🐛😠👎👧☮ (13:05) I never really pictured the Godzillasurus siding with the Japanese soldiers in the movie and more so that they were the only ones that didn't fight back against it or were smart enough to hide from the big scary dinosaur. Which is obviously the opposite to what the American solders did in the movie lol. 🤔🪖🏝💣🤷♂ Overall I I think the Heisei era has hold up quit well (but thats just me). It has unique designs, memorable action scenes, and like you said in the video Omni it was more stronger with the continuity than any other era in the series (with the exception of the MonsterVerse). Plus they actually went out of their way of trying to make Godzilla a sympathetic and tragic character (particularly in both Godzilla 1984 and Godzilla vs King Ghidorah), which is one of the main reasons as to why its still my favorite version of the character to date (at least for now anyways). 🌹🐲🦋👍🤖🌠🦀
Hey Omni Viewer! This may seem like a unrelated question but what do you think of the Kaiju film “What to do with the Dead Kaiju”? yet again another film labeled as the second Worst Japanese film ever, what are your thoughts on it?
I would think that Aoki’s desire to rescue Azusa was more important to him then his fascination with pteranodons like Rodan n since Rodan was endangering her in order to get to Baby he made his choice, would it have been better to c some form of conflict within him regarding his enthusiasm with pteranodons as supposed to his affection 4 Azusa hmm probably but that being said when the moment came n he had to make a decision on what he wanted he chose
Looking back at Godzilla Vs Biollante idk if I like that movie so much since the Americans that r used in that movie r outright depicted as bad guys n being an American myself I don’t like the idea that we would casually unleash the most dangerous kaiju onto the world 4 some petty crap regarding anti nuclear bacteria especially when it ultimately doesn’t work (not in long term) it makes me feel the same way about it as I do about the Ghidorah movie n how it was against Americans in that movie as well
Personally, I saw the Americans in Biollante as purely terrorists that happened to be American, not as an insult to America. It was odd that they featured the fictional country of Saradia, yet didn’t substitute America for another made-up country, though. I did find Ghidorah to have latent tones of Anti-Americanism, since the army seems to represent the American army and WW2 spirit at large.
Its weird for me, because Return of Godzillla I thought was a good, if average Godzilla movie. Vs Biollante a good one but barely any monster action, vs Ghidorah good as well but kinda meh in comparison, probably the worst one for me in the heisei era. Vs Mothra I did quite enjoy, I just thought it was a lot more fun to watch than the previous, I LOVE Vs MechaGodzilla 2 and I love Vs SpaceGodzilla too! I don't understand why people hate on it so much, my imagination just goes crazy with that movie, I can see so many things going on and I just have fun with it! And then vs Destroyah is the best by far
Even though Godzilla vs Biollante is the best out of all the Heisei Godzilla films, Godzilla vs King Ghidorah and Godzilla vs Mothra are the worst in the Heisei era. As much as there's some good things in the Heisei era, I really don't believe that it's the best Godzilla era.
I will easily agree that Gamera did better in the 90s but that hardly makes the Heisei era of Godzilla average or less so does this mean that u’ll b doing a retrospective of both the Showa n Millennium eras of the Godzilla franchise???
Godzilla's suit broke in a lot of films, such as the suit actor's head ripping through Godzilla's neck and revealing the white material inside the suit in Godzilla vs Hedorah.
4 me Mechagodzilla 2 (MG2 4 short) has always been 1 of my favorites with the fourth 1 from GVK bcuz they were able to kill a kaiju (MG2 killed Rodan n MG4 killed the Skulldevil with ease) something MG1 didn’t do despite dealing with Godzilla, Anguirus, n King Caesar, or how MG3 could only manage a stalemate with Godzilla in both its movies b4 going down once n 4 all I would like to point out that making MG2 a Megazord type machine means that the humans in the story get to b more hands on involved in a way of fighting against Godzilla
4 me I would still say that Yuki is still a far better written n acted character then what we got from Haruo in the Polygon trilogy especially since they both had similar character stories but with different outcomes basically Yuki chooses to give up his desire 4 revenge n live happily with his best friend’s sister something that u (Omni) lambasted Haruo 4 not being willing to do n if yer wondering y he ultimately gives up on trying to kill Godzilla it’s bcuz the big G inadvertently saves him from Spacegodzilla
"Gamera did it better in the 90s" Yeah after seeing the Gamera trilogy for myself, I don't get the hype. Gamera 3 is just awful. Visually it's horrid, with terrible green screens galore, lackluster puppets, Irys' CGI aged like milk in the Sahara, etc. The only solid parts are the suits themselves which do look good. A shame the battle scenes are either very far away shots or Gamera being stabbed and shuffled around a few times until he decides to win. The human characters are extra stupid, Gamera was always a point of contention but the Gyaos are the objectively worse threat and this is never brought up. Gamera himself is a genuine moron in the film, allowing Irys to get critical advantages in the fight making his mission vastly more difficult. The Monsterverse did better with this in GvK, a movie where the writing is a 3rd spare wheel at best. The redemption is one of the worst I've seen in fiction, period. It's not earned at all and comes completely out of left field. Gamera sparing that life but taking many others to keep Earth safe is completely contradictory to his previous character. The wax religious babble contributes nothing to the plot or theming since it's very clear from the start Gamera is still the good guy, just going further to keep the planet safe. So I dunno what people are in this movie for. Action? Well no, it's short, shot poorly and Gamera's stupid. Character? No they're dumb as dirt too and with an irredeemable villain become remorseful..because. Guardian of the Universe is...okay. Visuals are its weakest point, solid characters and they only improve in Legion, but the way the trilogy ends just leaves a terrible taste in my mouth. I would also argue vs King Ghidorah IS anti imperialism for one good reason: Godzilla. Godzilla systematically and at every turn decimates Japan freshly enraged by his new bombing. We know, for sure, that Godzilla was going to destroy Japan for good if they continued down the imperialist path. This happened in the future. The characters are pro imperial, but Godzilla violently shuts them down. His 'defeat' is hardly one, still angry he blasts into the sea-a reminder that he will be back. Just like the original's ending, he will return if we keep pushing the wrong buttons. As for Battra, fairly simple. He is the planet's wrath, in the same way Godzilla is, but Battra only knows conflict, it's in the name. Battle Mothra. Battra is judge jury and executioner. Mothra is the one who keeps Battra from wiping out humanity because she's more compassionate, though she also has a temper to her. Godzilla's determined to be worse simply because of how powerful and dangerous he is. At this point Godzilla's only been attacked by other Kaiju so this time he tries to find and kill the divine moths before they can get him first. He has no horse in the race, except to survive, so after being taken away Mothra doesn't attempt to fight anymore especially since Battra is dead.
I’ve been saying this multiple times Moguera is not a more advanced robot, mecha, machine whatever he/ it is what u get when yer forced to recycle the leftovers of something that’s been broken, beat up n busted all over if Mechagodzilla was Voltron then Moguera would b Vehitron (the Voltron that’s made up of 15 vehicles) I would best describe Moguera as a support mecha not yer primary weapon mecha if someone were to do a movie with Mechagodzilla n have Moguera in it as well then he/ it would b Mechagodzilla’s back up support all that being said Moguera deserves better love from the fan base as he/ it was able to take on Spacegodzilla n did some far share damage to him b4 getting smashed n blown to pieces
@@omniviewer2115 I wish those books would get reprinted. Godzilla is more popular right now than he's ever been; you'd think some publisher would use the license.
Oh boy Omni u n I really need to talk about yer outlook on the Mothra movie man while I cannot agree with u anymore about the Ghidorah movie being a mess n how that makes it the worst of the Heisei era now I do agree that the movie is way too preachy in terms of its environmentalism n if the movie wants to die on that hill it’s free to do so as far as Battra I’ve always looked at him as the Kaiju equivalent of a environmental terrorist that he thinks humans r a blight upon the world n will go to any lengths to destroy us n Mothra who’s always often being presented as a savior/ protector of humanity as well as the world if not the universe n will of course step in to stop Battra from doing horrible things to mankind now I have no idea or reason y they chose to make both Mothra n Battra fight together against Godzilla except 4 maybe that Godzilla was such a physical powerhouse that neither 1 could beat him (not something I approve of) if I had it my way I would’ve had Mothra n Godzilla team up against Battra but that’s me, the only other thing I noticed was that the movie liked using several we elements from the Indiana Jones otherwise I would put it above Biollante as well as Ghidorah also I don’t recall seeing the deforestation company doing anything on Infant Island they were still doing stuff in Japan not on Infant Island
@@ChonkCroc yes they did they made him the fat patriotic American hero when he’s supposed to be a tragic suffering animal mutated thanks to nuclear radiation.
regardless of how I feel about the movies from this era in general, this is my favorite representation of the big G. Leaning towards, but not completely a villain. A hero only because of the situations he finds himself in. The Godzilla as depicted by Art Adams.
While at first I did find Godzilla Jr’s death to b heartbreaking, knowing that his father is able to bring him back with all of his radiation being absorbed into Jr allowing him to not only fully recover but even become a full grown Godzilla which always compelled me to say this at the end of the movie “the king is dead, long live the king”
For years, I've found it odd how the Heisei series technically begins in the Showa period.
Yeah just like how the shin Godzilla is now a part of the reiwa era despite releasing it in the heisei era. And millennium movies are also released in heisei.
I just read through the script of Mothra vs Bagan, which was the basis of Godzilla vs Mothra and it was a really fun read and I loved picturing it in my head. It was like a good old fashioned adventure film with great monster battle scenes, there are changes I would have made, but those would have just been for personal preference.
If only Godzilla vs Biollante had suceeded......
Even the MonsterVerse has a better pro environmental message than Godzilla vs Mothra.
Also, what I like about Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla 2 is that there's no real bad guy in it, everyone's morally gray with their own flaws and strengths. Godzilla is drawn by the prospect of not being alone, Rodan is protecting his adoptive brother, and the UNGCC is using Mechagodzilla so that humanity can no longer live in fear of Godzilla ever again.
Each party protects their own.
Nope monsterverse sucks hard
Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something.
Environmental messages coming from the Godzilla franchise sucked back then and it would still suck now.
If somebody wants to have a serious talk about the environment then have a serious talk about the environment.
But don't do it in a movie because at the end of the day, it's just going to create a straw man for the opposing side.
@@Godzilla-jr5gi You suck hard.
@@Godzilla-jr5gi Nobody cares ya Heisei simp.
@@jag_rex2412 What the actual Hell are you talking about? Environmentalism has always been a factor in the Godzilla franchise. Godzilla is a living force of nature whose wrath was brought upon humanity by them tampering with the Earth. Same goes for the Kaiju.
AN ALMOST HOUR OMNI VIEWER VIDEO? I PRAYED FOR TIMES LIKE THIS!
And I pray you find it enjoyable.
@@omniviewer2115it is enjoyable
@@omniviewer2115it is!
@@omniviewer2115 here is my ranking of the Heisei Godzilla movies
Return of Godzilla: 9.5/10
Godzilla vs Biollante: 8.6/10
Godzilla vs King Ghidorah: 11/10
Godzilla vs Mothra: 10/10
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla 2: 15/10
Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla: 9.5/10
Godzilla vs Destoroyah: 100/10 (My favorite Godzilla movie)
Great video, Omni. Thank you for this in-depth analysis.
It’s funny that Omni would describe Godzilla as a demon/ devil rising up out of a volcano in The Return Of Godzilla when later in Godzilla Vs Destroyah we have a devil kaiju that is so horrific both in terms of appearance n in actions that he makes Godzilla almost look tamed by comparison
Well, I enjoyed this vid so much that the selfish fan in me wants to see you give the full retrospective look at (along with seemingly the Heisei Ganera trilogy now), all the Godzilla eras since you did such a great job with this one.
I would understand though if that'd be way too ambitious and time consuming for you to commit to. As long as you still plan on analysing and getting interesting discussions going on kaiju movies and all other stuff that interets you, I'll still be an invested fan.
Very nicely done on this one all the same Omni (and you too Snazzy). ✌️
We will see what happens.
Interested in a retrospective on my favorite era of Godzilla
hope it meets your expectations.
Ahh yes, Godzilla 1985. The last movie my Father took me to see in a theater. He was also a Godzilla fan, but was extra excited to see Godzilla 1985, cause of an article in Popular Science magazine, explaining the robotics Toho was gonna use in the suit. I remember us both thinking it would be the robot the whole movie, with no man in suit stuff whatsoever lol.Good times, great memorys : )
I just see this era as a huge waste of potential. Return and Biollante set such a promising tone for the series, exploring new themes the series has never ventured to before with deep and intricate plots. However, Ghidorah marked a return to the campiness of the Showa era, and the era never recovered from it.
Thank you Omni Viewer and Snazzy Chapeau, for a thoroughly enjoyable retrospective report on the Godzilla Heisei era films, it is immensely appreciated!!!!!!!! This video essay has definitely changed my perspective on a few things from the films of this memorable era, things that, admittedly, I've never paid attention to or realized, like the impact of human characters in the story and the represented themes of certain scenarios, monsters etc, I mainly enjoyed the films based on the kaiju action, and the response of the human characters to the destructive fallout, nothing more and nothing less, but this video inspires me to go back and watch the films with the new mental viewpoints presented in this analytical work, thanks again!!!!!!!
I've written a rewrite of Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla that turns it into a Destroy All Monsters/Final Wars level movie and I've thought about whether it fixes your critiscisms
I'd say Miki has mostly the same role but I think I gave her more to do, like when she gets kidnapped the reason is so her kidnappers can use the mind controlled Godzilla to blackmail the world, and after her rescue she convinces her kidnappers to release Godzilla from his control. And in the climax she uses her telekinesis to release Mothra (who's a major player in my version) from a crystal pinning her to a crystal wall so she can aid Godzilla.
I tried to give Yuki more depth by having release his grudge by feeling empathy for Godzilla having to deal with his son getting kidnapped.
And with SpaceGodzilla, well I did give him a clear motivation. In this version he's not a clone, he's another member of Godzilla's species who was further mutated by exterestrial crystals and it is revealed his end goal is to destroy all life on earth and then crystallize the planet and then create crystal beings that will worship him as a god before going on to turn the entire universe into a crystal empire. I also have him contrast to Godzilla in that while SpaceGodzilla enslaves other monsters to be his minions other monsters aid Godzilla out of sheer respect and ultimately in the ending I have it shown that humans have started liking Godzilla for him saving the world this time and have even begun worshipping him as a God. So despite Godzilla never seeking to be worshipped unlike SpaceGodzilla he does something to actually earn being naturally worshipped and respected by others. And I'll also mention that final statement of this version isn't a pointless political warning about G cells floating in space, but instead the characters stating that Godzilla's species isn't that much different than the human race, with Godzilla representing the best of us while SpaceGodzilla represents the worst of us, perhaps it would have been a bit on the nose but I think it would have been more fitting.
And ultimately as comes with this origin change and it being the most criticised aspect of the character SpaceGodzilla would have a different name in this version. I created a name that contrasts with Godzilla's. Godzilla's name is a combination of God, liZard and goRILLA, so to contrast I combined Devil, crOcodile and gigantopithECUS, creating the name DEVILOECUS
Best Godzilla retrospective since Cinemassacre’s Monster Madness Godzillathon.
Just a thought. Had "Biollante" been a box-office smash, I think that perhaps this series would have looked vastly different. It probably would have continued that creative and out-of-the box process. It is something that of course, we will never know, but at least we did get "Biollante".
I do think that the rest of the series was far more creative and Biollante was actually the least creative. The only real creative thing about the film is Biollante and Miki's story.
A lot of things people complain about the rest of the series having are present in Godzilla vs Biollante more than any film in the franchise.
Which I think is one of the many reasons why Godzilla vs Biollante wasn't successful.
@@GSTE_ For me, the one sin that “Biollante” shared with the rest of the series, was perhaps too many characters. Otherwise, “Biollante”’s narrative is much more straightforward, than say “King Ghidorah” or “Mothra”. Plus, they did find a new and refreshing way to try to defeat Godzilla in a much more grounded environment, than what we would see later.
@@Dontuween A lot of criticism people have for the Heisei Godzilla films is no physical combat from Godzilla and too much beams, which this film has the least physical combat and most atomic breath in probably the entire franchise.
Biollante's narritive is far from straightforward unless you mean the way the story progresses then I would agree when compared to Godzilla vs King ghidorah. In terms of the way it handles Bio weapons in the story is far from good.
The fights are also extremely repetitive and they all end the exact same way with hardly any struggle and leaves an unsatisfying conclusion each time.
It's interesting you mention it being a new and refreshing way to beat Godzilla when the Super x2 was basically a worse version of the first Super x. And I don't really like either, but the Super x2's fights are some of the worst in the Heisei series not even mentioning how it looks extremely unconvincing which is also different from the original Super X.
In terms of being in a grounded environment I also disagree considering most of the film was in the ocean and the scenes they did have on land used unconvincing sets.
If you didn't mean the super x2 with your statement and you were talking about the other things like the anti nuclear energy bacteria, I would say that was creative but hardly anything was done with it after they shot it into him.
The rest of the time it's helicopters and mazers shooting at him.
This isn't even mentioning the main problems with the film like Godzilla's designs being very inconsistent from scene to scene. As well as Godzilla looking like a person in a suit due to the proportions of the suit and how most of the details looks like they were sanded down.
I personally think Godzilla vs Biollante is the worst film in the Heisei Godzilla films for many reasons, which about 20% I listed here.
I also have problems with the rest of the films, but not to the extent as Godzilla vs Biollante.
@@GSTE_ It was the anti-nuclear bacteria, ANEB, that Colonial Gongo, shoots in his mouth, that I was referring to. And it almost worked! It was a much more grounded plan and approach than what we would see later, when the series became much more formulaic.
Nothing wrong with being formulaic, but the scripts were NOT very good!
@@Dontuween Like I said in a very long explanation, Godzilla vs Biollante was the most formulaic. The anti nuclear energy bacteria is what ends up knocking Godzilla out in the end of the film, but they way the film handled it felt like it was done just to stretch the screen time.
Also in terms of more formulaic the later films are far from that, there is no pattern between any of the films attempts to stop Godzilla or the monster fights themselves.
The scripts aren't perfect, but what I'm saying is that Godzilla vs Biollante is much worse.
Good lord... is the name Goro Maki the Japanese equivalent of John Smith? There's at least THREE characters in the Godzilla franchise by that name
My theory is that Goro Maki is the nexus point where the different continuities converge.
@@omniviewer2115Goro Maki's existense is a canon event.
@@omniviewer2115 It's become the equivalent of Final Fantasy characters being called Cid.
18:58-19:05 YES! Thank you! That stunt has always bugged me, not gonna liem
You weren’t kidding huh this is a long video. GOOD.
Hope it was worth the wait.
"The heisei era is average"
"Besides gamera did it better in the 90s anyway"
Well i got my popcorn for the heisei fans who will inevitably disagree with those statements...(especially the latter one even if there's some truth to both statements)
But overall the era starting out good, going downwards then going up just to go back down and end things on a good note is exactly how i see the era.
Not perfect like any era but a bit overhyped to an extent but what era isn't overhyped.
Yeah, Heisei is a real roller coaster.
And let's just say that I'm one of the people who disagrees quite hard with the second statement.
Pretty curious to see how Darth Vader Tyrannus will approach this trilogy in the future if he gets to cover it.
@@Kaiju-bm4ts it’s still better than the monsterverse everyday
@@Godzilla-jr5gi And what does the MV have to do with this?
@@Kaiju-bm4ts just saying it to piss off a much more toxic fandom
Actually Miki uses her TK powers a grand total of 3 times in the movie (1) when she lifts the bed that she’s strapped to so that Shinjo could take a shot at the yakuza behind her (2) when she opens the partially closed door that’s holding Yuki n (3) she removes the failed telepathy device from the back of Godzilla’s head n he even turns n nods his head as if to say “thanks 4 that it was a pain in the neck”
This is a very well thought out retrospective. I'm surprised you didn't mention how stiff the suits are or the beam wars that resulted from it. I guess my own views on these movies would go like this
Godzilla 1985 is a great return to form and a good start for the Heisei era and updated the nuclear fear for the modern day.
Godzilla vs Biollante is a genuinely great film and probably the best of the Heisei Era. It's very high concept and deals with some very out there, ideas. I always wondered how much of Erika was in Biollante's personality. I get the feeling the graphic novel Project Nemesis might have been influenced by this movie.
Godzilla vs Ghidorah is a guilty pleasure of mine. Yes, the time travel does not make sense, but I do like seeing Godzilla and Ghidorah fight each other.
Godzilla vs Mothra is genuinely bad. Godzilla is a third wheel, and it really feels like it should have been just a Mothra movie. Also, the whole meteor thing made me think it was supposed to be set up for the Mothra trilogy, but the Mothra trilogy never mentions a meteor at all so maybe that got dropped during the production of those movies. Honestly, it's really annoying and you'd be better off watching the Showa era Mothra movies. The only good thing I will say about this movie is this Mothra has the cutest design but that's about it.
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II I dislike. I find the protagonist to be annoying, I dislike Mechagodzilla's design because it feels so rotund and dated to the 90's. I am biased since Kiryu has always been my favorite Mechagodzilla but the Heisei one just never did it for me. Rodan's puppet felt too stiff. It's not the worst but I'm not excited to rewatch it any time soon. The whole bit with the moral at the end always reminded me of South Park. But at least with South Park it's parodying this sort of thing but with the Heisei movies it always came off as sincere which made it annoying.
Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla is probably the weakest of all the Heisei movies. The plot is meh and the characters never stood out to me tbh. The one nice thing I will say is the psychic energy attacks for Spacegodzilla seem cool in concept but feel like they were held back by the technology of their time. I feel if this was animated it might have worked better. For Spacegodzilla's character it seemed like an enigma to me, but I had an idea for it. My idea for Spacegodzilla would be he is this lonely creature constantly rejected by other monsters. He is rejected by the crystaline aliens that he originally merged with and rejected by Godzilla, so he doesn't belong anywhere. So, he takes Godzilla Jr to be the only form of companionship he can get. This is pretty much my own headcanon that doesn't work with the movie. So, make of that what you will.
Godzilla vs Destroyah is a damn good movie. The tone, the acting and the buildup for Destroyah and Godzilla's meltdown are done beautifully. I love how sadistic and demonic Destroyah is as a character. The only complaint I have is with his design since he cannot bend his knees while in the movie posters he could bend his knees. It's honestly a problem I have with the suit designs of the Heisei movies where they made them too thick to the point where mobility is very limited. It's like the opposite extreme of Godzilla Final Wars suit design.
That's just how I feel about these movies. A few great movies and concepts but the rest of the series is weighed down by some bad writing and the stiff suits and puppets.
I disagree with the suits being stiff or Godzilla vs Biollante being good.
It was also explained by Miki that Erika was no longer in Biollante.
In terms of beam spam that would actually apply the most to Godzilla vs Biollante.
I also think SpaceGodzilla's attacks were the most creative out of the entire Godzilla franchise, you have a laser which can move mid air and attack weak spots similar to Darkseid. And you have the crystals which can fly into the air or be shot directly at Godzilla.
I personally like MechaGodzilla 2's design the most due to it's movements being robotic and it being more of a weapon than an intelligent being that can move on it's own.
My main problem with Mecha 1 and Kiryu are that they move like a person in a suit, while the movements of MechaGodzilla 2 look realistic to what an animatronic being controlled looks like.
Overall I think the Heisei Godzilla films were very good although there are a lot of problems, the same thing applies to all Godzilla films.
I think I like the idea of Heisei a bit more. I really like the two 80's films. As a matter of fact, '84 and Biollante are in my top 3, with Biollante at #1. I wish they kept the overall feel of these. The lion's share of Heisei did go overboard. Introducing time travel is a jump the shark element. But Space Godzilla is a guilty pleasure. Early Heisei did also have Bubble Economy money to play with.
I completely agree with your chart at the end. That's my general feeling towards the series, even though Spacegodzilla is a guilty pleasure.
Seems like the Heisei era is *almost* split in half. With 3 or 4 great films, and 3 mediocre/bad ones. I can see why its considered average or a mixed bag, but its still my favorite Godzilla era overall. Not just because I enjoy most of the movies (this includes vs Mothra, I am so sorry), but because it struck a perfect balance between serious and fun, for the most part at least. The Showa era started strong, but quickly got too goofy for my taste, and aside from a few fantastic entries, the Millennium era kept re-treading old-ground, and felt tired compared to what came before as a result. I don't know where I'd rank the Reiwa and Monsterverse eras in all of this yet.
Omni, there was a deleted scene from "Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla" in which Godzilla tries to free LittleGodzilla from his crystal prison, but fails. After this, Godzilla roars in anger and sets off after his celestial counterpart. Considering that this gave a motive to fight SpaceGodzilla, Toho's decision to cut it seems strange.
I personally would like to see a continuity of Godzilla films that lasts for more than 2 films (the Polygon trilogy not withstanding). Most people argue it will just hold each new entry back by limiting creative vision. I personally beg to differ.
Godzilla vs. Biollante also had a stop motion sequence of Godzilla being constricted by her vine tentacles, but it was cut out in the final version of the film.
Which is a shame, because it looks pretty good. At least they made it available on the American DVD/Bluray.
It is interesting in watching the Heisei series 30 years afterwards. When I first saw them in the 90s, I generally liked most of them, except for G vs King Ghidorah & Space Godzilla. Today, it is just Biollante with a little bit of Mechagodzilla (I am not the biggest fan of that Mecha re-design).
And it is fascinating to see how a lot of G fans want Destoroyah incorporated into the Monsterverse, as the final act of that series. Some have likened it to the Superman/Doomsday scenario, but in reality, Destoroyah had ZERO to do with Godzilla’s demise in that movie! In looking at that feature again, it is two story arcs - Burning Godzilla (the more fascinating one) & the rise of Destoryah, woven together, but not too greatly. I have my suspicions that Burning Godzilla was the main AND only arc, but Tomoyuki Tanaka, with his instance of always having a monster, forced the issue and thus Destoroyah was in the final cut.
Destoroyah was stated that he might be able to stop Godzilla's meltdown and that having Godzilla fight him on land would be much better than Godzilla melting down in the ocean.
Destoroyah was shown repeatedly during the fight to be able to drain Godzilla's energy completely so that his red glow is completely gone. Instead of making it better, this makes Godzilla's condition get worse similar to how the Super X3 freezing Godzilla made his situation much worse.
Fantastic video, Omni!
I would argue it's better than the Heisei era overall!
As far as 1 hit wonders go I would easily put Destroyah next to Ghidorah just as I would put Spacegodzilla next to Mechagodzilla they have done so well that I wish someone would bring them back in another movie (might even make a few improvements to whatever was lacking about them)
Yeah. The Heisei is the almost literal Definition of "Mixed Bag" But it has my fave WTF Dub of any movie in The Mothra One. I can watch that movie just to hear it.
Well, admittedly a bit disappointing. I was hoping that over the years (and partly my Monstrous Moment on the subject) had softened your opinion on Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Despite being a mess, I still think the movie has a good underlying message. I think the "imperialism" is supposed to be embodied in Shindo - like I said, he fell back into the "old ways." And thus, Shindo is killed at the end and Japan's imperialist future is subverted.
Oh well...I guess this means that one day, we'll need to do a cross-over debating the film.
Granted, I'd say I agree with most of your takes here. Though I'm fond of the film, I agree that Ghidorah was where the Heisei took a dip in quality, considering that Return and Biollante had such strong and relevant theming in them. But Toho wanted to play it safe and naturally resorted to using the other four members of their "Top Five" to continue the series.
Where you and I disagree is that, I'd rank Mechagodzilla II as being lower on the quality scale.
It pains me to think about, but I do wonder how the series would have gone, if allowed to continue from Biollante properly, and keeping the themes about the dangers of genetic engineering. Instead, it feels like the three movies felt like a diversion until an attempted course correction with Spacegodzilla. I'd share my thoughts on that here, but I think I could salvage those ideas into a video of my own.
I don't think Godzilla vs Biollante was that good, and I would say it was the worst of the series. The film also doesn't show the dangers of Bio weapons, in fact it shows just the opposite. It shows that Bio weapons are the only way to combat against nuclear weapons, that being Godzilla.
It also presents the bio weapon as a good thing which "America" is trying to take for themselves to leave Japan defenseless. And to continue with that the human characters make Biollante seem to be sympathetic and looked up to despite Miki stating early on that it's entirely a monster and there is no human inside any longer.
The film also fails to deliver in really any way and basically has the problems that most people complain the later films have despite it being the opposite.
But that's just my thoughts on it.
@@GSTE_ Well that's a fine opinion to have, but I disagree that the film doesn't show the danger of Bio-Weapons. The thing is, Biollante and the ANEB are cut from the same cloth, with Biollante representing what _could_ happen if someone went rogue with genetic manipulation. Throughout the entire movie, Kirashima is even talking about the dangers of forming some abhorrent chimera from genetic engineering, and even states that the ANEB will create problems.
However, the _true danger_ becomes apparent when you _know_ the history. Like you said, the ANEB would make Nuclear Weapons useless. What was currently going-on in the world at the time? _The Cold War._
And what was the only thing preventing the US and the USSR from starting World War III? _Their nuclear arsenals._ Fear of the devastation from nuclear fallout was the only thing that prevented a full conflict with conventional weaponry.
The point of the movie isn't that the other nations want Japan to be defenseless. They're trying to prevent the Cold War from going _hot._ Granted, I'm certain that some countries that were after it would've used the ANEB for their own purposes; to ensure the balance of power tipped in their favor.
But I also disagree with what you said - America isn't the only ones after the ANEB. Sure, Bio-Major is an American company, but their operatives get taken-out halfway through the film. The other-party after that are the Saradians - who are basically meant to represent the Middle-East. Considering that Israel's nuclear arsenal is the only thing keeping every other enemy country in the area at-bay, if the ANEB fell into _their hands,_ then the conflict in the Middle East would've become even bloodier.
The point is, by the end of the movie, the point has been proven that the Bacteria is just too dangerous to keep around and produce. This stuff could literally cause a global war on _several fronts_ if it fell out of Japan's hands. It's literally meant to be analogous to the Oxygen Destroyer - it is to be used only once; _on Godzilla._
It's why at the end of the movie, Shiragmi refuses to continue making ANEB even when it's assumed that Godzilla has been dead, and they now have access to a near-endless supply of his genetic material. Too bad for him that the Saradians wanted to _ensure_ that the ANEB won't be made ever again by taking him out.
My point is, the Heisei series started out with a Major Emphasis on the Cold War, with Return of Godzilla featuring both the US and the USSR low-key trying to bully-Japan into using nukes on Godzilla. Those themes are meant to carry-over into this film since the Cold War was still-on. (the irony being is that, the Cold War actually ended about two weeks before the movie released in Japan. Which in hindsight probably contributed to why the Heisei took the turn it did.)
@@GanonGhidorah Biollante does show the result of Bio weaponry, and so much could have been done with it, instead it became the most lost potential for any Godzilla monster in the franchise. For example you could have had Biollante attack a city and cause major destruction.
Instead Biollante only appears in unpopulated places and only attacks Godzilla. And the scientist looks at Biollante from the beginning to the end of the film like such a great thing or something to be admired instead of being regretful of it's existence.
Saying Godzilla vs Biollante shows an anti nuclear message, would be like saying Godzilla against MechaGodzilla (2002) whole message is about the dangers of technology when that just isn't the case. And in reality Godzilla against MechaGodzilla shows the danger of technology better than Godzilla vs Biollante shows the danger of bio weapons.
But as for America in Godzilla vs Biollante, it was completely unrealistic, especially considering what the previous film showed. The previous film showed that America would discuss with Japan directly, and America would most likely already have control of the situation or be a big part of it, which was shown in the rest of the Heisei Godizlla series.
The main point is that soldiers would not have been sent like that in the beginning of the film, there would have been discussions.
I don't think I said that America was the only one, but they were more of a villain in the film than Godzilla or Biollante.
They attacked Japan soldiers and stole from them. They sent spies to take a government weapon which was top secret.
And for the main one that is just horrible. Godzilla was stuck in the volcano and could not get out for 5 years. America basically sends a ransom for a top secret weapon and if they don't get their way they will release Godzilla to continue destruction on the world.
Now it would make more sense if this was a bluff, but it wasn't. This completely goes against what future films show or even what Godzilla 1984 had shown very clearly.
In 1984 America clearly showed it would do anything including using nuclear weapons in order to stop Godzilla. They wanted this because they didn't want Godzilla to come to their countries.
Releasing Godzilla again to potentially destroy another Submarine or attack America is the 2nd worst writing in the Heisei Godzilla series, with the first being Emmi from Godzilla vs King Ghidorah.
The scientist's speech at the end of the film came out of nowhere. Literally the whole film he acted like the bio weapon was the only hope and that Biollante was so magnificent.
For some reason only after Godzilla was knocked out from the anti nuclear energy bacteria did he want to stop making it.
This speech by him is about as tacked on as Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla's pollution message at the end of the film.
I'm not a fan of Godzilla 1984, but unlike Godzilla vs Biollante it shows a realistic version of what would happen if Godzilla showed up in that current time.
Godzilla vs Biollante goes completely against that. The reality is that America would be involved directly and have it's own scientists helping them along the way.
This was shown in every single Godzilla film from Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla to Destoroyah, and even in Godzilla 1984.
If Godzilla 1984 was written by the same people as Biollante, they would have had America shoot the nuclear missile to Japan.
And one last thing is that I don't think the anti nuclear energy bacteria could make nuclear weapons useless. The main thing about those weapons are the explosive capabilities.
The radiation contamination is most likely what the anti nuclear energy bacteria could help with. The area the explosion happened would still be there.
A lot of people like to complain about the anti american way of what they did in Godzilla vs King ghidorah. But in reality that is nothing compared to Godzilla vs Biollante where they made America the main villain of the film.
10:49 Well, well, well... This is familiar ground for this channel 😆
To me Heisei is definitely an example of a product that has definitely suffered as time passed on
For its time it was good and given the lackluster 98 movie and the ever shifting pendulum of quality known as the Millenium era the idea it was the best strengthened
However with the passage of time, new films in both Japanese and American and the influx of new fans discovering these old movies
The Heisei era is one that undoubtedly was gonna start to show its cracks
Is there still good in it? Yes
However to say its flawless is a lie
Its suffered from overly corrective course, production troubkes and overall a lack of consistency.
Still there's some good to be found and I hope people understand those good qualities
The Heisei Godzilla films are definitely not flawless, but they definitely have aged much better than the showa Godzilla films. I don't really know why people don't understand how people only viewed Godzilla as a person in a suit because of how Godzilla was handled in those films, even Ishiro Honda knew and spoke about that.
The Heisei Godzilla films were always successful, it had nothing to do with Godzilla 1998.
While I think it's good to point out criticism in the Heisei Godzilla films, I think you have to use this criticism evenly for all films otherwise it's just judging films you don't like. For example the Heisei Gamera films and most showa godzilla films don't hold up, and even at the time the Showa Godzilla films weren't convincing.
there was also the alternate ending where godzilla dies before Destoroyah where he dissolves from two extremes of godzilla's meltdown and the military's freeze weapons.
While I disagree with many of your points or Godzilla 1984 and Biollante even remotely being good, I respect your thoughts and your video was very well made.
But I think a few of your arguments weren't correct.
The meteor thing in Godzilla vs Mothra was explained by the Mothra twins who explained the earth summoned the meteorite at the beginning of the film because of the humans destroying the environment. They also explained the earth created Battra in order to get rid of humans, and as stated in the end of the film battra was going to protect the earth in the distant future from a much larger meteorite.
The humans were surprised that Godzilla swam through underground lava. The example you had shown was Godzilla staying inside a volcano for 5 years which shows why the humans would be surprised that Godzilla instead used it at a system of travel which he travelled a very far distance from where he first went underground.
The Mothra twins stated Battra was supposed to destroy the Meteorite but not Mothra has to do it instead.
The humans going to the basement with baby Godzilla is the most logical thing they could have done, anything else would be far outside being realistic.
There are also a few problems you didn't mention with Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla 2 which doesn't really make sense since you pointed out the previous films problems other than Godzilla vs Biollante. The plant thing on Baby Godzilla's egg is able to produce a sound which for some reason gives the monsters powers. This isn't explained and makes far less sense than most of your points for the Mothra film.
I do think the characters in Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla are kind of not useful in the film, but they are much more compared to films like Godzilla vs Biollante.
In terms of Yuki in the english subtitles for the japanese audio it explains Yuki said he was "done with Godzilla". So he never was on good terms with him. But as for spacegodzilla, Yuki was trying to shoot him because he wanted to defeat SpaceGodzilla and then destroy Godzilla after which was stated by him earlier in the fight.
The humans were using Miki to control Godzilla, this is why they needed her.
Akira Ifikube also didn't do the music for Godzilla vs Biollante and 1984, so I don't think it's good to use that specifically as an example for Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla because you don't think it's as good.
The Godzilla 1994 suit was not in bad shape. The film used 3 suits which were all in previous films. They used the 1993 main suit for when Godzilla was waling in the water during the beach scene. And they used the suit from Godzilla vs Mothra for the water scenes which is why the tail broke apart.
The film created a new suit for Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla which is used in almost every fight scene. I feel like you should have mentioned this suit more not only due to it being the most iconic of the series, but also the huge leap in technology compared to any previous film.
Godzilla 1994 used a new mechanic which allowing the head to turn in all directions, unlike the previous films which only allowed the head to move up and down.
Moguera is shown to be able to stand up to SpaceGodzilla, it's just that SpaceGodzilla is that much stronger than Godzilla. This was shown when Moguera shoots all it's lasers at SpaceGodzilla's back. This has no effect on SpaceGodzilla yet this same blast knocks Godzilla out cold for 2 minutes which never happened in any previous film.
Moguera is also shown not to malfunction during battle, is able to fight in close combat and able to get up off it's feet without outside assistance which is all things MechaGodzilla needed.
Destoroyah was thought to be made of micro oxygen which is why they tested freezing micro oxygen and they discovered that they could.
Godzilla vs Mothra is still liked as much or more than Godzilla vs Biollante, which was shown in a chart about Japanese Godzilla fan's favorite Godzilla films where the film was consistently in the top 10 Godzilla films.
Godzilla 1992 is also used as much if not more than Godzilla 1994's design, in things such as the Godzilla hotel and even modern ads.
And to end this off I don't know why you seemed to look deep into the problems for the later films yet completely ignore the same problems if not larger ones in the first two films. Such as the characters just standing by and watching in Godzilla vs Biollante and the humans being overly exaggerated evil or just exaggerated in general which makes them age far worse than any of the later films.
Also in terms of aging well I think these same criticisms should be applied to the showa godzilla films, since I don't think those films aged well even at the time. Which is one of the reasons why the general audience viewed Godzilla as a joke or person in a suit.
But overall great video even if I disagree with your conclusions.
84 starts at 1:11 and Biollante starts at 5:50
Yeah, I was gonna say.
Currently watching this video again, and I'm starting to wonder if Godzilla vs. Mothra may be worth doing a Longman vid on much like what I did for GvKG. I'm not ready to consider the plot in GvM to be as catastrophically-broken as that in GvKG, but I'm open to any and all possibility of the contrary.
Alright, Omni doing a heisei Godzilla video this should be- HOW LONG!?
49:51 I'd argue that Gamera has owned the Reiwa era as well (Minus One notwithstanding), with a fraction of the output.
Well I wouldn't say Gamera owned the Heisei era in the first part, mostly due to the story writing being much worse and there being tons of other problems with the other parts of the films.
@@GSTE_And that's your opinion, & you're entitled to it. However, I've seen your "criticism" of the Heisei Gamera trilogy & its all bad faith arguments. But I'm not going to get into a argument when Omni already made any argument I would perfectly. Regardless, I disagree with practically every opinion you express, because, like I said, you present bad faith arguments & criticisms that aren't even accurate as if you understand what you're talking about. Just admit it: you're a Heisei Goji apologist. The truth shall set you free.
@@randomnerdery6511 I'm not going to say I don't like the Heisei Godzilla films, but that doesn't mean that I can't see they have problems as well which I am working on a similar thing talking about the flaws in the Heisei Godzilla films as well.
The arguments I present in the film are not bad faith arguments just because people don't agree with them. If that is the case then so is every criticism in this video (even though it's not).
I agree with a lot of criticisms in this video and while I might not agree or strongly disagree with many things that doesn't mean It's good for me to call him disingenuous or to use subtle insults to his review or channel, or say that he is making the criticisms in bad faith, which are all things that happened when he spent 3 hours talking about my criticisms of the Heisei Gamera films.
Also repeating what someone else said isn't a good way to dismiss what I said, using things I actually said when trying to prove how I'm ignoring factual things in the film is the only way to do that.
His arguments didn't prove anything I said wrong when most of them were "it's supposed to be that way".
Not wanting to start an argument would have been to actually talk about what I said instead of using other people's points and trying to discredit my thoughts.
There is another example, here in this very review there are many objectively false things and arguments that ignore what the films state or twisting them to mean different things depending on if how good he think the film is.
For the Heisei Gamera films I was being extremely fair and not using my personal preference as a way to determine how much I judge each film.
I am going to do a similar thing for the Heisei Godzilla films since I think there are many problems with the films.
So yeah if you want to discuss this instead of just saying someone told you what I said wasn't good so my thoughts don't matter, discussing it would be the best thing.
I also explained my points in the replies of that stream if you want a very precise explanation of how almost everything they said wasn't true or accurate to the films.
I also respect your thoughts on the films, so hopefully you'll decide to discuss this issue even if we disagree in the end.
You are the only person to hit on the Destroya issue. For some many claiming he's the ultimate power in the franchise all his forms are successfully countered by the JDF and can be killed. The JDF gets a rare Kaiju kill to finish him off as I recall. At worst when he shifts forms it gives the JDF a time of being flatfooted until they can bring the correct counter to that form to bear. Destroya feels like more like a hard counter to Showa and Heisei Godzillas.
Also the fact that the college dropout theorizes that Godzilla could go critical and could light the atmosphere turning the earth into a sun. This is his best guess in a franchise that only extremely rarely do the humans best guesses or plans actually turn out to correct. At best its the worst case possibility in theory.
Destoroyah was not destroyed by the military, it's wings were frozen which caused it to fall to the ground, and after Destoroyah had just taken the most powerful attack from Godzilla the fact he was able to try and fly away shows how powerful he is. You have other monsters like MechaGodzilla, Moguera, and SpaceGodzilla who were destroyed by fewer blasts and a much weaker atomic breath.
The military also did not defeat the giant crab form of Destoroyah or his flying form. In these forms he showed he did not have a weakness to the same lasers which caused him to fall after he was beaten by Godzilla.
Also I'm pretty sure it was Meru Ozawa who said that Burning Godzilla's explosion would ignite the atmosphere.
@GSTE_ I loaded my digital copy over v destroya over lunch. Big g pulses and does some beam damage. Destroya hightail it out. The jdf ground tanks and super x3 light him up or chill him out. Big is spectator why he explodes all over wings and body crashes and disintegrates. He was pretty much intact while he retreated. It's up to people to decide but sure looks like jdf gets a rare kill.
@@gitss7367 Sure but let's look at the past. King ghidorah was knocked out by a small nuclear pulse, got one of it's heads cut off by a normal atomic breath and it's wing was cut by the atomic breath while flying which caused him to fall and be knocked out for 100 years.
MechaGodzilla 2 was completely destroyed by the energy of Rodan which is nowhere close to Burning Godzilla who was literally shown to be shooting radiation fire out of his back.
And then you have spacegodzilla and moguera who were also shown to be destroyed by Godzilla's red atomic breath when he didn't even get a huge powerup like before.
Destoroyah was greatly harmed by Burning Godzilla's atomic breath during their first battle which caused him to explode. After Destoroyah returned a few minutes later which that in itself puts him above the other monsters, but Destoroyah takes giant nuclear pulses which no other monster had been shown to before which are actually the first time a nuclear pulse even caused an explosion.
Then Destoroyah was hit directly with Godzilla's burning atomic breath which only did one thing which was cut off his ear. His body and chest which is his weak spot was hit directly with no other damage.
The military might technically get the kill since they knocked him down, but as shown with King ghidorah if Godzilla would have used his atomic breath while Destoroyah was flying it would have been as effective if not much more.
But as shown if you look you can see they aim for the wings, which caused Destoroyah to fall to the ground. I highly doubt anything would have happened if Burning Godzilla had not dealt all that damage before.
For example Destoroyah was dropped into a building during his fight with Godzilla jr, and the Destoroyah crab was also shown to be able to handle falling from a high distance as well earlier in the Godzilla jr fight.
Sure the military technically would be the one to get the last hit, but I don't think it's good or honest for people to say Destoroyah is so weak that the military stopped him. Unless you want to say that Burning Godzilla is weaker than any previous version of Heisei Godzilla which that also makes no sense.
I always wanted to see a follow to the Heisei films with Jr and seeing what his role will ultimately be. That will probably never happen. I haven't even heard of fan fiction taking this up.
The short films of Takuya Uenishi are official Toho productions and very strongly implied to be sequels to Heisei continuity (Megumi Odaka narrates the first one). If you've never seen them, search for "Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex" and enjoy!
Do you think you can release your opinion on each of the Millennium movies next?
Huh I thought u already did a kind of review of the Gamera Heisei era trilogy
Omni's delving into the long.
Honestly, all I like about Godzilla vs Mothra 1992 is her design. In fact, before the Monsterverse design, the Heisei Mothra was always my personal favorite interpretation of the queen of the monsters.
It's just too bad it was wasted in such a terrible movie with an environmental message so WAY INTO YOUR FACE about it that it makes Jetsons: The Movie's environmental message look like Sonic: SatAM in comparison.
GMK’s Mothra is probably my favorite of her designs. It makes her slick, fast, and flexible during her fights. I also like how it emphasizes her femininity, with more feminine-shaped, purple eyes.
As an old time Showa guy, I also decided to revisit the Heisei series around two years ago, and see if old age had indeed soften me. My analyses was not really. 😕 "Biollante" is the best and actually one of my favorite G-films. But none of the other movies afterwards, comes close to that. Koichi Kawakita's effects in "Biollante" were fantastic and I had anticipated a great progression in his work. Unfortunately (imo), the 1989 movie ended up being his peak in the series.
I guess it is a generational thing. We are getting to where youngsters are coming of age and for them, it is the Monsterverse, that is their all time favorite G series.
Huh so here’s where the name Goro Maki originally came from
Its very good
(15:40) I still stand by with what I said in the past about "Godzilla vs Mothra: Battle for Earth". And that it's one of my least favorite Godzilla movies in the series (especially from this particular era). Granted there are some good things about the movie, like the addition with Battra, the way Godzilla was portrayed in this movie (even if it did feel like a glorified cameo at times lol), and some of the action scene were quite nice (the best one in my opinion was the underwater fight between Godzilla and Battra larva). Not to mention that I do remember having some fond memories of renting the movie back in the day from Hollywood videos when those were still around. But still none of that was enough to save the movie (at least for me it wasn't). The human characters suck (one of the worst in the series in my opinion), the story is clunky and uninteresting, and at the end Godzilla really has no relevance to the story and feel like it should have been a solo Mothra movie instead. Which is why I don't really re-visit that movie as often as the other films.⚡🐛😠👎👧☮
(13:05) I never really pictured the Godzillasurus siding with the Japanese soldiers in the movie and more so that they were the only ones that didn't fight back against it or were smart enough to hide from the big scary dinosaur. Which is obviously the opposite to what the American solders did in the movie lol. 🤔🪖🏝💣🤷♂
Overall I I think the Heisei era has hold up quit well (but thats just me). It has unique designs, memorable action scenes, and like you said in the video Omni it was more stronger with the continuity than any other era in the series (with the exception of the MonsterVerse). Plus they actually went out of their way of trying to make Godzilla a sympathetic and tragic character (particularly in both Godzilla 1984 and Godzilla vs King Ghidorah), which is one of the main reasons as to why its still my favorite version of the character to date (at least for now anyways). 🌹🐲🦋👍🤖🌠🦀
You're so right
Hey Omni Viewer! This may seem like a unrelated question but what do you think of the Kaiju film “What to do with the Dead Kaiju”? yet again another film labeled as the second Worst Japanese film ever, what are your thoughts on it?
I would think that Aoki’s desire to rescue Azusa was more important to him then his fascination with pteranodons like Rodan n since Rodan was endangering her in order to get to Baby he made his choice, would it have been better to c some form of conflict within him regarding his enthusiasm with pteranodons as supposed to his affection 4 Azusa hmm probably but that being said when the moment came n he had to make a decision on what he wanted he chose
Looking back at Godzilla Vs Biollante idk if I like that movie so much since the Americans that r used in that movie r outright depicted as bad guys n being an American myself I don’t like the idea that we would casually unleash the most dangerous kaiju onto the world 4 some petty crap regarding anti nuclear bacteria especially when it ultimately doesn’t work (not in long term) it makes me feel the same way about it as I do about the Ghidorah movie n how it was against Americans in that movie as well
Personally, I saw the Americans in Biollante as purely terrorists that happened to be American, not as an insult to America. It was odd that they featured the fictional country of Saradia, yet didn’t substitute America for another made-up country, though. I did find Ghidorah to have latent tones of Anti-Americanism, since the army seems to represent the American army and WW2 spirit at large.
Its weird for me, because Return of Godzillla I thought was a good, if average Godzilla movie. Vs Biollante a good one but barely any monster action, vs Ghidorah good as well but kinda meh in comparison, probably the worst one for me in the heisei era. Vs Mothra I did quite enjoy, I just thought it was a lot more fun to watch than the previous, I LOVE Vs MechaGodzilla 2 and I love Vs SpaceGodzilla too! I don't understand why people hate on it so much, my imagination just goes crazy with that movie, I can see so many things going on and I just have fun with it! And then vs Destroyah is the best by far
Even though Godzilla vs Biollante is the best out of all the Heisei Godzilla films, Godzilla vs King Ghidorah and Godzilla vs Mothra are the worst in the Heisei era. As much as there's some good things in the Heisei era, I really don't believe that it's the best Godzilla era.
I love all the heisei godzilla one of my favorite it
I will easily agree that Gamera did better in the 90s but that hardly makes the Heisei era of Godzilla average or less so does this mean that u’ll b doing a retrospective of both the Showa n Millennium eras of the Godzilla franchise???
Polygon Trilogy>>>>>>>>>>>>>Heisei Era
Godzilla's tail tip also flew off during "Godzilla vs. Gigan", remember?
I don't remember seeing that happen in the film
Godzilla's suit broke in a lot of films, such as the suit actor's head ripping through Godzilla's neck and revealing the white material inside the suit in Godzilla vs Hedorah.
4 me Mechagodzilla 2 (MG2 4 short) has always been 1 of my favorites with the fourth 1 from GVK bcuz they were able to kill a kaiju (MG2 killed Rodan n MG4 killed the Skulldevil with ease) something MG1 didn’t do despite dealing with Godzilla, Anguirus, n King Caesar, or how MG3 could only manage a stalemate with Godzilla in both its movies b4 going down once n 4 all I would like to point out that making MG2 a Megazord type machine means that the humans in the story get to b more hands on involved in a way of fighting against Godzilla
4 me I would still say that Yuki is still a far better written n acted character then what we got from Haruo in the Polygon trilogy especially since they both had similar character stories but with different outcomes basically Yuki chooses to give up his desire 4 revenge n live happily with his best friend’s sister something that u (Omni) lambasted Haruo 4 not being willing to do n if yer wondering y he ultimately gives up on trying to kill Godzilla it’s bcuz the big G inadvertently saves him from Spacegodzilla
I always thought that Battra the Black Mothra was supposed to be a male and possibly Mothra's mate.
"Gamera did it better in the 90s"
Yeah after seeing the Gamera trilogy for myself, I don't get the hype. Gamera 3 is just awful. Visually it's horrid, with terrible green screens galore, lackluster puppets, Irys' CGI aged like milk in the Sahara, etc. The only solid parts are the suits themselves which do look good. A shame the battle scenes are either very far away shots or Gamera being stabbed and shuffled around a few times until he decides to win. The human characters are extra stupid, Gamera was always a point of contention but the Gyaos are the objectively worse threat and this is never brought up. Gamera himself is a genuine moron in the film, allowing Irys to get critical advantages in the fight making his mission vastly more difficult. The Monsterverse did better with this in GvK, a movie where the writing is a 3rd spare wheel at best. The redemption is one of the worst I've seen in fiction, period. It's not earned at all and comes completely out of left field. Gamera sparing that life but taking many others to keep Earth safe is completely contradictory to his previous character. The wax religious babble contributes nothing to the plot or theming since it's very clear from the start Gamera is still the good guy, just going further to keep the planet safe. So I dunno what people are in this movie for. Action? Well no, it's short, shot poorly and Gamera's stupid. Character? No they're dumb as dirt too and with an irredeemable villain become remorseful..because.
Guardian of the Universe is...okay. Visuals are its weakest point, solid characters and they only improve in Legion, but the way the trilogy ends just leaves a terrible taste in my mouth.
I would also argue vs King Ghidorah IS anti imperialism for one good reason: Godzilla. Godzilla systematically and at every turn decimates Japan freshly enraged by his new bombing. We know, for sure, that Godzilla was going to destroy Japan for good if they continued down the imperialist path. This happened in the future. The characters are pro imperial, but Godzilla violently shuts them down. His 'defeat' is hardly one, still angry he blasts into the sea-a reminder that he will be back. Just like the original's ending, he will return if we keep pushing the wrong buttons.
As for Battra, fairly simple. He is the planet's wrath, in the same way Godzilla is, but Battra only knows conflict, it's in the name. Battle Mothra. Battra is judge jury and executioner. Mothra is the one who keeps Battra from wiping out humanity because she's more compassionate, though she also has a temper to her. Godzilla's determined to be worse simply because of how powerful and dangerous he is. At this point Godzilla's only been attacked by other Kaiju so this time he tries to find and kill the divine moths before they can get him first. He has no horse in the race, except to survive, so after being taken away Mothra doesn't attempt to fight anymore especially since Battra is dead.
I’ve been saying this multiple times Moguera is not a more advanced robot, mecha, machine whatever he/ it is what u get when yer forced to recycle the leftovers of something that’s been broken, beat up n busted all over if Mechagodzilla was Voltron then Moguera would b Vehitron (the Voltron that’s made up of 15 vehicles) I would best describe Moguera as a support mecha not yer primary weapon mecha if someone were to do a movie with Mechagodzilla n have Moguera in it as well then he/ it would b Mechagodzilla’s back up support all that being said Moguera deserves better love from the fan base as he/ it was able to take on Spacegodzilla n did some far share damage to him b4 getting smashed n blown to pieces
I thought it was titled Godzilla Returns
That's the title of the YA novel by Marc Cerasini. Similar premise, different story.
@@omniviewer2115 ah ok cool
@@omniviewer2115 I wish those books would get reprinted. Godzilla is more popular right now than he's ever been; you'd think some publisher would use the license.
Ehh I would say that Godzilla did most of the hard work dealing damage to Destroyah n the military just finishes him off
Oh boy Omni u n I really need to talk about yer outlook on the Mothra movie man while I cannot agree with u anymore about the Ghidorah movie being a mess n how that makes it the worst of the Heisei era now I do agree that the movie is way too preachy in terms of its environmentalism n if the movie wants to die on that hill it’s free to do so as far as Battra I’ve always looked at him as the Kaiju equivalent of a environmental terrorist that he thinks humans r a blight upon the world n will go to any lengths to destroy us n Mothra who’s always often being presented as a savior/ protector of humanity as well as the world if not the universe n will of course step in to stop Battra from doing horrible things to mankind now I have no idea or reason y they chose to make both Mothra n Battra fight together against Godzilla except 4 maybe that Godzilla was such a physical powerhouse that neither 1 could beat him (not something I approve of) if I had it my way I would’ve had Mothra n Godzilla team up against Battra but that’s me, the only other thing I noticed was that the movie liked using several we elements from the Indiana Jones otherwise I would put it above Biollante as well as Ghidorah also I don’t recall seeing the deforestation company doing anything on Infant Island they were still doing stuff in Japan not on Infant Island
Bruh this bad video is seriously made by the same guy who shills on the monsterverse and the Jurassic World trilogy? Yep instant dislike
Buddy your no better than the average toxic Godzilla Stan
Btw America never ruined Godzilla
@@ChonkCroc yes they did they made him the fat patriotic American hero when he’s supposed to be a tragic suffering animal mutated thanks to nuclear radiation.
Eh atleast this video is better than the now private gaynova heisei godzilla video
Can you please not use the word "gay" as an insult? Please?
You're being overly harsh on the era... Sheeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiit