Godzilla: Heisei Era Films (1984-95)

16. The Return of Godzilla (1984)

Dir. Koji Hashimoto

NOTE: numbering continues sequentially from the Shōwa Era. For simplicity's sake I've used English language titles for each of my Godzilla reviews, but it's always the original Japanese language versions of the films that I refer to.

The Heisei Era is almost exclusively a case of Godzilla vs [ANOTHER] kaijū; the exception is the first film, which is a reboot of sorts, being a sequel to the original 1954 film that ignores the other fifteen Shōwa films. It was a deliberate attempt to return the series to its origins. It successfully made Godzilla scary again. No longer something to be mocked, Godzilla is total fucking destruction.

The first proper reveal of the rejuvenated beast is impressive, with newly added facial animatronics that enabled it to have nuances like never before.

An intimate human story exists alongside and outweighs a larger political one. Foreign powers get involved, forcing Japan to take a stand on two fronts. The last act feels like it could've been tightened up in comparison to what came before, but the ending is a bittersweet icing on the cake, so, ultimately, mostly excellent work.

As it stands, it resembles a disaster movie, but I see no reason why it can't be perceived as such. Godzilla is a force of a particular nature, after all, a personification of a monstrous event.

17. Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)

Dir. Kazuki Ōmori

A direct sequel to The Return of Godzilla (1984) that begins with a group scouring the wreckage of the city for a plot device, which is promptly put to use in more than one way. The result is pretty crazy, all things considered; it has the same dark tone as before but holds the attention in a different manner.

A science and technology institute hoping to create a profitable and sustainable food crop that can be cultivated in a desert environment hires a scientist (Kōji Takahashi) to work on the problem for them.

The project is cut short, but the genetic engineering doesn't stop there. The military are doing something similar in the name of self-defence. While on a more public scale, a dangerous volcano is kicking off, heralding potential destruction for the populace.

The film's odd mix of pseudoscience, biotechnology, botany, and psionics will have its detractors, but personally I loved it for its unashamed creativity. Godzilla exists because scientists split the atom, whereas, in contrast, Biolante exists because two things are fused. There's more to the relationship than that, and to Biolante, too, but I won't elaborate because of spoilers.

There's no denying that the creature is one of the most bizarre that the series ever birthed, but for me it's also one of the most memorable. The final fight between the two giants is arguably the best action scene in any of the films thus far! It's outstanding. Oh, and believable tentacles without relying on lazy CGI? You betcha! That's how it should be done.

18. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Dir. Kazuki Ōmori

The eighteenth film kept the Heisei era continuity going but with a radically different approach to its storytelling. The series went full science fiction at least once in the Shōwa era, but G vs KG turns the sci-fi dial to maximum, incorporating UFO sightings, twenty-third century technology, and time-travel.

Furthermore, while it's previously been made clear to interested viewers what Godzilla represents, the script attempts to explain what Godzilla actually is, making it a kind of origin story. King Ghidorah gets a controversial new origin story, too.

The end result is a clash of styles that's certainly unique. To its credit, it has a lot of plot to offer a viewer, and a ton of explosive action, particularly in the explosive finale, but I'm not convinced that any of it was actually a good idea.

The silver linings are that it saw the return of Akira Ifukube on score duties, his first in the Heisei era, and the model cities that give the kaijū an enormous sense of scale are top-notch. I've huge respect for folks who create detailed models with full knowledge that the ultimate goal of production is to destroy their art - there's a true creative beauty in such dedication.

In closing, I've no evidence to support the theory, but I suspect that Ray Bradbury's short story 'A Sound of Thunder', from The Golden Apples of the Sun (1953), may have influenced the story of G vs KG, at least a little bit.

19. Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)

aka Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth

Dir. Takao Okawara

A bothersome space rock lands in the Pacific Ocean, mercifully missing land but the aftereffects of the impact turn out to be far from harmless. Elsewhere, on Infant Island, an Asian Indy Jones homage makes me shake my head disdainfully. Can the divine moth save the day and the film from crap Spielberg-isms?

There aren't enough active roles; most of the humans are onlookers, either from the sidelines or safely tucked in front of monitors. The ones that do get involved had some potential, but the slide to a more kid-friendly attitude (again!) meant the relationship was kept out of murky waters.

There's the suggestion more than once that the calamites that befall the human population are somehow related to their harmful treatment of the world, with the perils being a fitting punishment for damaging the "Earth's life force" so remorselessly.

Mothra spends a lot of time in larval form. It's a long while before the unleashed imago form lights up the screen in a weirdly Christmassy tone. But what's perhaps more of an issue is that the writer(s) seemed to have no idea what to do with Godzilla. The film should really be called Mothra vs [SPOILER], with special guest Godzilla.

I liked Godzilla's suit design; it's very similar to the previous one but seemed more expressive, and the pronounced white edge to the dorsal plates looks great onscreen.

20. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1993)

aka Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II

Dir. Takao Okawara

Despite sharing the same name, the twentieth film isn't a remake or sequel to the 1974 film. The Heisei era is its own thing in that regard, and the two Mechagodzillas are otherwise unrelated.

Inspired by tech recovered from the site of a previous battle (in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah), a special anti-Godzilla division named G-Force builds a large metal defensive vehicle in the creature's image, designed not just to fight the real G but cleverly engineered to use its own destructive power against it. Like the adage states, the best defence...

Even before being unleashed from its holding area the filmmakers go all out to make Mecha-G impressive, with low angle scenes that highlight the machine's size, similar to how many anime series had done previously for their respective mechs.

And like many of those same anime mechs, Mecha-G has more than one human controller inside of it, offering up a kind of rudimentary team dynamic.

Once in the field, thunder thighs gives the real G a fight the kaijū King won't soon forget. (I wonder was it uncanny valley for G?) Battle scenes are excellent, as is the accompanying music.

Parental instincts play an important role in a script that once again did almost as much harm as it did good to the rebooted era. But it's notable for featuring a more menacing incarnation of another well-known kaijū from Toho's roster, and was that creature's only Heisei appearance.

21. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)

Dir. Kensho Yamashita

I concede it has a stupid name, but please don't hold that against it. Personally, I loved G vs. SG, and if you like your special effects built by hand in the real world, not rendered solely in boring pixels, then the space scenes will maybe make your day, too.

Spiky rocks hurtle towards Earth, crash landing on a mostly uninhabited island in the Pacific. Godzilla is laying low. But Space Godzilla is building up!

Oh, mankind. If you can't kill something then you try to control it. Haven't you learned yet that hubris often leads to retribution with sharp teeth?

The story gives us two evils and allows us to decide if we're going to side with the lesser of them. If your sympathies are up to the task, I believe that's the way to go in order to get the most from the film.

Like the previous one, it reimagines another Toho property, this time from a lesser-known film - to anyone who isn't a knowledgeable fan of the genre, at any rate. I've covered the film previously, but as before I'm not going to name names.

The script has a few problems, but I don't understand why it got such a negative response from some fans. For his part, I feel Dir. Yamashita delivered the goods in style.

On a purely visual basis, I can't see how anyone could argue that CGI is better than practical effects after watching the mastery of the latter style during the action scenes; they're truly phenomenal, with the only criticism being that they're too brightly lit on occasion.

22. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

Dir. Takao Okawara

The twenty-second film in the series was also the last entry in the Heisei era. Godzilla appears early but is changed in appearance - and I mean more than just the usual suit modification.

The level of potential destruction the creature carries is also changed, upped from being the immediate area to a radius that's even more terrifying.

The film effectively brings the series full circle, having the actions taken by protagonists in the original 1954 film be relevant to those in 1994. Interestingly, it also makes use of something much older to bring something new to the table.

Destoroyah is an insectoid behemoth. If you've been paying attention to the Heisei era kaijū that Godzilla batlles with thus far you'll have maybe noticed that they each transform into something more menacing than what they started out as. Destoroyah doesn't outdo Biolante for levels of sheer awe, but is certainly one of the most aggressive of the series.