This is the second Godzilla movie to get the Criterion 4k treatment. This one is from 1989 and in color so provides an interesting contrast to the original 1954 classic. There’s also a discofied rendition of the Godzilla theme in the movie along with the classic original. Perhaps disco lasted longer in Japan.
4K really highlights the detail put into the costumes and the sets built for Godzilla to smash. The ‘80s special effects still create a seamless combination of miniatures, suits and live-action footage, something that’s lost when actors just stand in front of screens now.
There are lots of night battles in the rain, but they’re lit up with lights so it never gets fully black. Biolante is nice and gooey.
Historian Samm Deighan gives the audio commentary. I remember her from Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan. She knows both the Toho studio and story context for Godzilla vs. Biolante. She knows which special effects sequences were left out and which actors are in the suits, and their specs. Though some were lost, the stop motion effect is included on the Blu-ray.
A 1993 behind the scenes documentary has interviews and behind the scenes footage. You can see the radio controlled aerials at work and a fully edited deleted scene. Seeing a human sized crew on a Godzilla stage is trippy.