The resurgence of the monster's popularity on the eve of his 70th birthday later in the year, enhanced in large part by the critical and commercial success of “Godzilla Minus One” as well, has made Godzilla one of the biggest movie stars in the world at the current time. Fans are undoubtedly used to seeing him in such a light, but the current mainstream attention and accolades thrown his way has been a welcome sight to see with the Big G getting plenty of praise for the first time in his career.
Of course, as many of his fans know, one of the enduring qualities in a Godzilla movie is one of the more superficial and subjective qualities imaginable. That would be his entrance scene in the film. Nothing brings about a sense of joy or excitement more than him getting a moment to himself and being graced with a stylistic or just awesome moment to revel in how cool he is. This happens to be the case for almost all of his movies, allowing first-time watchers to go into any film of his and get a cool moment where he gets dynamically brought into the film.
Arguably his greatest comes in 1989's “Godzilla vs. Biollante,” one of the more enjoyable entries in the second wave of films in his career known as the Heisei period. The second entry in the series following 1984's “The Return of Godzilla” or the American edit “Godzilla 1985,” this ran until 1995's “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” before a brief hiatus leading up to the resurrection in 1999 for the third stint in the series known as the Millennium films.
Serving as a direct follow-up to “The Return of Godzilla,” “Biollante” is a generally well-regarded entry concerning Godzilla's plight against the shapeshifting plant monster Biollante, created through biological tampering. And his entrance is a highlight reel showcase in the truest sense from any angle you want to look at it. From a concept standpoint, the scene is jaw-dropping in its core idea featuring Godzilla walking out of an erupting volcano. The idea of showcasing his unmitigated power and sense of badassery is conveyed easily through the flowing lava and multitude of explosions going off around him as that grand score blasts away in the background heralding his return.
From a storyline standpoint, the scene works wonders. Knowing full well that “Return” concludes by trapping Godzilla inside the slumbering volcano as a means of trapping him, the return to that location and the fearful nature of his impending release should the volcano explode remains a focal point for most of the first half before the scene. With government agents trying every means possible to prepare for his arrival when it becomes increasingly obvious it's only a matter of time, interconnecting this with the secondary storyline involving terrorists attempting to claim Godzilla's radioactive cells from the government is a fine stroke. With them planting explosives to free him before the eruption, this setup adds intrigue and suspense over what's going to happen first. What happens if the agents don't get the cells? What happens if they do? Will the volcano erupt anyway screwing over both plans? There's a lot of ways to go here and the film milks it expertly.
Finally, from a technical standpoint, Koichi Kowakita's special effects are a highlight. His first time in the special effects directors' chair for the series despite previous experience in the studio's branch for years beforehand, he shows himself to be up to the task of his forebearers Eiji Tsuburaya and Teruyoshi Nakano. Graced with a fine suit for the performance, the miniature volcano set is fantastic and allows for long shots of Godzilla walking through the flames as well as close-ups of the creature in all his glory. With pyrotechnics equaling Godzilla's stature or even emerging higher, the flames pretty much all around him, and the smoke required to get the shot right, the visuals created are equally memorable and create a lasting impression.
In the end, Godzilla's emergence in “Godzilla vs. Biollante” is one of the high points in the series and remains one of its more indelible moments. There might be more significant or dynamic set pieces elsewhere in the series, but this spot holds to the popcorn sensibilities of the franchise at this stage in its running time. Godzilla has never looked cooler or more impressive than he does here, in a sequence that fits the film anyway without the concept going overboard, and has some spectacular effects to back it all up. It's truly an entrance fit for a King.
