Godzilla vs. Biollante (ゴジラvsビオランテ, Gojira tai Biorante)[a] is a 1989 Japanese kaiju film directed and written by Kazuki Ōmori, with special effects by Kōichi Kawakita.

This was Odaka's first appearance in the Godzilla franchise as Miki Saegusa, and would reprise the role in every film for the remainder of the Heisei series.

The idea originated from a public story-writing contest, and set a trend common to all Heisei era movies, in which Godzilla faces off against opponents capable of metamorphosing into new, progressively more powerful forms.

It received generally positive reviews who praised the storyline, visual effects, and Sugiyama's score, but was a disappointment at the Japanese box office due to competition with Back to the Future Part II.

In the aftermath of Godzilla's attack on Tokyo and later imprisonment at Mount Mihara,[b][7] Godzilla's cells are secretly delivered to the Saradia Institute of Technology and Science in Saradia, where they are to be merged with genetically modified plants in the hope of transforming Saradian deserts into fertile land and ending the country's economic dependence on oil wells.

International tensions increase over the Godzilla cells, as they are coveted by both the Saradia Institute of Technology and Science and the American rival Bio-Major organization.

The JSDF erects microwave-emitting plates during an artificial thunderstorm, hitting Godzilla with lightning and heating up his body temperature during a battle near the shores of Wakasa Bay.

After Godzilla exhausted as the ANEB finally takes hold, dying Biollante splits apart into the spores which rise into the outer space, forming an image of Erika among the stars.

[9] Kobayashi's submission was notable for its emphasis on dilemmas concerning biotechnology rather than nuclear energy, and revolved around a scientist grieving for his deceased daughter and attempting to keep her soul alive by merging her genes with those of a plant.

The scientist's initial experiments would have resulted in the creation of a giant rat-like amphibian called Deutalios, which would have landed in Tokyo Bay and been killed by Godzilla.

The scientist would have later confessed his intentions, and the finale would have had Godzilla battling a human-faced Biollante who defeats him by searing his flesh with acid.

[10] Ōmori proceeded to modify the story into a workable script over a period of three years, using his background as a biologist to create a plausible plot involving genetic engineering and botany.

[9] In order to preserve the series' anti-nuclear message, he linked the creation of Biollante to the use of Godzilla cells, and replaced Kobayashi's journalist character with Miki Saegusa.

Kenpachiro Satsuma returned to portray Godzilla, hoping to improve his performance by making it less anthropomorphic than in previous films.

The suit's dorsal plates were filled with light bulbs for scenes in which Godzilla uses his atomic ray, thus lessening reliance on optical animation, though they electrocuted Satsuma the first time they were activated.

Satsuma was also obliged to wear protective goggles when in the suit during scenes in which Godzilla battles the JSDF, as real explosives were used on set.

Visibility in both the Godzilla and final form Biollante suits was poor, thus causing difficulties for Takegami in aiming the creature's head when firing sap, which permanently stained anything it landed on.

[9] While it was initially decided to incorporate stop motion animation into the film, the resulting sequences were scrapped, as Kawakita felt they failed to blend in with the live-action footage effectively.

[14][15] It was released as a double feature and 8-disk movie pack on both Blu-ray and DVD with Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus (2009) by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment in 2013.

Ed Godziszewski of Monster Zero said the film is "by no means a classic" but felt that "for the first time in well over 20 years, a [Godzilla] script is presented with some fresh, original ideas and themes.

"[21] In their scholarly book on kaiju cinema, Japan's Green Monsters, Rhoads and McCorkle offer an ecocritical assessment of Godzilla vs. Biollante.