RIP Kazuki Omori, One of the Godzilla Franchise's Most Interesting Creators
Director/Writer Kazuki Omori passed away a few days ago and I just wanted to write a little post about his legacy as it pertains to the Godzilla series. Omori was the screenwriter and director of two of the most interesting films from the Heisei era (Godzilla vs Biollante and Godzilla vs King Ghidorah,) and he’d serve as a writer for two others (Godzilla vs Mothra and Godzilla vs Destoroyah.) I find those first two films to be extremely interesting in particular, especially in regards to their layered approach to science fiction concepts.
The first, Biollante, is often regarded as an outlier to its period due to its weird atmosphere, use of an original monster, and biological espionage plotline. It’s a little more heady than the films to follow, with Godzilla and Biollante serving more as the physical manifestations of its themes rather than the main kaiju centerpieces. If you haven’t seen it, don’t worry - The requisite Godzilla action is some of the best and most gruesome one can find, with Biollante’s titanic rage and visceral array of powers literally ripping through the King of the Monsters at times. Biollante’s creature design is also an all-timer, a bizarre yet distinctly earthly blend of the reptilian and the botanical.
Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, mostly owing to Biollante’s disappointing box office, is a bit of a return to classic form. For starters, it’s got the comeback tour of Ghidorah, Godzilla’s #1 foe, and a powerhouse score by a particularly energized Akira Ifukube. But Omori’s script is a fairly complex take on time travel, one that sees Godzilla erased and then re-introduced to history and one that finds a defeated Ghidorah transformed into Mecha King Ghidorah in awe-inspiring fashion for the laser-filled climax. Once again, its monsters are a grand display of its themes, with Godzilla blending the atomic and the spiritual in a way that renders it culturally omnipotent.
Godzilla vs Mothra is probably the weakest of the films that Omori had a major hand in, but he makes up for it with Destoroyah, an effort that tries to bring Godzilla full circle as a child of nuclear weapons now melting down. It’s an oddly poignant picture of a monster mash apocalypse and I only enjoy it more with time.
Anyway, give these films a shot if you haven’t. I haven’t looked into any more of Omori’s work, but it seems like a no-brainer that I should considering how much I value his interesting Godzilla flicks.