Godzilla: The Shōwa Era Films, new release from Criterion

My first encounter with Godzilla was on the Million Dollar Movie on channel 9 in NYC. Perry Mason was narrating so it must be true. After many years of watching laughing extras fleeing the monster I'm glad to see this set. My favorite is the badly dubbed 1974 Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, It's night, it's day.

https://www.vulture.com/article/best-classic-godzilla-movies.html

 

Let me talk about this set for a minute.

This set has fifteen movies plus two variant versions (Godzilla, King of the Monsters and the Japanese cut of King Kong vs. Godzilla*)

Godzilla
Godzilla Raids Again/Gigantis, the Fire Monster*
King Kong vs. Godzilla
Mothra vs. Godzilla/Godzilla vs. The Thing*
Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster*
Invasion of Astro-Monster/Monster Zero/Godzilla vs. Monster Zero*
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep/Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster
Son of Godzilla*
Destroy All Monsters
All Monsters Attack/Godzilla's Revenge*
Godzilla vs. Hedorah/Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster
Godzilla vs. Gigan/Godzilla on Monster Island
Godzilla vs. Megalon
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla/Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster/Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster*
Terror of Mechagodzilla/The Terror of Godzilla*

Criterion and Classic Media has previously released Godzilla and Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Universal King Kong vs Godzilla, Kraken Sea Monster, Smog Monster and Gigan and Media Blasters Destroy All Monsters and Megalon.

That leaves nine films new to Blu (marked accordingly).

 

The set is terrific, but it's worth noting there are only English dubbed versions on a handful of them. Some may not care at all, but if you're a completist, nostalgia lover, or have little ones running around (as I do), the lack of the English dub might be a disappointment.

What's curious is the English dubs were on the Classic Media DVD releases -- and on a few of the Kraken Blu-Rays like SEA MONSTER and SMOG MONSTER...but not here.

 

It needs the dubbed version to be accurate--

 

The big selling point for me is the inclusion of the original Japanese version of King Kong vs Godzilla, which has never before been released on DVD or BR in North America. I've already got everything else in the set, but I'll probably buy this box anyway... I'm sure Criterion has done a great job with the transfers. Would've liked to see the inclusion of commentaries for each film instead of just a handful of featurettes, but oh well.

 

My kids love these movies. We got the entire movie catalog and went through it starting with Gojira.

 

So did Criterion, but Toho being Toho, they said no to commentaries.

Toho exerts complete and total control on how their films are presented outside Japan, unfortunately for us.
That's why there are missing dubs and no commentaries

12 page thread about the box over at criterionforum.org

 

Man I really want it. I have a beautiful original Godzilla but the others would be nice too. I’d like to find them separately.

 

And I don’t want the overdubbing. These look great - guess I’ll have to wait the individual versions.

 

Criterion will not be releasing these separately. The box is it.

Overdubbing? Some of the films (not all) have two soundtracks to chose from when watching the film, either the original Japanese (with subtitles) or an English dub.


Some had been released separately on other labels, but I believe they are now out of print.

 

Thanks I might give in. Bummer that I have the best one already.

 

Do you mean you have the previous Criterion release of Godzilla?

That's included in this box as well. You could always sell your old copy, or give it to a friend.

 

Yep. I picked that up a few years back. It is wonderful- I love the Japanese original. Very beautiful too.

 

My last Criterion purchase was the Bergman box during a BN 50% off sale. This will be my next (although I’d like to see the dubs and some commentaries). Dig the artwork. Bergman and Godzilla a match made in heaven ha ha !!

 

The excellent series of DVDs that Classic Media released a few years back all had commentaries and multiple language tracks... strange that they'd approve them for those discs but not Criterion.

 

Strange, yet absolutely true.

Toho has a few Godzilla films restored and released on blu-ray at 4k in Japan, yet they only allowed Criterion to use a bunch of older transfers for this box set.

 

I had hoped this set would allow me to get rid of the various discs I already had that included variant versions and commentaries etc, but Toho as always spoils the party. I would only pick this up at Barnes and Noble’s Criterion sale, and I’m debating even that as the transfers are nothing special. Can’t have a better product than the discs they churn out every few years back home.

 

Besides the original are any of the others close to being as beautiful and what I call Blu-ray worthy? I liked mothera, Planet X and found streaming just fine for these.

Still on the fence.

 

Son of Godzilla alone makes this set worth getting (yeah, it is arguably the worst Showa entry in the series, but it's nigh on impossible to get on disc in the US R1).

 

I’m a sucker picked it up at BullMoose cheaper and no tax.

 

The Columbia Tri-Star DVD from 2004 isn't too hard to track down.

 

I love Godzilla but I think I'll pass...great memories of these movies but I can't imagine watching any of them now.

 

On the one hand, I stopped watching Godzilla movies after Ghidorah so the majority would be first time viewing for me. On the other, the increasing cartoonishness turns me off so I'm not sure if I'd be able to get through the box. Guess I'll have to see how cheap I can find it, then dial down my expectations. Maybe a little reefer madness will help?

 

So to clarify, which movies have no English track?

 

There are English dubs for Invasion of Astro-Monster, Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and Terror of Mechagodzilla. (Plus the US versions of the original Godzilla and King Kong Vs Godzilla)