Godzilla on DVD and Blu-ray

[criterion10]

Hmm, Sony did also release DVDs of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Son of Godzilla, so I wonder who has the rights to those now.

[HerrSchreck]

I fucking love Matango. Huge thanks to Mr. Kalat for turning me onto that one. Unfortunately it's just not something I can ever see making it to Blu-ray. Though really I should just be happy we have it on an anamorphic, correct aspect ratio and properly subtitled DVD.

Matango is a great film-- some of Honda/Tsuburaya/Tanaka team's most artful studio work, with a lush green-brown, almost Frazetta-ish color palette. Really outstanding design and cinematography, a really unusually conceived film . . . and another one of those accidentally (though in this case methinks not-so-accidental, as opposed to say the Siodmak Bride of the Gorilla) excellent studies of the pull of habit, escape, addiction and drug abuse. Matango is just a wonderfully unusual, completely psychedelic film that seems to be run through the tye-dyed colors of a mushroom (no accident there) trip. Hajime Koizumi's use of widescreen and color is second to none here.

And yes, the Tokyo Shock DVD of this film is a nice consolation in lieu of a new HD pass on the reels. All of these editions from them--I left Mysterians out of my last post--are positively superlative.

[J Wilson]

And don't even get me started on the lost cause that seems to be the majesterial Daimajin trilogy. I consider myself lucky to have that icky Rubber Suit triple disc edition in original subbed Japanese and horrific orange subs.

Did you not pick up the blu-ray release from Mill Creek year before last? Far superior to the ADV/Rubber Suit release.

[StevenJ0001]

And don't even get me started on the lost cause that seems to be the majesterial Daimajin trilogy. I consider myself lucky to have that icky Rubber Suit triple disc edition in original subbed Japanese and horrific orange subs.

Did you not pick up the blu-ray release from Mill Creek year before last? Far superior to the ADV/Rubber Suit release.

Hmmm, I'd never even heard of these films--the Blu-ray of the trilogy is really cheap on Amazon. Could make a nice impulse buy.

[J Wilson]

For $10, you really can't go wrong. They're not kaiju eiga per se, but more like jidaigeki with a supernatural element, i.e. the Majin. The movies are all well done, and it's all about that anticipation of watching peasants being abused by the evil powers-that-be until Daimajin is awakened to unleash hell upon them.

[StevenJ0001]

Sounds like fun!

[HerrSchreck]

And don't even get me started on the lost cause that seems to be the majesterial Daimajin trilogy. I consider myself lucky to have that icky Rubber Suit triple disc edition in original subbed Japanese and horrific orange subs.

Did you not pick up the blu-ray release from Mill Creek year before last? Far superior to the ADV/Rubber Suit release.

No I had no idea it even existed. Thanks for the head's up--I'm surprised I never heard about this.

[StevenJ0001]

Someone at the Blu-ray.com forum is saying that Universal are releasing barebones, English-only Blus of King Kong vs. Godzilla and King Kong Escapes on April 1. Sounds disappointing.

[HerrSchreck]

Yeah sounds like nothing more than an HD equivalent of the old SD 2 pak from Uni.

[captveg]

Universal probably doesn't have the rights to the Japanese versions then. At least that's the impression these releases give me.

[EddieLarkin]

They should have licensed it from Toho. If not them, how else are we ever going to get it with English subtitles? No doubt if a boutique label wanted to release just the Japanese version in the U.S. (or the U.K., for that matter), Universal would put a stop to it by claiming they have the rights to the film. And yet at the same time claim they can't release the Japanese version themselves because they don't have the rights. They need to sort it out.

[captveg]

Yeah, that's frustrating. I know that Toho is notoriously difficult to work with. Maybe they aren't happy that Universal still has the US rights and they don't want to license the Japanese versions. Hard to know who's to blame (probably both parties to some degree).

[HerrSchreck]

I know that Toho released the original Japanese version with English subs... so they'll probably do the same on HD if not already.

[EddieLarkin]

I know that Toho released the original Japanese version with English subs... so they'll probably do the same on HD if not already.

The Japanese DVD does not have English subs, unless they re-released it at some point in the last 2 or 3 years and I never noticed. Amazon.jp only has one listing though, and that version has Japanese subs only. All of Toho's Godzilla Blu-ray releases have so far been absent of any English subs also.

[StevenJ0001]

Kraken's/Section23's covers for their three upcoming Blus, as posted at SciFi Japan.

I could do without the little "jokes", but nice to see the poster art.

[EddieLarkin]

Would prefer the poster art to take up the whole case, like the reverse sleeves of my region 4 DVDs do!

[StevenJ0001]

Would prefer the poster art to take up the whole case, like the reverse sleeves of my region 4 DVDs do!

Agreed!

[HerrSchreck]

I know that Toho released the original Japanese version with English subs... so they'll probably do the same on HD if not already.

The Japanese DVD does not have English subs, unless they re-released it at some point in the last 2 or 3 years and I never noticed. Amazon.jp only has one listing though, and that version has Japanese subs only. All of Toho's Godzilla Blu-ray releases have so far been absent of any English subs also.

There is an edition (I have a copy of it) which is put out by Toho, it has but Russian and Japanese audio, and it has engish subtitles on it. I don't know if they were custom created or not.

Fort those who are eager to see this film in it's proper form, this version is very easy to find. Just hunt.

[EddieLarkin]

It's probably different, but the copy I have is custom. It's basically the Toho DVD master but with an English sub file added.

If Toho ever release it on Blu-ray (assuming with no English subs) I'll probably buy it and make my own subs for it.

[StevenJ0001]

Some non-Toho Showa-era Kaiju movies get the Blu treatment from Mill Creek (the 11-movie set is DVD only and includes the Heisei Gamera trilogy, which they already released on Blu):



Japanese language (no English dub).

Details:

http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2014 ... -in-april/

[Movie-Brat]

Take this with a grain of salt, but apparently rumor has it that Sony will release the Heisei series and most of the Millennium on series on Blu-Ray as each two-pack disc.

http://henshinjustice.com/2014/02/28/so ... r-may-6th/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Obviously, the only reason I'd buy it is if they have it in their original proper aspect ratio and the Japanese language with English subtitles.

[rspaight]

Yes. The Sony DVDs of the Heisei films are largely goofed up (I think King Ghidorah and Mothra are P&S, and Space Godzilla and Destroyah are only dubs). Getting that fixed would be lovely. The Sony Millennium DVDs are all good AFAIK, though.

[EddieLarkin]

There are some issues with the Millennium discs as well. Godzilla vs Megaguirus and GMK have dubtitles only, whilst Godzilla 2000 doesn't even have a Japanese language track.

[Movie-Brat]

There are some issues with the Millennium discs as well. Godzilla vs Megaguirus and GMK have dubtitles only, whilst Godzilla 2000 doesn't even have a Japanese language track.

I know that about Godzilla 2000 but the other two, what?

Yes. The Sony DVDs of the Heisei films are largely goofed up (I think King Ghidorah and Mothra are P&S, and Space Godzilla and Destroyah are only dubs). Getting that fixed would be lovely. The Sony Millennium DVDs are all good AFAIK, though.

The Heisei film DVDs are basically all those issues combined.

[EddieLarkin]

There are some issues with the Millennium discs as well. Godzilla vs Megaguirus and GMK have dubtitles only, whilst Godzilla 2000 doesn't even have a Japanese language track.

I know that about Godzilla 2000 but the other two, what?

As in, the disc features the Japanese language track, but it is not subtitled. The subs on the disc are simply for the English dub. Hence, dubtitles.