Criterion streaming Godzilla films + Criterion Showa Box Set

[goji1986]

Any word on a specific Blu-Ray release date? I will be disappointed we have to wait until around KOTM’s release.

Since they are likely restoring each film and not simply porting over Toho's masters, it will be a while. That being said, they always announce their slate of releases around the 15th of each month, so just follow them on social media.

[LegendZilla]

Any word on a specific Blu-Ray release date? I will be disappointed we have to wait until around KOTM’s release.

Since they are likely restoring each film and not simply porting over Toho's masters, it will be a while. That being said, they always announce their slate of releases around the 15th of each month, so just follow them on social media.

Why not just use Toho’s HD remasters?

[goji1986]

Any word on a specific Blu-Ray release date? I will be disappointed we have to wait until around KOTM’s release.

Since they are likely restoring each film and not simply porting over Toho's masters, it will be a while. That being said, they always announce their slate of releases around the 15th of each month, so just follow them on social media.

Why not just use Toho’s HD remasters

As it's been discussed earlier on this thread, Toho's HD masters are not up to snuff, especially by Criterion's standards. They were created in 2008 and feature a ton of noise reduction, which unfortunately removed film grain and softened the image. Some like to call it "DVD-upscale quality". Criterion likes to release masters that are as close to "film-like" as possible from the best sources they can find. Hence why their release of G54 has superior image quality (which blows Toho's HD master out of the water) for not only the original Japanese version, but KOTM as well.

[UltramanGoji]

They also altered Rodan and edited out the visible wires during the city destruction scenes. A Criterion remaster likely will revert that.

[Goji]

If and when this does happen, I hope Toho gets itself together and releases 1985. With a different soundtrack of course for certain scenes. But that's not a big deal.

Yeah, no thanks. This is something that nobody wants.

I would be all for it. Godzilla 1985 on Blu Ray with altered music(Or music that reverts back to the original score) would be far better than not getting a proper release at all.

Well, just about everyone but you. I feel like that kind of goes without saying..This 'better than nothing' attitude is something I couldn't disagree more with.

Filling in the gaps of the soundtrack with pieces of Koroku's score would be a pretty big undertaking, and something I seriously doubt anyone would put the effort into doing. If a company were interested in releasing this version, I'd imagine this would be the last thing they (or Toho) would propose.

What's the point of releasing a highly edited U.S. version if it doesn't include one of it's biggest (and best) changes? At that point..what's the point? Having an alternate soundtrack hasn't worked well with other known genre films. The first two Return of the Living Dead films have been plagued with this same problem since their release on DVD, and pretty much no one is a fan of the replaced soundtracks.

I stand by the belief that it is a ridiculous proposition. Yes, the music could be reverted back to the original cues with a fan project, but that's really beside the point. People want to see Godzilla 1985, as is, not some revisionist bs.

[Space Hunter M]

Toho's gotten a little better in the intervening years with the 4K shit and their newer transfers of stuff like Frankenstein Conquers the World and a lot of the movies they have up for streaming on Amazon and iTunes, but yeah, the 2008 Godzillas were dated the moment they were transferred.

[Chrispy_G]

Any word on a specific Blu-Ray release date? I will be disappointed we have to wait until around KOTM’s release.

If I had to bet, I would say some time in 2019. You've got the release of King of the Monsters and the 65 year anniversary of the original film. Plus a wave of sustained interest that will build into Godzilla vs Kong....giving any Godzilla titles a bit of an extended shelf-life of relevancy.

Also gives them more time to MAYBE get more films for their set.

[LegendZilla]

^Here’s another question : Is it possible that once the films are released, you can ONLY get them as part of the set?

[Chrispy_G]

^Here’s another question : Is it possible that once the films are released, you can ONLY get them as part of the set?

I think it is likely. Criterion did a Zatoichi Box Set with 25 films in it, and clicking the individual titles on their site shows that they seem to only be available in the Box Set. I'll admit that I didn't click on EVERY Zatoichi film, but I clicked about 5 random entries.

[Mr. Yellow]

I also kind of hope that if Godzilla does well, Criterion will acquire and release other giant monster movies.

[Goji]

65 isn't nearly as noteworthy as 70, so I don't see that as a selling point. If anything, new Godzilla movies in American theaters are what will get companies like Sony to care, but Criterion caters to a different crowd. They aren't bandwagon jumpers, and toot to a different horn. Their release of the original Godzilla came in January of 2012, which has no significance whatsoever. If what they have planned for these titles is ready before 2019, they will surely release something before then.

Zatoichi doesn't have the brand recognition that Godzilla does, so I think it's entirely possible for Criterion to do standalone releases *and* a set.

[omgitsgodzilla]

Nope; soonest we'll probably hear about it is February 15, and that's only if it's coming out in May.

[Chrispy_G]

They aren't bandwagon jumpers, and toot to a different horn. Their release of the original Godzilla came in January of 2012, which has no significance whatsoever.

Worth noting that 2012 was originally the intended release year of Legendary's Godzilla film.

Pretty sure I remember the hoopla about them getting Godzilla to begin with being something 'fans often begged for but never expected'....so it sounds like they were answering demand. It looks like sales were strong, because they seem to be answering demand again. They want to make money and be profitable as well. They aren't some non-profit charity.

They've had Night of the Living Dead rights for at least a year or so, I think, and the Criterion release is coming in February, in 2018, the 50 year anniversary of the film. Something tells me that if they wanted it out in December, they could have done it. Of course they are above 'branding' it as a 50 year anniversary release, but the significance will certainly not be lost on their cinephile crowd.

Nor would the significance of the 65 year anniversary be lost on Godzilla fans around the world. King of the Monsters is a remake in name of one of the titles they have, and a remake in concept/exact kaiju roster of another one of the titles they have. They don't completely feed into commercialism, that's obvious. I'm sure they are cognizant enough to capitalize on a good financial opportunity.

They didn't grab Godzilla's Revenge and Godzilla vs Megalon because they are God-tier cinematic classics, they have the Godzilla title, the rights were up for grabs, and they are looking to honor the Godzilla legacy(*cough*andcashin*cough*) with a Godzilla Box Set, including as many titles as they can get.

Sure, maybe we get this box set in 2018, you won't hear me complaining. I get a feeling that early 2019 is most likely.

[MaxRebo320]

Worth noting that 2012 was originally the intended release year of Legendary's Godzilla film.

What the hell does that have to do with anything? I'm pretty sure LPG was slated for a 2014 release by the time Criterion announced they were releasing the film.

[Goji]

Jeez, where do I even begin..First of all, it was pretty clear by 2011 that the film wasn't going to be released in 2012. IIRC, there was no director in place yet and that was always just a placeholder date, anyway. Even if there was a connection, there is still no significance to the January 2012 release date for Criterion's release. It's pure speculation on your part that one influenced the release of the other.

As for Night of the Living Dead, it's the 50th anniversary, which is a milestone. 50 isn't 65, and this is the point that seems to be lost on you. There is nothing noteworthy about 65, and I seriously doubt it's something that *any* company will be using as a selling point.

Yeah, Godzilla King of the Monsters is the name of the next American film..but they already released the American version of the original film on Blu-Ray, and it was a *supplement* to the Japanese version which is simply titled Godzilla..so where exactly does that factor in? It doesn't.

I don't know if you're being a contrarian just for the sake of being a contrarian, or if you simply don't realize you're grasping at straws right now, but you might want to reevaluate some of the things you're saying here.

[G1985]

They aren't bandwagon jumpers, and toot to a different horn. Their release of the original Godzilla came in January of 2012, which has no significance whatsoever.

Worth noting that 2012 was originally the intended release year of Legendary's Godzilla film.

Jeez, where do I even begin..First of all, it was pretty clear by 2011 that the film wasn't going to be released in 2012. IIRC, there was no director in place yet and that was always just a placeholder date, anyway. Even if there was a connection, there is still no significance to the January 2012 release date for Criterion's release. It's pure speculation on your part that one influenced the release of the other.

Was it coincidence that Trendmasters rolled out their line of Godzilla toys in 1994, the very same year that Sony's (pre-Devlin/Emmerich) Godzilla was supposed to launch?

While I agree that date coordination may not have been on Criterion's part (the licensee), there's no doubt in my mind that the timing was intentional on the licensor's part, hoping to warm up the public for the upcoming Legendary release. I've seen this happen with other licenses, where relaunched properties use licensing to drum up nostalgia and kickstart interest. Product licenses can be made costly (or not offered at all) to discourage unwanted products, or made ridiculously affordable to flood the market with approved likenesses. Whatever the licensor wants to happen, there's a license fee that can make it happen.

And as we've learned with NECA's figures, nothing gets released without advance permission. The licensor can step in any time and halt a release dead in it's tracks, or make it possible to rush products to market when desired.

[omgitsgodzilla]

I don't really see why the tone of this conversation should be so hostile but uh

Yes, it probably was a coincidence that the Trendmasters toys came out in '94. Yes, that was at one time the projected release date for the American Godzilla movie, but that would've been years earlier. By 1993, it would've been obvious to everyone concerned that the movie wouldn't be coming out by then. That testing-the-waters thing may still have been the case, as they presumably knew the Hollywood version was still happening and may have wanted to establish some kind of presence in the US market, but I don't think the original tentative release date of 1994 was really relevant to the timing of the toy line - by the time the toys came out, 1994 had no commercial significance except as an informal deadline that they'd already missed.

I'm less inclined to see the connection with Criterion's Godzilla release. Something like the Trendmasters line was a new partnership for the purposes of creating a new product; with the original Godzilla, though, that movie was already licensed to Classic Media for US home video. Criterion sublicensed it from them; Toho would've had little reason and possibly no right to be shopping it around to new distributors. 2012 was another date without any significance to the general public; it wasn't marketable as a round-number anniversary like 2004 or 2014, and it would have been perfectly clear to Toho and Legendary that the Legendary movie wouldn't be coming out then.

Long story short, I find it unlikely that Toho was pushing the Criterion release as a way to get the US market ready for Legendary's film; it's not impossible, but I think it's more likely someone at Criterion wanted to do it and that's when they were able to get it out. What I can say more confidently is that I strongly doubt the tentative 2012 release date for Legendary's film - again, clearly a blown deadline even by early 2011 - had anything to do with the Criterion release coming out that year.

Do I think Criterion are aiming to release their box set as hype for KotM is ramping up? Well, maybe. It would be a shrewd move on their part, especially considering what a sizable investment such a release would be, and the amount of time it would take to prepare and produce it. It would definitely increase the likelihood that such a set would sell well, justifying the investment. It's possible, and from a business perspective it makes good sense, but I wouldn't go as far as to say there's a precedent for it, at least not in terms of their release of the original film.

[mikelcho]

I'd like to see them get KK vs. G, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (under that title), G vs. Hedorah and G vs. Gigan just to finish off the Showa series. Speaking of the first one, I've got an idea for how Criterion could get an uncut Japanese version for possible release. Granted, this is something that Toho should've done a long time ago. Now, the way I've heard it, Toho released KK vs. G in other Asian contries within their territory and those prints were uncut ones from before the Champion Festival fiasco. All they had to do was borrow one of those prints from one of those countries, make many quality copies of that print (to make sure that what happened before doesn't happen again), return the print to the country it came from, keep the prints that had been made from it and voila! A Japanese-language print would've been available and we wouldn't be in the fix we're in now! Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this a good idea, or what?

[omgitsgodzilla]

It's not a bad idea, but there's also the question of whether any of those prints still exist, assuming they could even be found. Film preservation and archiving for much of the 20th century wasn't what it is now; for one thing, there's the fact that the Champion Festival edit was created using the OCN in the first place. Even prominent Western productions like Spartacus suffered from this kind of negligence; there's an entire scene from that movie whose audio was lost after the scene was cut following the original roadshow release. When Spartacus was restored, they had to re-record all the dialogue for that scene. There's really no telling what could've happened to those foreign release prints; they could easily have been lost or destroyed, and regardless, who knows where they might be.

In any case, it's kind of a moot point now. From what I understand, either the missing portions of the OCN or suitable substitutes have already been found and were used to create Toho's 4K restoration.

[Goji]

All they had to do was borrow one of those prints from one of those countries, make many quality copies of that print (to make sure that what happened before doesn't happen again), return the print to the country it came from, keep the prints that had been made from it and voila! A Japanese-language print would've been available and we wouldn't be in the fix we're in now! Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this a good idea, or what?

You know that the recent 4K restoration reinstated most if not all of the trimmed scenes that have only existed in horrible quality since the '70s, right?