Godzilla in the Criterion Collection?!

[kpa]

http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/2127-godzilla-poetry-after-the-a-bomb

Weird. Criterion posted the essay from the booklet

That's pretty much standard policy for Criterion...

http://www.criterion.com/current/posts? ... ilm+Essays

I imagine it helps sway potential customers who are considering purchasing one of their titles.

[omgitsgodzilla]

Very nice essay. I never knew much about the Kurosawa film, I thought it was interesting.

[GreenAiden555]

Just put in an order for the DVD through Amazon! Can't wait 'til next week! Should be here by then.

[Tyler]

Okay, here is my review.

The movies have never looked better. This is probably how they looked back in the '50s. Kalat's commentaries for both films were very well done. They make good companions to the CM commentaries done by Ryfle and Godziszewski. Those were more technical going into the productions of each film, while here Kalat does more of an in depth analysis of the themes.

The featurette on the special effects was very eye opening for me. I had no idea how much of the environment was fabricated after the fact. The new subtitles on the Japanese version really do make a difference as the story seemed to flow much better than before, although they really should have been yellow as they were hard to see at times. Same with the interviews.

One more nag is the packaging. The interior case and art is a bit wonky. The menus and booklet/essay have a black and white look which better reflects the movies. I guess the Kiryu suit is Toho's go-to design for this kind of stuff as it is seen in the IDW comics too.

But overall you HAVE to get this and I hope Media Blasters manages to get Megalon out soon.

[omgitsgodzilla]

My DVD still hasn't arrived. I'm becoming a bit perturbed.

[kpa]

I guess the Kiryu suit is Toho's go-to design for this kind of stuff as it is seen in the IDW comics too.

Back in the 1990s, Toho insisted that licensees use the Heisei Godzilla design because they had given the character a mostly consistent look in the films being made at that time. That's why the Heisei Godzilla is the look most often used for the Dark Horse comics, Trendmasters toys, Random House book covers, etc.

Toho isn't so locked on a particular design these days. Partly because they're not currently making new movies, and partly because there wasn't one main design used in the last series of films. From what Toho told me, the artists for the IDW comics have some leeway to choose what version of Godzilla they want to draw.

Criterion packaging artist Bill Sienkiewicz is a Godzilla fan, but I don't think he's a hardcore Godzilla fan so he most likely went for an images that appealed to him. His cover art looks like an interpretation of the 1954 Godzilla to me and I think it works well. The pop-up is clearly the 2002-03 Godzilla, but that was probably something Bill liked rather than what Toho told him to use. If Toho demanded a certain design I'm sure they would have gone with G'54.

[starsteam]

Not getting my Blu-ray for it til next week. Oh how sometimes waiting seems so long.

[GreenAiden555]

I understand why some people are a little off-put by the use of the KiryuGoji suit for the pop up. I do, because it isn't 54 Goji.

But I don't understand why it puts them off. The suit used is nothing more than a vessel to convey the message that is Godzilla. Hell, I would've been happy with '55 Goji. Regardless of the suit, it is the unstoppable force that man and nature created with the birth of nuclear energy being used as it is. That's what Godzilla was, is, and should forever known as such.

[Rody]

It's an issue of mere accuracy. You would expect images of the version of Godzilla that actually appeared in the film.
I haven't seen it firsthand, but it doesn't look like a big deal. Annoying? Yes; but what matters is the quality of the disc - which is apparently fantastic.

[TokyoVigilante]

It's an issue of mere accuracy. You would expect images of the version of Godzilla that actually appeared in the film.

This isn't for fanboys, though. It's for a mainstream and slightly more film-buff demographic. We, as fans, attach so much baggage to each different suit and incarnation that we practically treat them as completely different monsters. But to everyone else, Godzilla is Godzilla is Godzilla, no matter the suit.

[Rody]

Well, like I said, it's a minor issue. It won't (or shouldn't) effect the release at all.

[Legion1979]

It's still pretty dumb. It's like putting an image of Peter Jackson's Kong on a DVD re-release of the 1933 original. Or an image of a Hammer Dracula on the cover of a DVD for the Lugosi film.

[bananaoil]

Again, my issue with the pop up is that I would love to slip the booklet inside that fold out section, because that's logically where it should go, but Godzilla's in the way.

[DaikaijuSokogeki!]

It's still pretty dumb. It's like putting an image of Peter Jackson's Kong on a DVD re-release of the 1933 original. Or an image of a Hammer Dracula on the cover of a DVD for the Lugosi film.

Or images of 1970s King Kong and Godzilla on the DVD cover of King Kong Vs. Godzilla...wait.....

[Legion1979]

^Well, that's pretty stupid too.

[mechanikong]

The way I see it, it is Criterion's way of mocking Toho. Not only do they have a buttload of special features that Toho would not approve of in any normal situation, but they got away with putting the wrong Godzilla on the cover as well. Take care of that, Toho, and all of your nit pickings with ADV's Destroy All Monsters release!

[Chaotic-Strike]

It's so nice to see how well this release is selling

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
#2 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Foreign Films
#3 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Horror
#6 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Mystery & Thrillers

http://www.amazon.com/Godzilla-Criterio ... 414&sr=8-1

[omgitsgodzilla]

I just went to Barnes and Noble tonight. The DVD was featured in that shelf they have at the front of the DVD/CD section that stores new releases and kind of shows them off. feelsgoodman.jpg

EDIT: The DVD isn't doing too bad in terms of sales, either.

[TheSecondComing]

It's so nice to see how well this release is selling

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
#2 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Foreign Films
#3 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Horror
#6 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Mystery & Thrillers

http://www.amazon.com/Godzilla-Criterio ... 414&sr=8-1

It's #109 at the time of my post.

[Chris55]

The way I see it, it is Criterion's way of mocking Toho. Not only do they have a buttload of special features that Toho would not approve of in any normal situation, but they got away with putting the wrong Godzilla on the cover as well. Take care of that, Toho, and all of your nit pickings with ADV's Destroy All Monsters release!

You're acting like they stole the movie and put it out. Toho still had to approve everything