Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

AAAAAND IF Criterion did KKvsG, it would be fitting to do it this year since August 11th is the 50th anniversary of the film's release. ... But still wishful thinking.

Maybe a new disk will also help clear tlhe misconcepts associated with KK vs. G and we all know there are a few.

OK - finally got around to watching KOTM and all the extras I hadn't watched:

KOTM looks incredible.

Kalat's commentary for KOTM is terrific, especially his spirited defense of the entire Godzilla series.

The interview with Ifukube is a treasure. It's wonderful to hear his story in his own words and he comes off as totally charming.

I was just thinking back to when this was first released and all the fan brouhaha about Bill Sienkiewicz using the Millennium Godzilla's for his packaging art when they should have been focusing on the frankly extraordinary work Criterion did with the transfers of '54 and KOTM and I got angry all over again.

If there was ever an event used to demonstrate nerds' propensity for getting hung up on pointless minutia rather than seeing the big picture...


BUT, not to resurrect an old thread on a purely negative note: I love this release and have given the disc a spin several times since it's release to watch both versions of the film. I'm still knocked out by just how fantastic it looks when compared to the versions we'd settled for on DVD and VHS for all those years.

Out of curiosity, did anyone in the fandom ever do a super-cut that combined the added footage from G:KOTM back into Gojira proper? The idea has popped up in conversation several times over the years and the Criterion restoration offers the best quality picture readily available to the average Joe. I've never thought to look and see if the super-cut had ever been done.

^Here's the thing though: it still didn't really matter. It was a non-issue that was the primary subject for fans to talk about in a real 'missing the forest for the tree' moment.

Would have been nice if the popup was Godzilla's head peaking over the hill on Odo Island.

I pulled this out and watched it again. I am 60 and a lifelong Gojiraphile. It fills me with awe to see Criterion's treatment of Gojira. It thrills me to my core.

Okay, um, don't want everyone to get too excited but, well, first of all Janus (Criterion's main partner) is now handling film distribution of Godzilla '54 after Railto had it for all these years. That's pretty cool.

... and you know how the first clue we get that Criterion is releasing a movie is often the appearance of that film's director getting a blank page on Criterion's website? They have a database for the directors of the films under their banner and... there's now one for . Oda, of course, directed Godzilla Raids Again and not much else. Might be nothing, might be that Criterion's getting into Godzilla in a big way.

GRA wouldn't be my first choice for a new Godzilla Criterion, but I would still snap it up in an instant. It's an unfairly maligned movie, which doesn't deserve its reputation as a 'quickie sequel'.