Two Toho Collections- Sony re-releases 10/19/15

[O.Supreme]

Greetings All,

Looks like Sony is preparing two Budget releases for October. The Amazon Release date is currently 10/19, which is odd considering that is a Monday, but perhaps it is a temporqary error.

Anyway, Here we have, in DVD Format, Two Combined Toho Collections:

Volume 1
http://www.amazon.com/Godzilla-Destroya ... 2693529011

Volume 2
http://www.amazon.com/Godzilla-Mega-Set ... 2693529011

Sure there are a number of issues I see here that may keep most hardcore fans away, (lack of Blu Ray, Absence of RoM III, G vs. MGII packaged with Millennium films instead of Heisei films) but for a casual fan, this may be an inexpensive way to quickly start a collection.

*Actually upon looking at the product details, this seems not to be a good price at all. Considering, at least with collection one, this may be an attempt at repackaging & reselling *unsold* flipper discs from over a decade ago, the combined $38.99 price is more expensive than they were upon their initial release separately. What Sony is trying to offer here, is beyond me.

[Benjamin Haines]

Interesting. Amazon lists three discs for the first set, so that's definitely just a repackaging of all of Sony's old flipper-disc DVD releases - KG+Mothra, Spacegodzilla+Destroyer, and RoM1+RoM2.

The second set, however, is listed as containing just four discs, whereas all seven of those movies were originally released by Sony as individual DVDs. That listing might just be an error, but if it really is only four discs then I guess that means Sony is actually pressing new, double-feature discs (flippers?) for six of those movies while one of them will get a disc to itself. If that's the case, then considering how Godzilla 2000 is the only one of those seven movies that didn't include the Japanese audio on Sony's original DVD, and considering that it was the only one of Sony's kaiju films that got a standalone blu-ray release last year, maybe they'll actually press a new DVD of Godzilla 2000 that includes both cuts of the movie as the fourth disc in this set? I guess we'll see.

[lhb412]

Man, was really hoping we'd see the Mothra/Battle/H-Man set re-released on Blu-Ray.

[jellydonut25]

I couldn't imagine buying either one of those collections unless I was a SUPER casual fan. Randomly plopping GvsMG2 on that second one? ROM1 and 2 but not 3? This crap is done by people who neither know nor care what's going on.

[Legion]

[DannyBeane]

Meh I think Sony is just trying to clear out their inventory.

[Benjamin Haines]

[Dr Kain]

Not only is the pairing messed up, but they didn't even bother to put the movies in order on the cover.

[Dai]

These should serve as a convenient gateway drug for the casual viewer, though those covers scream, "Bootleg," albeit falsely. I'm sure this is the opposite tack from what we all hoped for from Sony's next move with the franchise though.

[O.Supreme]

Well the price came down from 38, now to 35. I'm thinking the price will come way down as the actual release date gets closer. You can purchase the older DVD's new for a fraction of the cost, or the current Blu-Rays, (with digital copy) for about the same.

Yes an Icons of Sci-Fi: Toho Collection on BRD would have been nice from Sony, looks like that isn't happening any time soon.

[JimPV]

[canofhumdingers]

[Jared]

[canofhumdingers]

Japanese with English subs. My Alamo Drafthouse showed it as part of their "robots vs kaiju" film series back when Pacific Rim came out. And I'm pretty sure I've seen at least one or two other people on this board saying a local theater in their area screened it within the last few years.

[The Top Crusader]

I wasn't even aware of that sci-fi Toho Collection with H-man... I did just pick this up, though, which has H-Man and Battle in Outer Space. Plus 4 other fine, fine films. No Mothra, though.

http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Sci-Fi-Mo ... age+sci-fi

EDIT: And by "wasn't even aware of it" I mean that I already have it on my shelf, now that I take a look. Well, a house isn't a home without two copies of H-man and Battle in Outer Space. Never know when you'll need a spare.

[O.Supreme]

Interesting... yeah the "Icons" collection was a big deal when it came out in 2009. The reason why Mothra is not included in the collection you purchased is because Mill Creek packaged it with another set:



I just wonder if the Mill Creek releases are on par with the Sony ones, or if they include both English Dub and original Japanese?

[The Top Crusader]

Yeah, I think I bought it back in 2009 only to have Mothra on DVD, and totally forgot the other two were included, haha.

[Benjamin Haines]

Bret Sinclair of the 'Kaiju & Tokusatsu On Video' Facebook group got these new DVD sets. He reported that the first set is indeed three discs while the second set is four discs and they're all stacked on singular spindles like Sony's 'Icons of SciFi: Toho Collection' set. Final Wars is the only movie with its own disc, which is identical to Sony's previous DVD release.

I was wrong to assume that the first set would just be a repackaging of Sony's old flipper discs. Apparently all of the movies in these two sets other than GFW are paired together on newly-authored, single-sided discs with generic menus that let you select which of the two films you want to watch.

All of the movies on the first set have English dubbing with no Japanese audio option, as do Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1993) and Godzilla 2000 (which is the US version only), while the other five movies in the second set are in Japanese with English subtitles and no English audio. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and Godzilla vs. Mothra are presented in 1.33:1 pan-and-scan just like on Sony's old flipper-disc release, while all of the other films are in anamorphic widescreen.

I think it's disappointing that Sony actually went and authored brand new DVDs for the Heisei movies and Godzilla 2000, something they haven't done since they first released them on DVD from 1998 to 2005, and yet they didn't bother to fix any of the flaws from their initial releases. If they were going to cram King Ghidorah and Mothra onto one single-sided disc, they could have at least utilized the widescreen prints with Japanese audio tracks that they just put out on bluray last year. The same goes for Godzilla 2000. This could have been the long-overdue R1 DVD debut of the Japanese cut of G2K, even if it was to oddly be paired with Mechagodzilla'93, and instead those flicks are inexplicably the only two English-language viewing options in a seven-movie set. What kind of consumer is that meant to satisfy?

[Dr Kain]

Wow when I said this was a pointless release, I thought I was being a little harsh. Turns out I was still wrong as these releases are not just pointless, but also lazy and cheap. This is unacceptable for DVDs released in 2015. Congratulations Sony, you just cranked up the stupid and brought yourself back to 2000.

[O.Supreme]

Man...I guess Sony will package a Godzilla movie with anything...Now I know what many of you are thinking...you don't see a Godzilla movie in this set..Ha...ha...we get it. Just trying to be the vigilant observer on Amazon for anything on the horizon, though I cant think of a reason why any fan would want this:

http://www.amazon.com/Covenant-Godzilla ... 2693529011

July 3 2016...is a Sunday...ok...

[klen7]

Wow. Thats quite a set.

[Dr Kain]

Shouldn't the set be called "Terrible Movies Volume 2?"

[lhb412]

Mysterious Island is a terrific movie; one of Harryhausen's best. Who knows what it's doing on that set.

That looks to me like one of those packages that's sold at Dollar General. Come to think of it: I see DVDs of Mysterious Island for sale at Dollar General all the time. I suppose Sony has an insane amount of Mysterious Island discs in a warehouse somewhere.

[O.Supreme]

Just reporting a sighting. Last Friday (11/4/16) Both sets in new packaging together at Wal-Mart as a single "13 movie set" price was $45 or $49....either way--the price should be half if they want to compete with other budget movie bundles.

Still patiently awaiting news from ANY company with respect to the 8 remaining Godzilla films with no Blu Ray release in North America.