Godzilla KOTM... from the Criterion Collection!?!?!

[canofhumdingers]

Very well said Ben! I’ve been pretty disappointed with this set since the first details were released and I’ve not been shy about expressing my opinions. But getting angry over it is fruitless and will gain us nothing. The word I’ve used repeatedly is that it makes me sad. And it does.

But that being said, even I plan on getting this set. It still has unique things to offer that I don’t yet have in my collection, the most important of which are official subtitled blu-rays of the remaining Showa films yet to be released in HD stateside. And I *do* want to support any legitimate release of these films to show there is demand for them (plus it’s just the right thing to do. I’m not opposed to bootlegs/fan restorations when that’s the only way to get something, but I always support the legal releases whenever they occur). But my disappointment in the set means it’s not worth the full sticker price to me so I’ll certainly wait for a good sale.

But I’m glad you make a point of demonstrating that Toho isn’t purposefully evil or hating their American fans. They are making some really poor choices that are misinformed and misguided, which just sucks. But they’re not evil.

Heck, I’m a huge advocate of the original cuts of the Star Wars trilogy and I hate many of the choices George Lucas has made in the last two decades, but he’s not evil either. Has he made some terrible choices and done real damage to our cultural, artistic, and film history and preservation? Yes. And that really hurts deep. But he’s just a person just like me.

[GodzFire]

[lhb412]

I've already posted my thoughts on the new cover art for the original Godzilla, namely that it's one of the most terrifying depictions of the character I've ever seen and is very true to the film itself. Thought I'd give my opinions on all the other individual covers, with respects to Ben, who originally posted these several pages ago:

Godzilla Raids Again - Art by Katsuya Terada


Nice composition, and to me the image suggests a bit of mystery and intrigue. Not exactly indicative of watching the movie, but hey - it looks cool!

King Kong vs. Godzilla - Art by Arthur Adams


The man, the legend! Not only is this a nice variation on the most famous publicity still/poster image, but to me it harkens back to the artwork Adams did in the 90s for Dark Horse and the Compendium, so I get very powerful Nostalgia waves from this. Notice the slightly more saurian features on Godzilla here, like there's a bit of Charles R. Knight dinosaur in his DNA.

Mothra vs. Godzilla - Art by Angela Rizza


Probably my least favorite piece of art on the set. The composition is iffy and if one were to do a Google image search you'd easily find the source images used for Godzilla and Mothra... but, it isn't terrible. I like some of the flourishes the artist added to Godzilla's face and the funky background.

Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster - Art by Monarobot


Mona has famously been doing amazing fan art for a couple of years now in the style, depicting Godzilla and other pop culture figures in these sort of South American (Aztec influenced? I'm a decade removed from my art history classes) tableau pieces. It's a delight to see then working on an official release. Part of me would like to see the entire series represented in this unified style, but I think that would be a bit too unusual for some people and we'd be inundated with a kind of bellyaching and complaints that makes my teeth grit just to think about.

Invasion of Astro-Monster - Art by Benjamin Marra


The most deliberately kitschy art on the set. I dig the faux vintage pop art presentation.

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep - Art by Simon Gane


I really like this one. I like the composition, the drawings of the monsters are fantastic, and I love seeing the human cast represented at the bottom.

Son of Godzilla - Art by Robert Goodin


Not my favorite piece, but I like the stillness of the image and I think it reflects the subject matter and tone of the movie well.

Destroy All Monsters - Art by Sophie Campbell


Sophie has been knocking it out of the park with kaiju fanart for several years now, and this is another case where finally saying her work represented on an actual product is enormously gratifying. This is the highlight of the entire set. It's an amazing idea for a poster, first thing, and the composition and the way all the monsters are spilling out from every direction and interacting is just incredible. Look at Minilla firing those smoke rings! Look at that gorgeous gradient work on Rodan's wings and Baragon's ears! Would love to have a poster or a t-shirt of this image.

All Monsters Attack - Art by Jorge Coelho


Clever idea that represents the movie very well. Not my favorite piece, but gets a lot of points for how engaged it is in the subject matter.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah - Art by Geof Darrow


Darrow's trademark insane detail and mounting visual clutter are in full effect here - his work makes you want to hunker down and search every nook and cranny of the image.

Godzilla vs. Gigan - Art by Becky Cloonan


A very striking image that spotlights both the monsters and our two human leads! The actress who plays Tomoko (and, more famously, Anne in Ultraseven) actually reached out to Becky Cloonan to compliment the piece on social media. How awesome is that?

Godzilla vs. Megalon - Art by Ronald Wimberly


Love the Trigger Studio-style figures of Megalon, Gigan, and Jet Jaguar. Wasn't initially a fan of the looming Godzilla, but it's growing on me and it does reflect 70s aesthetic of Godzilla backlit by the sun, which is kind of a recurring visual motif at the time.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla - Art by Takashi Okazaki


Maybe the most traditional in style, in regards to what one would expect an illustration done for a Godzilla movie to be. What isn't traditional is the composition! I like that, though. I admire how every drawing goes for something a bit more unusual.

Terror of Mechagodzilla - Art by Chris Wisnia


Not my favorite, a bit messy in the composition, but it's impossible to not have a smile put on your face by an earnest homage to the greatest comic book artist of all time, Jack Kirby! Those guys at the bottom are the kinds of panicked on-lookers that populated thousands of comics over the years and it's nice to see them present.


Can't wait to own this thing and have the physical book in my hands. It's going to be quite the thing to have. Kudos to Criterion for gathering such an eclectic, interesting stable of artists.

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

[Benjamin Haines]

[klen7]

Ebirah, DAM and KKvG I adore.

I wish the ToM one didn't have the sound effects all over it.. "Boochee Booch" seems more at home with Jay and Silent Bob and "Tinkle Dee Tinkle" brings to mind teletubbies... but at least now when people debate the spelling of Godzilla's roar in the future we can add "Krackle Dee Fooshie Fwoo" to the mix of "Skreeonks" and "Gyaooos"

[lhb412]

[Gojira69]

[Gwangi]

[kiryugoji04]

The Son of Godzilla cover to me seems clearly inspired by the film's Polish poster.

[canofhumdingers]

[Benjamin Haines]

[Gojira69]

Someone in this thread (I think) mentioned there were 19 dubs created for the Showa-era Godzilla films.

Is there a thread which details this? I would appreciate being pointed in the right direction to get a complete picture on this? Thanks.

[H-Man]

Bold text for every dubbed version that will be heard/seen on the upcoming Criterion set. Each title is followed by what's known about the dubbing studio or location.

American versions
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) Hollywood
Gigantis, the Fire Monster (1959) Ryder Sound Service, Hollywood
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963) Ryder Sound, Hollywood
Godzilla vs the Thing (1964) Titra Sound Studios, New York
Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster (1965) Bellucci Productions, New York (credited to Joe Bellucci)
Monster Zero (1970) Glen Glenn Sound, Hollywood
Godzilla versus the Sea Monster (1968) Peter Fernandez, New York (likely at the studios of Titan Productions, Inc.)
Son of Godzilla (1969) Peter Fernandez, New York (same story as "Sea Monster")
Destroy All Monsters (1969) Titan Productions, Inc., New York (the renamed sound recording division of Titra Sound Studios)
Godzilla's Revenge (1971) Ryder Sound Services, Hollywood
Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1972) Titan Productions, Inc., New York

Toho's "international dubs"
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep - Frontier Enterprises, Tokyo (first heard in the U.S. in 2005)
Son of Godzilla - Frontier Enterprises, Tokyo (first heard in the U.S. in 2004)
Destroy All Monsters - Frontier Enterprises, Tokyo (first heard in the U.S. in 1996)
Godzilla vs. Hedorah - Hong Kong (Ted Thomas' group) (first heard in the U.S. in 1996)
Godzilla vs. Gigan - Hong Kong (Ted Thomas' group)
Godzilla vs. Megalon - Hong Kong (Ted Thomas' group)
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla - Hong Kong (Matthew Oram's group)
Terror of Mechagodzilla - Hong Kong (Matthew Oram's group)

The Hong Kong dubs for Gigan through TOMG are the same dubs that were released in the U.S. Those films were never redubbed here. There are also suspected but unconfirmed Toho commissioned dubs for King Kong vs. Godzilla and Invasion of Astro-Monster.

[Gojira69]

[Rody]

[Benjamin Haines]

[H-Man]

[Zack Metoyer]

[klen7]

I like this theory

[XvGojira]

[Joseph Goodman]

[Benjamin Haines]

[KaiserGhidorah]

[lhb412]

If y'all start a riot I'm afraid I'll have to press the self destruct button Greg Shoemaker secretly installed in the fandom.