Godzilla showa/heisei movies in 4K (in Japan...)

[Dai]

Looks like most of the showa and heisei Godzilla movies are getting 4K and remastered blu-ray releases in Japan between Oct-Dec 2023.

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/feature/godzilla_4K_ultra_hd

Before anyone gets too excited, bear in mind that these don't have English subtitles, as per usual for Japanese releases. I just hope this will prompt Criterion to release an upgrade of their disappointingly uneven showa set, or for anyone else to licence them for a western release. I don't have a 4K TV, but I would absolutely buy new releases of the movies that had those awful splice marks on the Criterion set.

[Benjamin Haines]

Toho has restored ten Godzilla movies in 4K so far (that we know of). King Kong vs. Godzilla was the first one to air on Japanese television back in 2016 and Toho later released that restoration on 4K disc and regular blu-ray disc in 2021. That was also the year when 4K restorations of G'54, MvsG, GT3HM, MZ, DAM, Hedorah and Biollante all debuted on Japanese television.

Toho is releasing separate 4K and regular BRD editions of both G'54 and MvsG on October 25, followed by GT3HM, MZ and DAM on November 22, and then Hedorah and Biollante on December 20.

They've also announced that Megalon and G'84 have been restored in 4K and will air in Japan on November 3 along with Toho's existing HD transfers of GxMG and GFW. No word on disc releases for those restorations but here's an ad for the upcoming broadcast which includes some side-by-side comparisons for G'84: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tH_cd5_mhw

Toho has also done 4K restorations of Rodan, The Mysterians, Mothra, Matango and Frankenstein vs. Baragon but none of them are scheduled for disc releases yet.

There's no telling how long Toho will wait before letting any company release these restored transfers on disc outside of Japan. Maybe around 2030? Toho might be finished restoring the rest of the Godzilla movies in 4K by then.

[lhb412]

Honestly, I wouldn't mind if Criterion waited a considerable number of years if it takes that long to get these various Toho films the presentations they deserve.

[Benjamin Haines]

During the 2024 Godzilla Fest livestream, Toho announced a new 4K UHD box set of six movies to be released in Japan on June 18, 2025.

https://i.imgur.com/wQlaAtM.jpg

Godzilla Raids Again
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
Terror of Mechagodzilla
The Return of Godzilla
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1993)
Godzilla: Final Wars

This will be a limited-edition set and Toho is taking preorders until January 24. Unlike their prior releases, it looks like they aren't releasing any of these movies individually, at least not yet.

This will bring the total number of classic Godzilla movies on Japanese 4K disc up to 14, including 10 Showa, 3 Heisei and 1 Millennium. It's interesting that Godzilla vs. Megalon isn't included in this set even though its 4K restoration has already aired on Japanese television.

[lhb412]

I'm just gonna pencil in "Criterion Godzilla 4K set(s) in 2026" on my mental calendar.

I feel I'm right!

[Benjamin Haines]

^ Well, Criterion is bringing G'54 to American 4K on November 5 this year, after Toho released it on Japanese 4K on October 25 last year. Theoretically, Toho would probably let Criterion release MvsG, GT3HM, MZ, DAM and Hedorah on American 4K at this point.

As for a full Showa Series 4K set? Toho still hasn't done 4K restorations of Sea Monster, Son of Godzilla, All Monsters Attack or Gigan as far as we know, and they would need to release those four and Megalon on Japanese 4K disc first. With Toho really staggering these releases, I think the fans in Japan would be lucky to get the rest of the Showa movies on 4K disc by the end of 2026, possibly released in time to coincide with Yamazaki's next Godzilla movie if it opens that November. I just don't see Toho getting the rest of these out in Japan quickly enough for Criterion to release a full Showa set in 2026.

It would be great if Criterion wanted to make standalone releases for more Godzilla films beyond the original. Box sets are always nice but I'd rather get individual movies sooner.

[lhb412]

I know that Criterion likes these big, splashy sets, but I also wouldn't mind individual releases. For some titles Criterion has had bigger sets containing a large amount of a filmmakers work but still had a few of the notable entries available separately, so there is precedent. Presumably keep the less notable titles for the set still several years away, but put especially popular ones out early.

[Benjamin Haines]

It has begun! Criterion just announced their own standalone Godzilla vs. Biollante release for March 18 as a 2-disc 4K/BRD set!

https://www.criterion.com/films/33023-godzilla-vs-biollante

"4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

New 4K digital restoration, with 5.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
New audio commentary featuring film historian Samm Deighan, host of the podcast Eros + Massacre and coeditor of the book Revolution in 35mm
Making-of program from 1993 featuring director Kazuki Omori and special-effects director Koichi Kawakita, among others
Short documentary from 1993 about the Biollante and Super X2 vehicle concepts
Deleted special effects
TV spots and trailers
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: An essay by science-fiction and horror film expert Jim Cirronella

New cover by Eric Powell"

[Kailem]

Ha, you must have posted this right as I was typing out my post in the other thread!

As I said over there, I guess this answers the question of whether or not Criterion were going to wait to get the rights to the rest of the Heisei series or just start releasing the ones they've already got individually. Though now that I think about it, that just makes it even more random that they've been sitting on so many non-Godzilla Ishiro Honda Showa movies without having done anything with them outside of streaming!

I feel like it's less likely that this ends up getting a UK release than it was with the Showa set, but at least if it doesn't I've still got it on Blu-ray already.

[lhb412]

Wow! A single movie release is a game changer. This means any movie with a preexisting 4K release in Japan is a potential new Criterion release!

The biggest elephant in the room is the seeming lack of the English dub, which is a bummer. Of course, I'm used to "Toho giveth, Toho taketh away" in regards to dubs, alternate versions and the like. I don't like it, but I am used to it after a few decades of dealing with it.

But as someone who loves Godzilla movies, the fact that "watchable but somewhat poor" is the default presentation of the majority of these films makes me very, very excited to get better quality transfer of... well, any of the films, but especially a favorite like Godzilla vs. Biollante! That, in addition to being packed with extras, makes me more happy and excited about this and potential subsequent releases than the negative caveats bring me down.

Also, I know Eric Powell has a somewhat mixed reputation among Godzilla fans because of his Godzilla comics work, but I gotta say I dig his cover; really sells a grotesque vibe for a film that has some of the gooeist effects in the series!

[Dai]

I guess this means they're going to prioritise movies that they haven't given a physical release previously, rather than new versions of titles that had a sub-par master on the Showa collection.

[lhb412]

^ So far we've got 4Ks of Godzilla '54 and, now, Biollante. I'm not sure we can infer any particular release pattern as of yet?

[Benjamin Haines]

Biollante is still the only Heisei Godzilla film that Toho has both remastered in 4K and released on 4K disc in Japan, so it's currently Criterion's only Heisei option for a North American 4K release. I'm psyched that they're going ahead and doing this now instead of waiting years to debut it in a box set.

Toho's 4K restoration of G'84 debuted on Japanese television last year, and both G'84 and MG'93 will be included in Toho's Japanese 4K box set next June. Assuming that Criterion will need to wait at least a year after Toho releases any of these movies on Japanese 4K disc, as Criterion has done so far with G'54 and Biollante, we probably won't hear anything about them releasing either of those next two Heisei movies on North American 4K until the second half of 2026. Hopefully Toho will have released the rest of the Showa and Heisei films on Japanese 4K by then. In the meantime, hopefully Criterion will do standalone 4K/BRD releases for KKvsG, MvsG, GT3HM, MZ, DAM and Hedorah.

Regarding Biollante's English dub, even though Toho commissioned that dub in 1989, Toho hasn't possessed any elements for that dub in a very long time. Back in 2012, when Echo Bridge had licensed the movie from Miramax and was preparing their BRD & DVD release, an Echo Bridge employee in charge of disc authoring posted on the Toho Kingdom forums with the username mxg744 to seek input from Godzilla fans and provide updates on the process. He described three optional sources for the English dub: a poor-quality SD master of the dubbed export version of the movie provided by Miramax, a stereo track that didn't sync up with Toho's HD video master of the Japanese version, and the 1993 HBO Video laserdisc of the dubbed export version. Echo Bridge ended up ripping the dub from the laserdisc because that was the best option, which is why the dub is a 1.0 mono track on the Echo Bridge and Lionsgate discs. Toho had no English dub elements to provide back then either. The only way the dub could be included on Criterion's release would be if Criterion ripped it from the Echo Bridge or Lionsgate discs or from the HBO Video laserdisc, but a user on blu-ray.com (citing Jim Cironella, presumably from Facebook) said that Toho vetoed it.

Regarding the non-Godzilla Showa films that Criterion has been streaming on their subscription service for years now (Rodan, The Mysterians, Varan, Matango, Atragon, Dogora, Frankenstein vs. Baragon, War of the Gargantuas, Space Amoeba), I think that Criterion is waiting until they can release 4K restorations of them on disc, whether as a box set or standalone releases. Aside from Mothra (which Sony owns in North America), Toho so far has restored only Rodan, The Mysterians, Matango and FvsB in 4K and they haven't released any of them on 4K disc in Japan yet. Toho has released all of those movies on regular blu-ray disc in Japan, so Toho would probably let Criterion release them on North American BRD using those same transfers, but I don't think Criterion is eager to release another collection of outdated HD transfers after they already had to do that with their Showa Godzilla set five years ago. There is a remote possibility that Toho might let Criterion be the first in the world to release some of these movies on 4K disc, as there are some distant historical precedents for that (Media Blasters' 2005 Dogora DVD and 2011 DAM BRD), but that's very unlikely with the Toho of today.

Side note: although Toho has released most of their other classic fantasy films on Japanese BRD (Invisible Man, The H-Man, The Human Vapor, The Secret of the Telegian, Gorath, King Kong Escapes, The War In Space), they still haven't done so for Battle In Outer Space nor Latitude Zero. While BIOS is owned by Sony in North America, Latitude Zero has the distinction of being the only one of the classic Toho films previously released on DVD by Media Blasters that is currently both unavailable on Japanese BRD and unavailable to stream on the Criterion Channel. I wonder why that is.

[Dai]

[quote]So far we've got 4Ks of Godzilla '54 and, now, Biollante. I'm not sure we can infer any particular release pattern as of yet?[/quote]

Ah, but jumping to conclusions based on little to no information is what the internet is for.

[lhb412]

^ That is true.

[quote]Regarding the non-Godzilla Showa films that Criterion has been streaming on their subscription service for years now (Rodan, The Mysterians, Varan, Matango, Atragon, Dogora, Frankenstein vs. Baragon, War of the Gargantuas, Space Amoeba), I think that Criterion is waiting until they can release 4K restorations of them on disc, whether as a box set or standalone releases. Aside from Mothra (which Sony owns in North America), Toho so far has restored only Rodan, The Mysterians, Matango and FvsB in 4K and they haven't released any of them on 4K disc in Japan yet. Toho has released all of those movies on regular blu-ray disc in Japan, so Toho would probably let Criterion release them on North American BRD using those same transfers, but I don't think Criterion is eager to release another collection of outdated HD transfers after they already had to do that with their Showa Godzilla set five years ago. There is a remote possibility that Toho might let Criterion be the first in the world to release some of these movies on 4K disc, as there are some distant historical precedents for that (Media Blasters' 2005 Dogora DVD and 2011 DAM BRD), but that's very unlikely with the Toho of today.
[/quote]

I guess our best shot at this is Toho giving less of a priority for non-Godzilla films. I could see them reserving Japan first releases for heavy hitters like Rodan and Mothra, but in all honesty a Criterion release of, say, The Mysterians, wouldn't half suprise me.

[Benjamin Haines]

August Ragone just shared this news on Facebook. Toho is debuting 4K restorations of Gorath and Atragon in select Japanese theaters this month!

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10162754075623185&id=712198184

It's too bad that MGM has been sitting on Gorath, The Human Vapor and The Last War even though they own the US rights forever.

[lhb412]

Crossing my fingers even harder...

[Kailem]

"It's too bad that MGM has been sitting on Gorath, The Human Vapor and The Last War even though they own the US rights forever."

I guess that explains why I couldn't find any western releases of those films when I looked. I know they likely acquired the rights many years ago, but I'll still never understand why companies get the rights to something and then just do absolutely nothing with it at all.

[Benjamin Haines]

MGM acquired Orion Pictures in 1997 and with it a massive library of movies. Orion had obtained The Human Vapor, The Last War and Gorath in 1996 when they acquired the film library of Samuel Goldwyn Entertainment, a company founded in 1978 which had acquired the Brenco Pictures film library. Brenco was the original US distributor of all three of those movies in the 1960s, and the deals they struck with Toho back then apparently granted Brenco perpetual distribution rights, similar to how Columbia Pictures became the permanent owner of The H-Man, Battle In Outer Space and Mothra.

MGM has never bothered to release any of those movies, not even during the 2000s when they produced their Midnite Movies line of DVDs to release a lot of the old genre films from AIP, Hammer Films and other studios that they got from acquiring Orion. According to MZ user GaryT, who works/worked with MGM, they only have some lousy old pan-and-scan transfers and poor film elements of the dubbed US cuts of those movies. They don't have any elements of the Japanese cuts, so even though they own the distribution rights to the movies, they would still need to work with Toho and pay them to obtain transfers of the Japanese versions, and that would require MGM to want to release them in the first place. Since MGM was acquired by Amazon in 2022, I'd say that MGM's level of interest in releasing those movies went from zero to nonexistent.

Any other company that might want to release The Human Vapor, The Last War or Gorath on disc in the US would need to be up for negotiating with both MGM and Toho. Criterion could make it happen, although they're probably waiting for Toho to restore them and their other classic fantasy films in 4K.

In other news, Criterion's Biollante release is getting a UK edition! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Godzilla-Biollante-Blu-Ray-Criterion-Collection/dp/B0DS2Q8FTP

[Kailem]

Thanks for the heads-up! That's probably the fastest I've ever clicked "pre-order" on something after finding out it's on the way!

I was hopeful we might get the Biollante 4K over here too given that the Showa box set saw a release over here, but I wasn't suit whether that might have just been a one-off. So this certainly bodes well for any future Criterion Godzilla releases to also get a release here too!

And for Gorath, The Human Vapor and The Last War, that's unfortunate. I'm pretty sure the DVD I have of The Monsters that Challenged the World is one of those MGM Midnite Movies releases, and even that is unfortunately cropped to fullscreen. So I can only imagine how bad the elements for those other films must be then. Like you said, here's hoping some possible 4K restorations prompt Criterion to eventually approach MGM about licensing them for western releases, since it sounds clear they'll never have any intentions of doing it themselves.

It's a good thing it seems like Columbia are a lot more willing to do deals with other distributors with their three films than MGM are. I've got the UK Eureka/"Masters of Cinema" Blu-rays of Mothra, Battle in Outer Space and The H-Man, and I was wondering why those ones specifically were freely available over here when so few Toho tokusatsu films are. But I guess now I know the answer!