GODZILLA BOX - THE SHOWA FILMS 1954-1975 (CRITERION COLLECTION) [Blu-ray] [2019]

Amazing to finally have my favourite Godzilla movies on blu ray! It's the very first time most of these movies have been released in the UK, let alone on blu ray! And to finally own the highly superior version of King Kong Vs Godzilla at all.. (aka the Japanese one) is amazing, honestly never thought I would ever own that version, it's not the best transfer for the Jap version unfortunately though, as the color is a little strange in some shots, other shots it's too dark and other shots are of much lower image quality than the rest of the film, but regardless I don't mind and I'm over the moon to own the Japanese version of King Kong Vs Godzilla!This set only has the English dubs of a few of the movies, so if you're a dub fan then possibly skip this or keep your old DVD's and such, personally I don't care, I always have and always will watch the Jap versions, that being said I don't mind a couple of the English dubs for the ones that don't change anything but the voices.As for the packaging, I initially thought it was stupid and was frustrated that I can't just put it on my shelf with my other movies.. But when I finally had it in my hands I quickly fell in love with it, it looks so cool and feels high quality, still.. Wouldn't mind being able to store it on my shelf with my other blu rays and DVD's... But oh well.As for image quality, the films vary, some look gorgeously clear and reveal so many details previously hidden by limitations, others still look a good amount better than any DVD's but just not quite as sharp as others in the set, like the original Gojira looks great! And is so much more immersive than it has ever been, but then you put in Godzilla Raids Again and it just looks... Still fantastic and the best the film has ever looked, but just not as sharp as a lot of blu rays I've had, same for Mothra Vs Godzilla, The best I've ever seen the film look!... But Ghidorah The Three Headed Monster looks crisper and more detailed in comparison, and sadly for me my favourite Godzilla movie ever (second only to the original Gojira) Son of Godzilla, is one of the ones that still looks fantastic but just not as crisp as it could be.Even with these points though I love the set to bits! And being able to own and see these films in the best quality I ever have in my life (even the slightly less crisp ones) is an amazing feeling, one problem I've personally always had with the Godzilla movies is there's so much movement and hectic explosions and stuff on screen that it always made it hard to focus on things properly when coupled with the low resolution of DVD's, VHS's or anything, for me personally, and having them on this blu ray set finally fixes my problem!! I can finally feel very immersed into these films, see details that I've never been able to see previously and overall just make me enjoy these films more than ever. :)I will note that you can also see strings and the lines between the images of the sky on the walls of the set and stuff, it's much more apparent that they're just on a set when you can see more detail, I have never noticed this with lower resolution releases... Which some people might dislike that they can see this, but not me! I love it! I love seeing how movies were made and what special effects techniques they used, it's a huge part of what I love about watching film.Well worth my purchase! 😄

Wow! All 15 movies from the Showa era of Godzilla in one extremely beautiful package. This collection is huge, as you can see in the picture with my other Godzilla dvd.You get 36 pages in the book, with a 3 page essay on Godzilla movies and the impact they made on Japanese cinema, then you get two pages for each movie, one page of text about the movie and one full page of stunning full colour artwork.The movies come on 7 Blu-Ray discs with an 8th disc with extras:Disc 1: Godzilla the original movie plus the American re-edit and extras.Disc 2: Godzilla Raids Again & the American version of King Kong vs GodzillaDisc 3: Mothra vs Godzilla, Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster & Invasion of Astro MonsterDisc 4: Ebirah Horror of the Deep, Son of Godzilla & Destroy All MonstersDisc 5: All Monsters Attack & Godzilla vs HedorahDisc 6: Godzilla vs Gigan & Godzilla vs MegalonDisc 7: Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla & Terror of GodzillaDisc 8: Original Japanese version of King Kong s Godzilla and extras.The price may be a little high but the quality is astounding, the picture on the Blu-Rays is almost too good, you can actually see the strings holding everything up in clear quality.Some of the movies are extremely goofy, the infamous flying drop kick from Godzilla vs Megalon and the flying Godzilla from Godzilla vs Hedorah and All Monsters Attack is just a compilation of fights from other movies with a plot about a little boy who dreams he is friends with Godzillas son. Most of the movies are presented in the original Japanese with English subs, the only movies that have English dubs are: Invasion of Astro Monster, Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs Megalon, Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla.Great fun and the only way you can get most of these movies here in the UK.

Absolutely love this great quality blu rays. Case is lovely but very big and bulky its actually a book with pockets in the back so not space saving but i display it like an art piece so it works for me. The movies will play on any uk bluray player but only 3 of the movies have an English dub the rest are Japanese with subtitles which i prefer but some people don't just something to be aware of. If you're a fan of the showa era Godzilla movies then its a great collection.

There is a informative 3 star review on this collection by deckard that I recommend everyone to read. For my review I will just be pointing out some pros and cons with my personal opinions in brackets.The Collection:Pros- All of the classic movies in one placeCons- Prioritises the Japanese versions with english subs over including all english dubbed versions.(this doesn't bother me as I like to watch the japanese made movies in japanese with english subs but this will put many people off as the english dubbed versions are what most english speakers want.)The Case:Pros- Beautiful new art work with extensive write ups.Cons- Oversized and fragile.(it looks impressive and makes a statement by its size but I would have preferred a blu ray sized collection for display purposes. I have bought 8 custom blu ray case sleeve designs to print. one for each disc.)Movie Quality:Pros- Very clear and detailed on 50 inch TV. An improvement over the DVD quality.Cons- Less special features then previous releases.Discs:Pros: Simple and highly functionalCons: Uneven distribution with multiple movies per disc which probably meant to less room for special features.(my OCDness doesn't like multiple movies on one disc unless they are alternate versions of the same movie.)Includes the japanese version of King Kong vs Godzilla:Pros- this was a very difficult movie to own on modern media prior to this collection.Cons- Video and sound quality dips at some points throughout the movie. Also its on the 8th disc as an extra when it should be on the 2nd disc alongside the us version.(again OCD kicks in here a bit)Price:Pros- Cheaper than collecting all the moves on blu ray individually. Price is slowly dropping over time.Cons- Still not a cheap buy. Price was probably inflated due to case production costs.

As a member of a younger generation, I have waited years for an officially release of the Godzilla movies in the UK. I grew up with dodgy dubbed VHS copies and the same two or three films on daytime television to satisfy my Godzilla needs. My only real collection came from New Zealand and now, to actually have the entire Showa collection in Region B and on bluray, it's a dream come true.Criterion went out of their way to present the legendary film series in a way that would look fantastic regardless of where you put. There are fifteen films in total spread across eight bluray discs. Of course this all starts with the 1954 original movie and includes series classics like Mothra vs Godzilla, Ghidorah The Three Headed Monster and Godzilla vs Mecha Godzilla. The book is made of a fairly sturdy material with nice thick glossy paper and is absolutely massive. The book is around fourteen inches tall and looks quite cool in person. Each page of the book features some beautiful coloured artwork, an extended essay with information in regards to the films etc.The bluray discs themselves features a reasonable amount of features and extras. There's trailers, audio commentaries by historian David Kalat, lots of archival interviews from Ishiro Honda, filmaker Alex Cox about the making of this box-set and more with others including cast members. The American release of the 1954 film is featured as well as the original Japanese version of King Kong vs Godzilla (located on a bonus disc). Those looking for English dubbing might be a little disappointed. They are only available for a handful of films (Astro-monster, Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Megalon, Mecha Godzilla and Terror of Mecha Godzilla) but are still there in all their cheesy goodness.The hi-definition transfers of the films are pretty good for the most part. They're certainly an improvement on the old blurry muddy DVDs. You'll notice that the original 1954 film is considerably sharper but retains all the scratches and film damage from previous releases. The others aren't quite as bad but could have been improved had Toho let Criterion do their thing. But unless you're an overly fussy collector who has thirty different copies of each film from all over the world, this will serve you well and will look good doing it. An added bonus is the brand new subtitle translations which flow very well and look very sharp on the screen. They're bright and very easy to read, great for those watching with the original Japanese audio.As a box-set, it isn't quite as impressive as the Zatoichi collection but it definitely comes in a VERY close second. It is absolutely stunning to look at and looks pretty good on the television. As a Godzilla fan who has waited the majority of his life to own official UK releases, this is worth every penny and I think other fans will feel the same way.

I’ve not opened it yet as it’s a gift but it came quickly and it looks fab! Assuming the discs are good then I’ll be very happy!!As an update - the 5* rating is right. This went down a real treat for a Christmas gift and well worth the money :)

Godzilla has always been my favourite movie since I was a little boy and obviously we are blessed with the remakes in recent times. But there is nothing like the originals just the classics which made you fall in love with the franchise. I’ve never seen all 15 movies before just due to being in the uk and it not widely available. Bought this so I can finally enjoy more hours of Godzilla in action and it comes in this lovely style art book explaining some of the history of the creation of Godzilla. While presenting all the 8 blu ray disks at the back which have multiple movies on each disk to watch. A must have for a Godzilla fan

Well it finally arrived, and what an impressive boxset this is. It really is gigantic (like a large book - which it kind of is, also) and the artwork is amazing. Is it worth the price? Well, yes, as this is the only way you will acquire all of the Showa era movies in one go, immediately playable on a UK purchased blu-ray player (I do however recommend getting at international player, as there are great boxesets to be acquired from other corners of the world for the later Godzilla series - which I have). No doubt there will be future, similar sets and other opportunities to collect these movies (hopefully with more English audio options) and hopefully Criterion will do the Heisei and Millenium eras in similar boxes to this one to make a complete set - but for now, this is it.In conclusion, if you're a major Godzilla fan like myself looking to upgrade your DVDs, this is for you. If you know someone who is a super Godzilla geek and want to really treat them, this will certainly do the job. If you are just casually interested in Japanese monster movies or are buying something to entertain the kids, this is NOT for you. Save your money.

Auch ohne deutsche Synchro sieben(!) Sterne!

Arrived early and came exactly as described and discs work perfectly on my PS5. Make sure you get the right copy for your region as they are region locked (Australia Region B).Now I just need to find a set of the rest of the films

Sono i 15 film della Showa Era dal 1954 al 1975. In sostanza i primi film di Godzilla. Non c'è audio italiano e nemmeno i sottotitoli. Edizione bellissima. Attenzione esiste sia una edizione Region A che una Region B. Quella delle mie foto è Region B.

Acheté comme cadeau pour un fan de l'univers. C'est un très beau coffret pour les amateurs de godzilla

Disks do not play in USA dvd or Blu-ray players.