Godzilla & Criterion - The Monster vs. The Premier Boutique Label

The Criterion Collection is a well-known boutique distributor of aesthetically-interesting films on physical media. The company releases films that have had some significant artistic or cultural merit and has released well-over 1,000 films on disc. Its releases span the world's cinema, it has distributed films from every civilized continent on the planet. Japanese films are no exception and of course the biggest cultural icon that Japanese live-action cinema is Godzilla. Even if you may debate the artistic merits of the Godzilla films, they indisputably have had a significant cultural impact over the last 71 years. Criterion has released films in the Godzilla series on four separate occasions. In this blog article we will take the deepest dive into its releases, both the positives and negatives.

Godzilla ゴジラ

Release Date : January 24, 2012
Criterion Spine # 594
# of Discs : 1 x Blu-ray (BD-50) or 2 x DVD (DVD-9)

Regions : Region A or Region 1 (U.S., Canada)

While Criterion had been trying to get the rights to release the original Godzilla since the days when VHS and Laserdisc were the only home video options for most people, they finally managed to get the rights and release the film in 2012. There were separate DVD and Blu-ray releases and separate releases for the U.S. and Canada. Sealed copies of the Blu-ray version will have a round blue sticker that identifies it as the Blu-ray version.

Godzilla had been released once before on a non-Japanese Blu-ray, on a a less than well-regarded release from Classic Media (2009). That release only had the Japanese version and the features from the first disc of Classic Media's 2006 DVD release.

Criterion included both the Japanese version and the U.S. version, Godzilla, King of the Monsters! in its release. The U.S. version of the film had not previously been scanned as a film element since the early 1980s. Prior home video releases, whether on VHS, Laserdisc or DVD had relied on a telecine transfer made at that time. This release was able to source a nearly complete 35mm copy of the film from a fine grain positive print from an anonymous collector. The title screen card only displayed "Godzilla", (which is how the film probably was presented at its New York premiere) so a 16mm copy of the opening title sequence with "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" was used to complete the presentation.

Some fans quibbled about the image of the pop-up Godzilla on the inside of the packaging because the suit in the image was taken from the suit design of 2002's Godzilla x Mechagodzilla. Otherwise there was nothing to complain about at the time, the films' presentations on this HD disc made all previous non-Japanese releases obsolete and it was highly regarded.

The original camera negative of Godzilla no longer exists, it was shot on nitrate film and not treated well over the years. Criterion used a duplicate positive print provided by Toho for their presentation of the Japanese version of the film. This would be the last time Toho has been known to provide a film element of a Godzilla film to an outside distributor, future releases would use whatever film scans Toho had or made available to distributors at the time. It was later discovered after the scan that the print used for the Japanese version was one generation further from the negative compared to the best available elements. Toho used a scan of the better elements for its 2014 re-release of Godzilla on Japanese Blu-ray.

Special features on this disc are as follows:

• Commentary by David Kalat on both Godzilla and Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
• "My Classmate Godzilla" - 2011 interview with actor Akira Takarada (12:58, HD)
• "The Ultimate Joy" - 2011 interview with Godzilla-suit actor Haruo Nakajima (9:48, HD)
• "Exquisite Effects" - 2011 interview with special effects technician Yoshi Irie & suit co-designer Eizo Kaimai (30:08, HD)
• 2000 interview with composer Akira Ifukube (50:43, SD Upscale)
• Unused special effects introduced by special effects director Koichi Kawakita and cameraman Motoyoshi Tomioka. (9:05, SD Upscale)
• 2011 interview with film critic Tadao Sato (14:05, HD)
• "The Unluckiest Dragon" - 2011 film essay narrated by professor Greg Pflugfelder of Columbia University regarding the irradiation of the Daigo Fukuryū Maru ("Lucky Dragon No. 5") fishing boat by the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb test in 1954 (9:38, HD)
• Trailer (2:56, SD Upscale)

By comparison, here are the special features on the Toho Godzilla 4K disc, most if not all of which would have been included on the prior Blu-rays:

• Audio commentary with actor Akira Takarada
• Special News/Trailers x 5
• Trailer (2:53, HD or UHD)
• Export Trailer (2:53, HD or UHD)
• Export Trailer (Textless)  (2:53, HD or UHD)
• Trailer for Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1:46, HD)
• Trailer for Monster King Godzilla (1:50, HD)
• 2000 Interview with composer Akira Ifukube (50:38, SD Upscale)
• 1970 8mm digest version of Godzilla (14:55, HD)
• 1957 Japanese release of Monster King Godzilla (1:13:17, HD)
• Feature on the Oxygen Destroyer prop (4:17, HD)
• Unused special effects introduced by special effects director Koichi Kawakita and cameraman Motoyoshi Tomioka (16:53, SD Upscale)*
• "My Life in Film" - 1990 Interview of director Ishiro Honda by director Yoshimitsu Banno commissioned by the Director's Guild of Japan (57:34, SD Upscale)**
• 2008 Concert Tribute to composer Akira Ifukube (7:22, HD)
• Still Gallery
• Publicity images (23, HD)
• Special effects (37, HD)
• Posters and Articles (122, HD)
• Promotional Materials & Pamphlets (36, HD)
• Advertisements  (36, HD)
• Posters, Promotional Materials and Advertisements for "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" (25, HD)

Items italicized can be found on both discs.

* - This feature is lengthier on the Japanese disc as films after Godzilla are given prominent discussion.
** - Included in The Showa-Era Films, see below.

The audio commentaries by film historian David Kalat cover, by necessity, much of the same ground that film historian Steve Ryfle covered in his dual-film commentaries on the 2006 Classic Media DVDs. Kalat is the author of the book "A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series", a book I have long desired to add to my library and will get around to doing so someday! Kalat is a very listenable commentator and does as excellent job keeping the viewer engaged her as he did for his Nosferatu commentary on the BFI Blu-ray of that film.

Many of the features on these discs were originally shot for TV or on standard definition video, so they are upscaled. Modern extras will be in HD. The trailer is upscaled from SD on the Criterion Blu-ray but it is in HD or UHD and looks far superior on the Toho 4K. The Toho 4K includes other trailers not available on U.S. discs and an HD-quality transfer of "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" trailer.

The 8mm version on the Toho 4K is from its film rental library and is essentially a highlights reel from the film. There is some external narration to cover over plot points which could not be conveyed in 15 minutes of a 100 minute film. Most of the Godzilla sequences are present. The picture quality is rather variable as focus tends to drift in and out but the print is essentially complete, more than can be said for Japanese release of "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!".

The Japanese release of "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" or "Monster King Godzilla" bears discussion. In 1956 Godzilla had been localized in the United States as Godzilla, King of the Monsters by dubbing and re-editing the film and adding actors like Raymond Burr in order to make the film appeal more to U.S. audiences. The U.S. version was a hit and was distributed in several countries, including those where English was not the primary spoken language. It also returned in this version, full circle, back to Japan as Toho sought to capitalize on the new version. Toho cropped the film to Tohoscope widescreen dimensions and added subtitles for English dialog but not the Japanese dialog. It also cropped the fullscreen trailer for "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" to promote the film in Japan.

"Monster King Godzilla" as presented here and in the past has lost many frames, leading to jumps and missing dialog. The picture quality is pretty abysmal with thick scratches and poor contrast. It is also 7 minutes shorter than the surviving U.S. prints and according to SpaceHunterM for some reels the frame rate is wrong due to incorrect reverse 3:2 pulldown being applied by Toho Video. One should only watch this to give a flavor of what the original presentation was like.

The subtitles for Godzilla on the Criterion Blu-ray were professionally done and well-regarded. There are subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for Godzilla, King of the Monsters! With the assistance of the subtitles, I was able to plot a reasonably possible path of the filmmaker's intent to track Godzilla's destruction through Tokyo and demonstrate how the re-edited sequences in "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" show the attack as making no geographical sense.

Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

Release Date : October 29, 2019
Criterion Spine # 1000
# of Discs : 8 x Blu-ray (BD-50)

Regions : Region A (U.S. & Canada), Region B (U.K.) - For Blu-rays only

This set comes with eight Blu-ray discs, all BD-50s. There are separate releases for U.S., Canada and U.K, with the region locking being set accordingly. There is no DVD or 4K equivalent of this release. The price hovers around $120-130, consider that price as less than $10 per film and the value is there.

All fifteen Godzilla films released from 1954-1975 are included in their Japanese versions (titles, credits and language), 9 of them for the first time on non-Japanese Blu-ray. Also included are the U.S. versions of Godzilla, King of the Monsters! and King Kong vs. Godzilla.

This release came in a unique package in the form of a large book (14 3/8" x 10 1/2" x 1/2") with inserts on the rear flyleaf and endpaper for the eight discs. The book contains an introduction by Steve Ryfle and an essay on each film by Ed Godziszewski. They are the authors of "Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of 'The Big G'" and "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Godzilla", respectively. There is also a unique piece of artwork for each film, each from a different artist. 

Unfortunately if this release is stored upright as books often are, the adhesive holding the cardboard sleeves together will eventually lose its fight against gravity and the weight of the Blu-ray it holds. This will cause the discs to slide down and make contact with the adhesive. The adhesive can be difficult to remove and can ruin the disc surface, making it unplayable. Store the book flat, not upright or store the Blu-rays separately to avoid this. People started complaining of damaged discs within a year of the set's release. If you buy this set now open it immediately and check the state of the discs.

Disc 1 on this set has identical features compared to Criterion's 2012 Godzilla Blu-ray but some of the file sizes are different, including that for the Japanese and U.S. versions. The Japanese version is smaller and the U.S. version is larger compared to 2012's disc. The main menu has been redesigned to make it fit the style of the later discs.

Discs 3 & 4 have three films on them versus two films on other discs. The bit rate for those films may suffer a little compared to other films.

Apart from the first disc, the remainder of these discs use Toho's Hi-Vision transfers from 2008. Hi-Vision was an analog scanning system that could produce HD quality video but the system was designed for the 1990s. Previously released Blu-rays of Destroy all Monsters (2011) and Godzilla vs. Megalon (2014) from Media Blasters  and Toho's Japanese Blu-rays also use Hi-Vision transfers. These transfers looked rather dated by 2019 standards when we already had Ultra HD 4K Blu-rays and 4K scans of other films.

Notes on each film:

Godzilla Raids Again ゴジラの逆襲 (Disc 2) - No U.S. version is included. The Warner Bros.' English dub, originally titled "Gigantis the Fire Monster" will not sync with the Japanese version, far too many changes were made to the film as it was released in the U.S. The picture quality of this HD master was poorer than a 2009 German version DVD release (but not the Blu-ray) from Splendid Film.

King Kong vs. Godzilla U.S. Version (Disc 2) - The U.S. version was a main feature on Disc 2 and the Japanese original was treated as a bonus on the Supplements disc, Disc 8. Universal Studios owns the distribution rights to the film in English-speaking and many other countries in perpetuity (its copyright expires in the U.S. in 2059), unlike any other Toho-made Godzilla film. The English language version in this set looks about the same to the 2014 standalone Blu-ray release by Universal. Universal's transfer was pretty good for the time. There is a trailer for the U.S. version on Disc 2 (1:10, SD Upscale).

King Kong vs. Godzilla キングコング対ゴジラ (Disc 8) - As is well known, the Japanese version of King Kong v. Godzilla has had a very rough visual history until recently. After its general release in 1962, the film was re-released in an edited format for the Toho Champion (Film) Festival in 1970. Director Ishiro Honda edited the original camera negative to quicken the pace and appeal more to children, the main audience for these shows. The edited out portions of the film were lost for decades. Toho had found those trims in the mid-2010s and re-edited them into the film, replacing inferior scenes taken from the Laserdisc release. This restoration had been done in 2016 and was shown on Japanese TV in 2019 before the release of this set. This set used the version with the inferior scenes found on the 2014 Blu-ray.

The Japanese version in this set has forced subtitles, they can be turned off in other films in this set but for this version they appear to be burnt-in. It has been speculated that this was imposed by Toho or Universal due to the unusual nature of the rights to this film. There appears to have been an International English dub of the Japanese version of this film, at least going by its export trailer, but the dub seems to have been lost.

King Kong vs. Godzilla was the only film in the Showa Godzilla to be released with anything other than a mono soundtrack. The Japanese version has four channel stereophonic audio present in the original theatrical release. The U.S. version is in mono.

Mothra vs. Godzilla モスラ対ゴジラ (Disc 3) - No English Audio dub (the AIP dub could be made to sync to the Japanese version, but will require some effort). Like with King Kong v. Godzilla, Honda recut this film from the original camera negative for the Champion Festival in 1970, so this version and its Japanese Blu-ray derives from dupe elements. The film was restored using the Champion Festival footage and other elements by 2017, so the visuals could have been much improved over the Hi-Vision master found on this disc.

Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster 三大怪獣: 地球最大の決戦 (Disc 3) - No English Audio dub (the Continental dub will not sync with the Japanese version without significant effort) but the Continental dub was used for the international export trailer. 

Invasion of Astro Monster 怪獣大戦争 (Disc 3) - There is an English audio dub for this film included, using Nick Adams voice and other voice actors from the U.S. release. The English soundtrack is not identical to the one used in the U.S. version, originally titled "Monster Zero", because there were a few minor edits made to the U.S. version. Like with King Kong v. Godzilla and Mothra vs. Godzilla, Honda recut this film from the original camera negative for the Champion Festival in 1971, so this version and its Japanese Blu-ray derives from complete dupe elements. Fortunately Toho stopped this practice after this film was given its Champion Festival release. (Ghidorah was released next in the Champion Festival series). I am not sure if the film had restored using the Champion Festival footage and other elements by the time the Showa Set was in preparation.

The films released after this one have a much more consistent visual presentation in this set.

Ebirah Horror of the Deep ゴジラ・エビラ・モスラ: 南海の大決闘 (Disc 4) - No English audio dub included even though there is one, the International dub, which syncs with the Japanese version of the film and was previously released on Kraken's 2014 Blu-ray of Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster.

Son of Godzilla 怪獣島の決戦 ゴジラの息子 (Disc 4) - Only the International dub is included even though the superior TV dub from Titra Studios could be adapted some effort.

Destroy All Monsters 怪獣総進撃 (Disc 4) - Only the International dub is included even though the theatrical dub from AIP still exists and can sync to the Japanese version without significant effort. Media Blasters included the AIP dub in its first Blu-ray/DVD release of Destroy all Monsters back in 2011 but discontinued that disc shortly thereafter due to a failure to clear the extras with Toho. When Media Blasters re-released Destroy all Monsters in 2014, it only had the International dub and no extras (the "barebones edition").

All Monsters Attack ゴジラ・ミニラ・ガバラ: オール怪獣大進撃 (Disc 5) - No English Audio dub (the U.S. theatrical dub could be made to sync to the Japanese version, but will require some effort).

Godzilla vs. Hedorah ゴジラ対ヘドラ (Disc 5) -  No English audio dub included even though there is one, the International dub, which syncs with the Japanese version of the film and was previously released on Kraken's 2014 Blu-ray/DVD of Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. 

Godzilla vs. Gigan 地球攻撃命令 ゴジラ対ガイガン (Disc 6) - No English audio dub included even though there is one, the International dub, which syncs with the Japanese version of the film and was previously released on Kraken's 2014 Blu-ray/DVD of Godzilla on Monster Island/Godzilla vs. Gigan.

Godzilla vs. Megalon ゴジラ対メガロ (Disc 6) - English audio dub included

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla ゴジラ対メカゴジラ (Disc 7) - English audio dub included

Terror of Mechagodzilla メカゴジラの逆襲 (Disc 7) - English audio dub included

One issue that plagues all the Japanese films released in this set that were made in color were the visible film editing splices. These typically appear as a line of white on the top or bottom of a film frame. While they only appear for a frame or two, they are quite frequent. On prior releases and in the theater, the scanner or projector operator can adjust the aperture to crop these out so they are not visible at the cost of a little screen real estate. An overly generous scan can also show things that a crop was meant to hide, such as the top of a backdrop.

The scattershot inclusion of English dubs on this set was disappointing for many fans who desired a truly comprehensive set. Ebirah, Hedorah and Gigan all had International dubs on their 2014 Blu-rays from Kraken, so their exclusion on this set suggests an issue of rights to use those dubs. 

Back in 2004-2005 Sony released all the Showa-era Godzilla films on DVD whose rights were not otherwise held by other companies like Classic Media and ADV. (Ebirah, Son, Smog, Gigan, Mechagodzilla). Those transfers were excellent for their time even though DVD is an SD format and hold up surprisingly well against these HD transfers, especially in terms of color richness. The Kraken Blu-rays appear based off the masters Sony scanned for its DVDs and look superior to the Criterion presentation on these discs in certain ways.

Disc 8's special features are:

• "My Life in Film" - 1990 Interview of Director Ishiro Honda by Director Yoshimitsu Banno commissioned by the Director's Guild of Japan (57:31, SD Upscale)
• "Handcrafted Artistry" - 2019 interview with British Director Alex Cox, who discusses his appreciation for the series. (5:54, HD)
• "Launching Jet Jaguar" - 2019 interview with actor Tsugotoshi Komada, the actor inside the Jet Jaguar suit in Godzilla vs. Megalon (5:40, HD)
• "Man of Many Faces" - 2019 Interview with actor Bin Furuya, a bit player in many Toho SFX films from the 1960s (7:46, HD)
• "Good Music is Always Simple" - 1999 Interview of composer Akira Ifukube (14:35)
• "Toho Unused Special Effects Complete Collection" - A 1986 TV program showing off unused special effects from many Toho SFX films (58:30, SD Upscale)
• Trailers x 14
• Godzilla Raids Again* (0:51, HD)
• King Kong vs. Godzilla Japanese Version (2:39, HD)
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (2:08, HD)
• Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster (2:18, HD)
• Invasion of Astro Monster (2:23, HD)
• Ebirah Horror of the Deep (2:16, HD)
• Son of Godzilla (2:34. HD)
• Destroy All Monsters (2:29, HD)
• All Monsters Attack (2:28, HD)
• Godzilla vs. Hedorah (2:09. HD)
• Godzilla vs. Gigan (2:11, HD)
• Godzilla vs. Megalon (2:25, HD)
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (2:31, HD)
• Terror of Mechagodzilla (2:38, HD)
• Original Theatrical Trailers for all Japanese versions of the Godzilla films featured in this set*

* - The trailer for Godzilla is found on Disc 1. Godzilla Raids Again's original theatrical trailer was lost and the teaser trailer's audio track is lost. The trailer included on this disc was for the film's first release on home video and ends abruptly because material for Rodan follows.

Despite its issues in this set, it is still an excellent value and a chance to finally see all the Showa Era films in their original form. Toho has yet to release all the Showa films on 4K, so it is worth holding onto this release even though these presentations should eventually all be eclipsed. After June 18, 2025, all Showa Era films except Ebirah, Son, AMA, Gigan and Megalon will be available to purchase on 4K or the 4K Remaster on Blu-ray.

Godzilla (4K Remaster)

Release Date : November 5, 2024
Criterion Spine # 594
# of Discs : 1 x Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray (BD-66 or BD-100) + 1 x Blu-ray (BD-50) or 1 x Blu-ray (BD-50)

Regions : Region A (U.S. & Canada), Region B (U.K.) - For Blu-rays only

The 4K disc has Toho's 4K remaster on it, originally done in 2014. Sealed copies of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version will have a round gray sticker that identifies it as the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version. 4K discs are not region locked but the corresponding Blu-rays are. The booklet and the special features are the same as they were in 2012. The Blu-ray included in the 4K release is identical to the Blu-ray from the 2012 release, even the file dates are from 2011. I do not know if the separate Blu-ray reissue is identical to the 2012 Blu-ray or contains the 4K remaster on it. Toho's 4K remaster has separate 4K-only and Blu-ray-only releases.

Blu-ray.com reports the Criterion 4K disc to be a BD-66, but this may be incorrect. The film's stream file itself is 66.6GB and there is an extra 800MiB taken up by other files, so the disc must be a BD-100 or is literally squeezing every available byte out of a BD-66 disc. As the special features are only found on the Blu-ray, the disc is comparatively empty apart from the large stream file containing the film. The Japanese Toho 4K of Godzilla definitely uses a BD-100 but it has all the special features included on that disc, in 1080p. The stream file of the film on the Toho 4K is 10GB smaller than on the Criterion 4K.

Fortunately there is no dispute that for the 4K remaster, Toho scanned the best available known elements. Film grain is more prevalent on the Criterion but this is not easily captured in screenshots. There are definitely improvements in detail, contrast and density between the 4K remaster and older masters. Personally speaking I cannot see myself going back to the older master even if there is less grain on the 4K than I would like. I always thought the 2011's Japanese version looked worse than the U.S. version in their common elements, especially the Godzilla sequences. Now that is no longer the case. This is as good as it gets for the 1954 original.

The subtitles differ slightly between the 2011, 2019 and 2024 disc. 2019 disc has a blacker border around the text edges, presumably to make the subtitles stick out more against the black and white film. 2024's has smaller text and lighter edges than either of the prior discs. I have included a screenshot of the same frame from each disc in the linked pictures below.

Godzilla vs. Biollante ゴジラ VS ビオランテ
Release Date : March 18, 2025
Criterion Spine # 1254
# of Discs : 1 x Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray (BD-100) + 1 x Blu-ray (BD-50) or 1 x Blu-ray (BD-50)

Regions : Region A (U.S. & Canada), Region B (U.K.) - For Blu-rays only

These discs have Toho's 4K remaster on them, but unlike the Toho 4K disc the Criterion 4K disc is encoded in HDR10 and its stream file is 12.5GB larger than Toho's. Criterion has a separate Blu-ray only release of the 4K remaster. Sealed copies of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version will have a round gray sticker that identifies it as the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version. Toho's 4K remaster has separate 4K-only and Blu-ray releases. Included with Criterion's releases is a folded paper with a poster on one side and an essay and credits on the other. 

Two points of controversy with this release is the lack of the English language dub and the advertisement of a "New English subtitle translation" on the box and website. The Echo Bridge and Lionsgate DVDs and Blu-rays from 2012-2014 had the English dub synced up to the Japanese version. They sourced the dub from either the VHS or Laserdisc 1992 releases from HBO Video . While the dub is not of the highest audio quality it was listenable and it was the only official way English-speakers could watch the film from when it first premiered in the U.S. on VHS and on HBO in 1992 until the first DVD & Blu-ray. 

As has been shown elsewhere, the subtitle translation on this disc is about 95% identical to the subtitle translation on the Echo Bridge and Lionsgate Blu-rays from 2012-2014. These subtitles are reasonably close to the dubbing script most of the time. How accurate the subtitles are to the Japanese spoken dialog is a question that has yet to be given a definitive answer. There is also a subtitle option for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The HDR10 encode on the Criterion disc will put any HDR-capable monitor to an exacting test. It demands a monitor with a high peak brightness, any old "HDR compatible" display may not cut it. Even though my OLED is rated for 1,000 nits at peak brightness I had to crank the contrast all the way to the max in order to get Criterion daylight scenes to look like Blu-ray or Toho 4K daylight scenes. When the contrast is adjusted, the differences between the two discs in terms of screenshots appears to be negligible.

Some people have complained of "tealization" with Toho's 4K transfers of color films. With my Samsung 4K player and the OLED display I do not see much in the way of a teal push as I do with certain software players such as MPC-BE but not VLC. I do observe the teal push on the Blu-ray. 

One thing that has been noted about Toho's 4K releases of pre-Reiwa era films is that they use a BT.2020 color space even though they do not support HDR. The standard color space on Blu-ray, HD content and non-HDR 4Ks is BT.709. While this is not "wrong", it may cause some color inaccuracies with certain players. Criterion may have added the HDR to overcome this issue with a color film where it would not be necessary on a B&W film.

The audio mix is on the Criterion is using 5.0 surround mastered in DTS-HD, the film was originally released theatrically in Dolby Stereo. The Toho Japanese 4K release offers a 2.0 mix in addition to the 5.1 remix from 2002. "Dolby Stereo" is actually a four channel system with a center channel and a surround channel matrixed from the two main channels. The 5.1 mix should be closer to what audiences heard in the better theaters in 1989 and 1990. The .1 is meaningless as neither track on the disc has a dedicated LFE track. Nor are there distinct separate rear channels, so a 5.0 or a 5.1 track is really a 4.0 track.

Special features in this release are as follows:

• Commentary by Samm Deighan
• "The Making of Godzilla vs. Biollante" 1993 program featuring Director Kazuki Omori, SFX Director Koichi Kawakita and story author Shinichiro Kobayashi (49:00, SD Upscale)*
• "Behind the Design" 1993 short of SFX Director Koichi Kawakita discussing model designs for Biollante and Super X2 (3:01, SD Upscale)*
• "Deleted Special Effects" Scans of film showing special effects shots unused, no sound (6:45, HD)
• TV Spots x 5
• TV Spot 1 (0:19, HD)
• TV Spot 2 (0:19, HD)
• TV Spot 3 (0:19, HD)
• TV Spot 4 (0:19, HD)
• TV Spot 5 (0:19, HD)
• Trailers x 7
• Trailer 1 (2:38, SD Upscale)
• Trailer 2 (0:12, HD)
• Trailer 3 (0:33, HD + SD Upscale)
• Trailer 4 (0:43, HD)
• Trailer 5 (1:03, HD)
• Trailer 6 (2:03, HD) (English Language & Titles)
• Trailer 7 (2:03, HD)

* - Both of these are included on the Echo Bridge and Lionsgate releases of the film.

Special features in the Toho 4K release by comparison are as follows:

• Commentary by Director Kazuki Omori and SFX Director Koichi Kawakita
• Special News/Trailers x 8
• Godzilla 2 Story Announcement (0:13, HD)
• Special News 1 (0:33, HD + SD Upscale)
• Special News 2 (0:44, HD)
• Special News 3 (1:04, HD)
• Trailer (2:04, HD)
• Trailer for Export (2:04, HD)
• Trailer for Export (Textless) (2:04, HD)*
• Digest Preview (2:36, SD Upscale)
• Interview with Godzilla vs. Biollante model-maker Shinada Fuyuki (43:26, HD)
• TV news coverage items x 2 (1:43, HD)
• TV spots x 5
• 15-Second TV Spot Type A Pattern 1 (0:18, HD)
• 15-Second TV Spot Type A Pattern 2 (0:18, HD)
• 15-Second TV Spot Type A Pattern 3 (0:18, HD)
• 15-Second TV Spot Type B TV Spot 4 (0:18, HD)
• 15-Second TV Spot Type B TV Spot 5 (0:18, HD)
• "Deleted Special Effects" Scans of film showing special effects shots unused, no sound (6:11, HD)
• "The Making of Godzilla vs. Biollante" 1993 program featuring Director Kazuki Omori, SFX Director Koichi Kawakita and story author Shinichiro Kobayashi (48:59, SD Upscale)
• Godzilla vs. The Monster Army (1:05:40, SD Upscale)
• Audio played in between showings of the film (5:59, HD)
• 1993 shorts of SFX Director Koichi Kawakita discussing the three model designs for Biollante and the design of Super X2 (0:41, 0:46, 0:36, 1:01)
• Still Gallery
• Publicity images (34, HD)
• Special effects (62, HD)
• Posters and Articles (81, HD)
• Promotional Materials & Pamphlets (73, HD)
• Storyboards (50, HD)

Items italicized can be found on both discs.

* - The textless export trailer is not present on the Criterion disc.

I have yet to listen to the commentary on the Criterion disc. Samm Deighan is a film historian who hosts the Eros + Massacre podcast. The podcast focuses on cult and weird cinema, much of it by her own admission somewhat obscure. Biollante is practically mainstream cinema compared to the films she usually talks about but she knows her way around East Asian cinema. It should be noted that Ed Godziszewski had recorded a commentary for the Echo Bridge release of Biollante but because Toho did not clear it in time for Echo Bridge's release window, the company released the film without it. Unlike the commentary for Media Blasters release of Godzilla vs. Megalon, his commentary has never seen the light of day.

Not too long ago, the Echo Bridge and Lionsgate releases used to command high prices due to their out of print status. Now that the Criterion Blu-ray and 4K has been released those discs have fallen significantly in price, making the English-language dub much more accessible than it was when those discs went out of print. Now the status of scalper pricing falls to both this film's predecessor "Godzilla 1984" (released by Kraken) and especially its successors "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and Godzilla vs. Mothra: The Battle for Earth." (released by Sony) as those films are out of print.

Conclusion

It may seem like I have been a bit harsh or overly critical toward the Criterion releases, especially The Showa Era Films release. My purpose in writing this blog entry is to bring lesser known facts to light and put them into context. As a lifelong Godzilla fan, I am invested in obtaining these films in the best quality possible. This is especially true for original U.S. theatrical or TV versions, most of which have been relegated to VHS, Laserdisc and ancient DVDs. Physical media is an important part of that quest, unlike streaming physical does not degrade due to qualities outside your control (i.e. bandwidth and server capacity). Criterion is not a perfect company or without problematic releases but they try to do their best by the films they release. Their Godzilla films are among the best releases available and certainly among the most accessible for non-Japanese speakers.

I have uploaded representative screen captures for the Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Biollante 4Ks here. I will keep them there for a few weeks. Subtitles that sync to these Toho 4K discs can be found here. In this archive I have included a screenshot of a reasonable facsimile of colors my OLED displays with the 4K  Biollante discs as "Criterion 4K VLC (Saturation Boost).png". The other 4K screen captures of Biollante were done with MPC-BE, so they may not be indicative of the colors you may see on your display. The Criterion 4K captures are too dark because of the HDR.