8 Godzilla films on Blu-ray from Sony on May 6th

[k_dog77803]

The gohastings site is selling the Section 23 Godzilla blus for $10.26 each. I bought Godzilla vs Gigan in-store for $10.99.

[DoubleGulpShrimp]

Originally Posted by mar3o

[/SPOILER]

Are you saying the blu-rays do use the newer 2008 remasters aired in Japan? Are the top images from the blu-rays? If so it looks likes there's black crush because a lot of detail is lost on the top screencaps.

Im not saying that, It is an assumption because of the framing and quality of the image. I do not know for sure. The top images are the blu-ray.
I have the torrented TV rips that aired in Japan. At least for Tokyo SOS seems to use the same masters for the majority of the shots. With changed video levels and slightly different colors. I haven't checked the other movies. As for the "Crushed blacks" this is what irritates me. Just because someone can bring up the bottom stops of the image and raise the brightness does not mean that was ever originally intended. You can do that with all films that were scanned with high dynamic range. But what ends up happening is the intended blacks become a gray color and the image becomes flat. Just like the destroy all monsters and biollante releases.

This is from Destroy all Monsters. A torrented DAM on top, that I believe was ripped from a betacam because of the name of the up-loader Batacam although that is just another assumption, and the American Blu-ray on the bottom. Notice that the blacks look gray on the blu-ray.









All of you can choose to ignore me because I am not an expert on how these particular movies should or should not look.

[cakefactory]

Brief sidenote: I forgot how hilarious the patriotism is in Godzilla Vs King Ghidorah, the part where Emmy explains that the reason they want to destroy Japan is that in the future it will become the biggest, richest country in the world and buy up South America and Africa is the best. I still love this movie utterly, it throws in everything but the kitchen sink and is wildly ambitious and sure it has a ton of flaws but I think it's the most fun entry in the entire series besides maybe the original Mechagodzilla. It also has one of the best scores and some of the best effects and I liked the weird relaunch of Godzilla turning him black and making him bigger via giving him a new nuclear origin!

I think my favorite shots in the movie are those great closeups of M11's face as he runs in super-speed down the highway with the fast-motion moving road behind him.

The picture quality was all over the map, but it didn't bother me at all. I think a lot of the process shots caused heavy grain, and I think some of the military footage must have been stock footage too...grain levels are really high and then nonexistant between multiple shots in the same scene sometimes! I'm overall very happy with the disc cause it's obviously a gigantic upgrade over a fullscreen DVD and I like having the Japanese audio.

[KINGDANGER]

Originally Posted by DoubleGulpShrimp

Im not saying that, It is an assumption because of the framing and quality of the image. I do not know for sure. The top images are the blu-ray.
I have the torrented TV rips that aired in Japan. At least for Tokyo SOS seems to use the same masters for the majority of the shots. With changed video levels and slightly different colors. I haven't checked the other movies. As for the "Crushed blacks" this is what irritates me. Just because someone can bring up the bottom stops of the image and raise the brightness does not mean that was ever originally intended. You can do that with all films that were scanned with high dynamic range. But what ends up happening is the intended blacks become a gray color and the image becomes flat. Just like the destroy all monsters and biollante releases.

This is from Destroy all Monsters. A torrented DAM on top, that believe was ripped from a betacam because of the name of the up-loader Batacam although that is just another assumption, and the American Blu-ray on the bottom. Notice that the blacks look gray on the blu-ray.

[Show spoiler]

All of you can choose to ignore me because I am not an expert on how these particular movies should or should not look.

I think I remember some talk about this early in the DAM thread here on bluray.com and from my own experience with the DAM BD I can say the blacks leave a lot to be desired. Some of the talk centered around the difference in IRE black level between US NTSC and NTSC-J used in Japan. I remember a user here stating he had a user mode with a darker brightness setting setup on his TV specifically to compensate for the difference. After being impressed at the great job Kraken did on their recent releases I want to pop my DAM back in and compare since Godzilla vs Gigan uses some stock footage from DAM.

[bhampton]

I blind bought all of these.

I guess it's possible I may have seen a few bits on TV as a kid... don't remember.

Watched Godzilla Vs Space Godzilla.... Very impressed ... very happy with these ... great fun!

-Brian

[Randall Flagg]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I blind bought all of these.

I guess it's possible I may have seen a few bits on TV as a kid... don't remember.

Watched Godzilla Vs Space Godzilla.... Very impressed ... very happy with these ... great fun!

-Brian

That is one of the WORST ones IMO.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by Randall Flagg

That is one of the WORST ones IMO.

Good ! That means I should enjoy the others even more ..

[dsman71]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I blind bought all of these.

I guess it's possible I may have seen a few bits on TV as a kid... don't remember.

Watched Godzilla Vs Space Godzilla.... Very impressed ... very happy with these ... great fun!

-Brian

Yeah Space Godzilla is the one that looked really superior to the other Heisei era movies. I wasnt impressed with Mechagodzilla or Mothra .. the colors are mostly dull and bland. they lack that HD texture and quality that many titles do have. If only these went to a studio that took time to remaster and give these films the rich treatment they deserve...

[matt1982]

Watched SOS last night and Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (on dvd) the night before. I enjoyed both. I was a little disappointed by Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla at first because of the whole thing with Godzilla's bones. I liked that MechaGodzilla was built using G's bones, I liked that MechaG was "alive" and went on a rampage (though they didn't really do much with it...until I saw the second movie), but how did Godzilla know MechaG had his ancestor's bones? Why was he drawn to them? Why did he care? After watching the first movie, I thought it had really good special effects and the MechaG suit looked really good, but the stuff with the bones wasn't answered and it was weird. I thought it should have been left out.

SOS answered my questions and made me like the first movie more in retrospect. I was worried because a bunch of reviews I read said Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla was the slightly better movie, but I actually liked SOS better. It seemed like it had more going on. I liked the ending and the reveal what Godzilla wanted with the bones. I also loved the scene after the credits, but a sequel was never made.

All I have left to watch now of the ones I bought is Godzilla vs. Megaguiras and, eventually, Biollante which hasn't even shipped yet.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by dsman71

If only these went to a studio that took time to remaster and give these films the rich treatment they deserve...

Keep on dreaming, even Toho won't do that. We're lucky we got what we did, and I'm happy with the product. I don't expect to get better unless Toho somehow loses the rights to all the movies or goes out of business or something.

Originally Posted by matt1982

Watched SOS last night and Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (on dvd) the night before. I enjoyed both. I was a little disappointed by Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla at first because of the whole thing with Godzilla's bones. I liked that MechaGodzilla was built using G's bones, I liked that MechaG was "alive" and went on a rampage (though they didn't really do much with it...until I saw the second movie), but how did Godzilla know MechaG had his ancestor's bones? Why was he drawn to them? Why did he care? After watching the first movie, I thought it had really good special effects and the MechaG suit looked really good, but the stuff with the bones wasn't answered and it was weird. I thought it should have been left out.

SOS answered my questions and made me like the first movie more in retrospect. I was worried because a bunch of reviews I read said Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla was the slightly better movie, but I actually liked SOS better. It seemed like it had more going on. I liked the ending and the reveal what Godzilla wanted with the bones. I also loved the scene after the credits, but a sequel was never made.

All I have left to watch now of the ones I bought is Godzilla vs. Megaguiras and, eventually, Biollante which hasn't even shipped yet.

I also liked SOS more than Against Mechagodzilla. I had forgotten entirely about the bones thing. If my order from Barnes and Noble ever ships I am going to have to rewatch these.

Megaguirus is pretty bad, but I got a kick out of the way that it reused those bug monsters from Rodan. Those things gave me nightmares as a kid, and it was great to see them again. The black hole gun thing is also a great ludicrous sci-fi concept, but overall the movie's pretty bad. If Biollante ever ships for you you should enjoy that, I think it's definitely an above-average entry in the series. It has one of the very best enemies, if nothing else.

[dsman71]

[QUOTE=cakefactory;9170453]Keep on dreaming, even Toho won't do that. We're lucky we got what we did, and I'm happy with the product. I don't expect to get better unless Toho somehow loses the rights to all the movies or goes out of business or something.



Well I do like to dream big. Glad you're happy with sub-par releases

[cakefactory]

[quote=dsman71;9170482]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

Keep on dreaming, even Toho won't do that. We're lucky we got what we did, and I'm happy with the product. I don't expect to get better unless Toho somehow loses the rights to all the movies or goes out of business or something.



Well I do like to dream big. Glad you're happy with sub-par releases

I guess after living through the 90s where you couldn't even get these movies besides ordering bootleg VHS copies off Showcase Collectibles or Creature Feature Productions I've learned to greatly temper my expectations for quality. I am rather shocked we got the movies at all, and when I compare them to a lot of other cheap studio releases of special interest genre flicks I think they are great. I was expecting them to look as bad as the DVDs and be crammed on single discs ala Echo Bridge or something, but they were given better transfers than they received from their parent studio's native releases! I think expecting more with such niche movies which are owned by such an uncooperative studio that seems to be hellbent on not allowing anyone else in the world to do anything with them would just be unrealistic. If they weren't owned by Toho then maybe it would be worth complaining cause maybe a label like Synapse or some boutique label like that that does serious restoration work would be able to release them, but they are, and we can't.

[dsman71]

I liked the DVD releases except for Ghidroah and Mothra since they were in the wrong aspect ratio. At least Sony got that right with the blu rays.. These movies in HD to me could have been so much more. When a person is passionate about a movie and it doesnt look as it good as it should have been , that person will speak up.
I do read and understand what you wrote, and it is true that this is the best we can get, unless someone takes the Godzilla movies off Sony's hands this will be it. And that is unlikely. Toho to me is more interested in the money Godzilla can make for them rather than give the fans the best quality releases and even some decent supplements
I wasnt too surprised that they came out this year because of the Godzilla 2014 movie..but it seems more of a cash grab then a *we took the time to restore and remaster these to look their best in HD quality*
I didnt expect Echo Bridge to get Biollante (now they lost all of the Miramax films)
I get that *what could have been* thought when I see how these look. Unfortunately it is what it is
I know Synapse would LOVE to do these films by the way.

[rrpmpstck]

I have to admit I was worried after hearing everyone here talk about these that I would be disappointed in these movies. I wasn't. I think they look pretty good. Are they reference quality, not by a long shot, but for what they are I am very happy with what was released.

[k_dog77803]

Originally Posted by dsman71

I liked the DVD releases except for Ghidroah and Mothra since they were in the wrong aspect ratio. At least Sony got that right with the blu rays.. These movies in HD to me could have been so much more. When a person is passionate about a movie and it doesnt look as it good as it should have been , that person will speak up.
I do read and understand what you wrote, and it is true that this is the best we can get. Unless someone takes the Godzilla movies off Sony's hands this will be it.
I wasnt too surprised that they came out this year because of the Godzilla 2014 movie..but it seems more of a cash grab then a *we took the time to restore and remaster these to look their best in HD quality*

I didnt expect Echo Bridge to get Biollante (now they lost all of the Miramax films)
I get that *what could have been* thought when I see how these look. Unfortunately it is what it is
I know Synapse would LOVE to do these films by the way.

It doesn't matter who gets them they will have to use the same masters. Toho does not care about these films and will never get up any new masters. So be happy that Sony did the best they could do with what they have. I doubt we will ever see any other release of these films. THIS IS IT in terms of quality. So no use in crying about it just buy and enjoy them.

[Rich1983]

Originally Posted by dsman71

I liked the DVD releases except for Ghidroah and Mothra since they were in the wrong aspect ratio. At least Sony got that right with the blu rays.. These movies in HD to me could have been so much more. When a person is passionate about a movie and it doesnt look as it good as it should have been , that person will speak up.
I do read and understand what you wrote, and it is true that this is the best we can get, unless someone takes the Godzilla movies off Sony's hands this will be it. And that is unlikely. Toho to me is more interested in the money Godzilla can make for them rather than give the fans the best quality releases and even some decent supplements
I wasnt too surprised that they came out this year because of the Godzilla 2014 movie..but it seems more of a cash grab then a *we took the time to restore and remaster these to look their best in HD quality*
I didnt expect Echo Bridge to get Biollante (now they lost all of the Miramax films)
I get that *what could have been* thought when I see how these look. Unfortunately it is what it is
I know Synapse would LOVE to do these films by the way.

I do not want Godzilla to look like Avatar. These films represent an era, a studio, a genre, and the vision of creative people. People balked when Lucas released the "Special Editions" of the Star Wars films.

No matter what the studios do, the internet will always be filled with people who have too much time on their hands who will find something wrong with everything.

For the money, (12.95 each, that is 6.5 per film at Walmart in HD) the double features were well worth it. They look and sound great, but they do not look TOO GOOD to where they ruin the atmosphere and nostalgia of the films. Like I said before, you want your haunted house to have cob webs, not mopped floors.

I would like to see Godzilla 2000 released on Blu-ray. I am kind of surprised that Godzilla 2000 and GMK were not released as a double feature along with the other four. I think that certainly would make another cool double feature.

I am very content with my Godzilla Blu-ray collection for now. I have pretty much all my favorite ones. I just would like Godzilla 2000.

[dsman71]

I want them to look the best they can , and with color correcting and enhancing the Toho Masters could make them look so much better. It doesnt need to look like Avatar but it should at least look like it's in HD. They will do, but they could be better.
Let me read some of your comments about movies you really love and it doesnt look as good as it should.

You are correct about people finding something wrong with everything but I dont feel Im being nit picky. Some of these Heisei Godzillas do not look HD and I agree with the reviews.
I dont think its asking too much for a 90s Godzilla movie to look as good in HD as James Bond's Dr. No from 1963. That's just me I guess. To each ones own.

[dsman71]

Originally Posted by k_dog77803

It doesn't matter who gets them they will have to use the same masters. Toho does not care about these films and will never get up any new masters. So be happy that Sony did the best they could do with what they have. I doubt we will ever see any other release of these films. THIS IS IT in terms of quality. So no use in crying about it just buy and enjoy them.

So youre accusing me of crying and telling me to be happy while hiding behind your computer ?
Crying ? I think not, Im just saying they could look better. As for being happy that Sony did the best they could, that's baloney they hardly did anything lol
I never said I was unhappy, Im saying they could look better. Take it for what its worth I dont care.

THIS IS NOT it in terms of quality.. I dont appreciate your attacks dude, you get blocked

I dont know why I waste time with people who are clueless about what a person is saying in a forum as well as what DVD labels can or could do...

[brooks101189]

Snatched up all four over at Wal-Mart this morning. Hope there's a second batch with GMK, Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (which should have been paired with Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.) and Godzilla 2000 and those Rebirth of Mothra films.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by brooks101189

With that being said, what's the information on Godzilla 1985? Any news on why it hasn't been released on DVD, much less Blu-ray. Seems like something Scream Factory could release.

That has been discussed like 200 times in this thread and the other two godzilla bluray threads that have been getting bumped. It's a rights issue and is not going to get released anytime soon. All sorts of people throw around different dates for when the rights will expire and it will be able to be released again, but no one seems to know for sure, it looks like next year at the earliest. If this godzilla movie is a big success I'm sure it will increase the chances.