I can't speak for Night, but Toho does NOT do HDR on ANY of their 4Ks in Japan. Therefore, this isn't a Criterion thing, this is a Toho one. Frankly, I don't think HDR adds that much.
I get what you're saying about not messing with Toho's scan since they did the same thing with Seven Samurai. My issue is Criterion could have added it in themselves. Just like BFI did with Seven Samurai. The BFI has Dolby Vision while the Criterion has no HDR. I love Criterion, but this alone is making me go with the BFI option for the Kurosawa 4K releases. Plus BFI has better encoding.
A label adding HDR after the fact to an SDR master would just be revisionist wouldn't it? Given that everyone working on it likely never saw or remember the original film print, they'd just be guessing what the levels should be..or doing it just to make it look better with no regard to how it looked at the time. But I will say that with DV, it would benefit from having a more repeatable viewing experience across all devices. Though I'm curious what the numbers are for what the actual dynamic range of the available film print elements really is.
Brilliant that you made the Oppenheimer connection. Probably other reviewers have made that connection, but as far as what I’ve seen myself, you’re the first to do this. ❤
Criterion is absolutely dropping the ball with their insistence on leaving HDR out of the mix. Heck, look at how BFI is cranking out titles you find in the Criterion Collection, both getting new 4K upgrades, but BFI is giving it HDR (and in some cases Dolby Vision) but Criterion is just bare bones plain scan. For the premium price they charge they should damn well be going all out.
Oh no, there goes Tokyo! That new character in Godzilla King of the Monsters is played by Raymond Burr, better known as Perry Mason. That's why Burr pops up in a cameo in the American edit of 1985's Return of Godzilla, paying homage to the US version of the original.
For the movie Godzilla 1984 witch was a direct sequel from the first Godzilla ignoring all other sequels they got the same actor to reinsert the same character to release it in America as Godzilla 1985 but because of copyright has never passed a vhs release but it was the first Godzilla I ever saw growing up
I have the big Godzilla criterion collection, not going to upgrade without HDR, HDR is the number one reason I upgrade to 4K, resolution is actually secondary for me
4K isn't really my thing but I've been interested in buying TOHO's 4K Remaster Blu-rays. I'm planning getting Criterion's Godzilla vs Biollante 4K release. From what I was told when I've asked about the 4K Remaster Blu-rays is that these retain the changes that 4KUHD have but are downscaled to 2k. And I believe that's what vs Biollante's Blu-ray is based on. Plus, I've recently heard that TOHO is doing more 4K Remasters. Among them are The Return of Godzilla (a.k.a Godzilla 1984), Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla (1974), & Terror of MechaGodzilla.
I went with the TOHO GODZILLA 4K. Should get it early next year. Looking forward to seeing it. Waiting for a 4K of the original KING KONG. 20, 000 LEAGUES UNDER the SEA (1954) is another title I’d like to see in 4K - if DISNEY ever get its act together?
This is the only Godzilla movie thats depressing and horror, the black and white nature drastically helps the tone and atmosphere of the film that Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One can't touch.
I think people see that there is no HDR or Dolby Vision on releases and feel like it’s a rip off or the labels are trying to get one over on them. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!! Sometimes those “upgrades” aren’t needed and can make the image worse. The black and white 1930s Godzilla isn’t going to necessarily come out the same way as it did for 12 Angry Men, Casablanca, etc. because they are shot in a completely different way, using different equipment, at a different time, in a different country. A lot more goes into it than people think. This release looks as good as it’s ever going to look on the physical format with this 4K Criterion release.
I thought your review was pretty good. Of course, I picked this up on release day. I already had the Japanese 4k release that I picked up earlier this year. I also have some of the other Japanese 4k releases of the older Godzilla films and none of them have HDR or Dolby Vision. They look really good though. I hope we get 4k releases of the other Showa era Godzilla films sometime in the future.
The 1954 (and 1956) is my favourite GODZILLA film. It’s also his best look, imo. The original suit looks great. He doesn’t have the stupid-looking ping-pong eyes from the later films - and he looks better in b/w. No comedy, good guy lizard in the classic original, but a mean SOB.
I own 34 different Godzilla films.. soon 35, minus one is on preorder. Plus duplicates of quite a few Godzilla movies, from box sets. Already have 4 copies of Gojira 1954. Still This was a no brainer. The original on 4K. And 50% off. Now I have 5. It’s great, not my favorite. Godzilla 2000, Invasion of Astro Monster, Biollante. Just to list a few top ones.
Excellent review! Just received my pre-ordered copy, haven't watched it yet as I need to order a new lamp for my Sony home theater projector. I also own (and have watched) the 2011 Criterion Blu-ray). Having grown up in the 50s-60s when I saw most movies in theaters, as well as having been a projectionist for a few years when I was in college, I can almost certainly say that Toho's objective would have been to reproduce the closest thing to a pristine print projection with a quality film projection system comparable to the film's original release back in the day, in Japan. In my view, this would be on a 4K transfer closer to SDR, rather than taking advantage of HDR capabilities. Just my opinion, but anyways I will know for sure in the next few weeks as I wait to get a new lamp installed and fire up my video projection system. Regarding the film/ storytelling itself, in many ways I like this original Gojira (closer to the original Japanese name, if said with equal emphasis on all 3 syllables) the best of all later Japanese and US versions - though I have not seen Godzilla Minus One (yet). There is just something very special about it, you have touched on it in your own comments. As for the dubbed in English version "Godzilla, King of the Monsters"...that is the original theatrical film released and distributed widely in the US, and what I would have seen on television in the late 50s or early 60s (I never saw it in a movie theater). This is the version which 99.9% of Americans saw in 1956 and beyond; perhaps there were a few art or foreign film theatrical showings in the USA upon the original Gojira release (such as theaters in NYC or LA, SF catering to Japanese-speaking customer) - not even sure if an English sub-titled version was ever available to the American public prior to the Criterion release in 2011? I was thrilled with the 2011 Criterion release to at last be able to view both the original Japan release as well as the version I grew up with in a decent quality, but I can't wait to view the new 4K!
I mean is there a singular release on Blu-ray from Criterion? Though the only other way to get this was from the set. Also the movie is the only thing that matters to me. As long as it looks and sounds nice that’s all that matters. People get to bent up about the specs as of late.
Having no HDR isn’t a deal breaker for me. At all. People getting their pants in bunch over it don’t realize that if Criterion adds HDR to their 4k discs, so does the higher price tag. Seems to me they’re trying to keep their 4k disc pricing lower without sacrificing the quality. HDR isn’t the end all to be all. Get over it and enjoy the films for what they are.
I own Thelma & Louise no HDR, picture is very good, they have their resons for omitting HDR, so buy or save your money, but its getting boring saying the same thing and yet you still give them your money, Toho maybe made the wrong choice . i will decide very soon whether to get Blood Simple on 4k or the Blu-Ray.
I watched Godzilla Minus One last night , I thought it was a keeper but I was wrong. Although I liked the monster and the award winning visuals , I did not enjoy the way the actors performed, it was too stagey for me, a little bit too exaggerated at times , not all the time ,.but that Oriental way of acting put me out of the movie time and time again. I am so sorry , I thought I would get it on 4k , but I am going to pass. Thank you for the review of the classic 1954 Godzilla, Ken.
@@TokuAndAnimationNewsNetwork I'm really curious to know BFI's process for taking an SDR master of a 70yr old movie and forcing it to be HDR. One of the main purposes of HDR is supposed to be to yield an authentic representation of the film print's full dynamic range..which is lost once the master scan/file is SDR.
Sick of Criterion leaving HDR off their black and white releases. Night of the Living Dead deserved HDR dammit!
I can't speak for Night, but Toho does NOT do HDR on ANY of their 4Ks in Japan. Therefore, this isn't a Criterion thing, this is a Toho one. Frankly, I don't think HDR adds that much.
@@TokuAndAnimationNewsNetworkI agree. Sometimes HDR ruins things.
Hdr dosent matter.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a trend. Kino Lorber also releases SDR 4Ks. This is a total ripoff.
Night of the Living Dead 4k looks Unbelievable on the Criterion disc without HDR.
I get what you're saying about not messing with Toho's scan since they did the same thing with Seven Samurai. My issue is Criterion could have added it in themselves. Just like BFI did with Seven Samurai. The BFI has Dolby Vision while the Criterion has no HDR. I love Criterion, but this alone is making me go with the BFI option for the Kurosawa 4K releases. Plus BFI has better encoding.
A label adding HDR after the fact to an SDR master would just be revisionist wouldn't it? Given that everyone working on it likely never saw or remember the original film print, they'd just be guessing what the levels should be..or doing it just to make it look better with no regard to how it looked at the time.
But I will say that with DV, it would benefit from having a more repeatable viewing experience across all devices. Though I'm curious what the numbers are for what the actual dynamic range of the available film print elements really is.
I first saw this when it first came out as a young boy. Sure dates me.. 😂
The farther back you go, the higher level of talent and skill you will find. Often labor intensive but incredibly well done.
Brilliant that you made the Oppenheimer connection. Probably other reviewers have made that connection, but as far as what I’ve seen myself, you’re the first to do this. ❤
Criterion is absolutely dropping the ball with their insistence on leaving HDR out of the mix. Heck, look at how BFI is cranking out titles you find in the Criterion Collection, both getting new 4K upgrades, but BFI is giving it HDR (and in some cases Dolby Vision) but Criterion is just bare bones plain scan. For the premium price they charge they should damn well be going all out.
Oh no, there goes Tokyo! That new character in Godzilla King of the Monsters is played by Raymond Burr, better known as Perry Mason. That's why Burr pops up in a cameo in the American edit of 1985's Return of Godzilla, paying homage to the US version of the original.
For the movie Godzilla 1984 witch was a direct sequel from the first Godzilla ignoring all other sequels they got the same actor to reinsert the same character to release it in America as Godzilla 1985 but because of copyright has never passed a vhs release but it was the first Godzilla I ever saw growing up
I have the big Godzilla criterion collection, not going to upgrade without HDR, HDR is the number one reason I upgrade to 4K, resolution is actually secondary for me
4K isn't really my thing but I've been interested in buying TOHO's 4K Remaster Blu-rays. I'm planning getting Criterion's Godzilla vs Biollante 4K release. From what I was told when I've asked about the 4K Remaster Blu-rays is that these retain the changes that 4KUHD have but are downscaled to 2k. And I believe that's what vs Biollante's Blu-ray is based on.
Plus, I've recently heard that TOHO is doing more 4K Remasters. Among them are The Return of Godzilla (a.k.a Godzilla 1984), Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla (1974), & Terror of MechaGodzilla.
I went with the TOHO GODZILLA 4K.
Should get it early next year. Looking forward to seeing it.
Waiting for a 4K of the original KING KONG. 20, 000 LEAGUES UNDER the SEA (1954) is another title I’d like to see in 4K - if DISNEY ever get its act together?
This is the only Godzilla movie thats depressing and horror, the black and white nature drastically helps the tone and atmosphere of the film that Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One can't touch.
I think people see that there is no HDR or Dolby Vision on releases and feel like it’s a rip off or the labels are trying to get one over on them. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!! Sometimes those “upgrades” aren’t needed and can make the image worse. The black and white 1930s Godzilla isn’t going to necessarily come out the same way as it did for 12 Angry Men, Casablanca, etc. because they are shot in a completely different way, using different equipment, at a different time, in a different country. A lot more goes into it than people think. This release looks as good as it’s ever going to look on the physical format with this 4K Criterion release.
I thought your review was pretty good. Of course, I picked this up on release day. I already had the Japanese 4k release that I picked up earlier this year. I also have some of the other Japanese 4k releases of the older Godzilla films and none of them have HDR or Dolby Vision. They look really good though. I hope we get 4k releases of the other Showa era Godzilla films sometime in the future.
The 1954 (and 1956) is my favourite GODZILLA film.
It’s also his best look, imo. The original suit looks great. He doesn’t have the stupid-looking ping-pong eyes from the later films - and he looks better in b/w.
No comedy, good guy lizard in the classic original, but a mean SOB.
Many many Directors do not like HDR. They feel it is a gimmick and they want their films pure.
I own 34 different Godzilla films.. soon 35, minus one is on preorder. Plus duplicates of quite a few Godzilla movies, from box sets.
Already have 4 copies of Gojira 1954. Still This was a no brainer. The original on 4K. And 50% off. Now I have 5.
It’s great, not my favorite. Godzilla 2000, Invasion of Astro Monster, Biollante. Just to list a few top ones.
Excellent review! Just received my pre-ordered copy, haven't watched it yet as I need to order a new lamp for my Sony home theater projector. I also own (and have watched) the 2011 Criterion Blu-ray).
Having grown up in the 50s-60s when I saw most movies in theaters, as well as having been a projectionist for a few years when I was in college, I can almost certainly say that Toho's objective would have been to reproduce the closest thing to a pristine print projection with a quality film projection system comparable to the film's original release back in the day, in Japan. In my view, this would be on a 4K transfer closer to SDR, rather than taking advantage of HDR capabilities. Just my opinion, but anyways I will know for sure in the next few weeks as I wait to get a new lamp installed and fire up my video projection system.
Regarding the film/ storytelling itself, in many ways I like this original Gojira (closer to the original Japanese name, if said with equal emphasis on all 3 syllables) the best of all later Japanese and US versions - though I have not seen Godzilla Minus One (yet). There is just something very special about it, you have touched on it in your own comments.
As for the dubbed in English version "Godzilla, King of the Monsters"...that is the original theatrical film released and distributed widely in the US, and what I would have seen on television in the late 50s or early 60s (I never saw it in a movie theater). This is the version which 99.9% of Americans saw in 1956 and beyond; perhaps there were a few art or foreign film theatrical showings in the USA upon the original Gojira release (such as theaters in NYC or LA, SF catering to Japanese-speaking customer) - not even sure if an English sub-titled version was ever available to the American public prior to the Criterion release in 2011? I was thrilled with the 2011 Criterion release to at last be able to view both the original Japan release as well as the version I grew up with in a decent quality, but I can't wait to view the new 4K!
This restoration was not from the original camera negative. It no longer exists. I believe it is from a master positive.
Just had slumber party massacre one and two special edition collector's set 4k on 101 films 🎥 😊 new release
Damn! I still need to grab that!
What about Seven Samurais? Is it worth without HDR? Any thoughts?
@@brunomachado7279 None other than BFI has an edition with HDR available. May want to go with that. I’m not getting it right now.
@@midlevelmediaThanks you, Ken!
I preordered the BFI one since I’ve already got the Criterion Bluray.
It’s not the 4k or the features, but that pop-up Godzilla that sealed the deal for me. 😂
I mean is there a singular release on Blu-ray from Criterion? Though the only other way to get this was from the set.
Also the movie is the only thing that matters to me. As long as it looks and sounds nice that’s all that matters. People get to bent up about the specs as of late.
Yes, there is a singular bluray release available.
Yes, Criterion released it on BD in 2011.
Having no HDR isn’t a deal breaker for me. At all. People getting their pants in bunch over it don’t realize that if Criterion adds HDR to their 4k discs, so does the higher price tag. Seems to me they’re trying to keep their 4k disc pricing lower without sacrificing the quality. HDR isn’t the end all to be all. Get over it and enjoy the films for what they are.
Walmart is going to carry the Godzilla minus one 4k
I own Thelma & Louise no HDR, picture is very good, they have their resons for omitting HDR, so buy or save your money, but its getting boring saying the same thing and yet you still give them your money, Toho maybe made the wrong choice . i will decide very soon whether to get Blood Simple on 4k or the Blu-Ray.
Thelma & Louise 4K has both HDR and Dolby Vision.
This doesn't have H.D.R ? I'll keep my original ''CLASSIC MEDIA'' d.v.d release. Great review though.
That pop-up art of Godzilla is kinda tacky, in my opinion.
I watched Godzilla Minus One last night , I thought it was a keeper but I was wrong. Although I liked the monster and the award winning visuals , I did not enjoy the way the actors performed, it was too stagey for me, a little bit too exaggerated at times , not all the time ,.but that Oriental way of acting put me out of the movie time and time again. I am so sorry , I thought I would get it on 4k , but I am going to pass. Thank you for the review of the classic 1954 Godzilla, Ken.
I honestly thought i was being punked when everyone said they loved godzilla minus one. Holy cow what a piece of anime crap.
In Japan the acting is often melodramatic. This is just a cultural difference honestly. It’s not for everyone.
@@breadordecideignorant comment.
We say Asian now not oriental oof lol
The visual was impressive but a snooze fest
No hdr no purchase imo.
Came to say the same.
What if HDR does it no favors? You want a feature just for its own sake?
Yeah I passed on night of the living dead because of it. I'm not a fan of Criterion 4Ks. Other companies do a way better job.
Japan doesn't do HDR, so NONE of the Toho 4Ks will have it. If HDR is your breaking point, I don't think you're actually a fan of the movie.
@@TokuAndAnimationNewsNetwork I'm really curious to know BFI's process for taking an SDR master of a 70yr old movie and forcing it to be HDR. One of the main purposes of HDR is supposed to be to yield an authentic representation of the film print's full dynamic range..which is lost once the master scan/file is SDR.
No sense in buying this film now that minus one is out.