NOTE : The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the

Blu-ray

disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (October 2019): For their spine # 1000 Criterion have transferred 15+ Godzilla films to eight Blu-rays in their Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975 Blu-ray package. Blu-ray 1 has the 1954 original Godzilla and the 1956 Godzilla, King of the Monsters plus extras - it is fully reviewed HERE. Blu-ray 2 has Godzilla Raids Again and the US version of King Kong vs. Godzilla (compared HERE). The only extra is a US King Kong vs. Godzilla trailer (1:10) Blu-ray 3 has Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and Invasion of the Astro Monster. Blu-ray 4 has the Ebriah, Horror of the Deep (fully compared HERE), Son of Godzilla and Destroy All Monsters (fully compared HERE.) Blu-ray 5 has All Monster Attack and Godzilla vs. Hedorah. Blu-ray 6 has Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Megalon. Blu-ray 7 has Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla. Blu-ray 8 has the Japanese version of King Kong vs. Godzilla (1080P running 1:37:00.856 - 32.81 Mbps) with one DTS-HD Master 4.0 channel audio track (24-bit) of Japanese and some English (with non-removable English subtitles for the Japanese dialogue and burned-in Japanese subtitles - on the right side (see samples at the bottom of this review) - for the English dialogue (which is partially out-of-sync, btw) - plus extras (discussed below.)

NOTE : This Japanese-release version of King Kong vs. Godzilla was directed by Ishiro Honda and features scenes, edits, and narrative structuring that differ from the U.S. version. Comparison captures are the the bottom of this review.

Image quality varies in the films made in over a 20-year span and Japanese cinema archives have never been known for the most preservative storage. They are all transferred in 1080P with supportive (mid 20's or higher) bitrates. It doesn't look like there has been any film-level restoration with plenty of light scratches and marks evident. They aren't egregious and I find that they add to the historical value with suffering in the chiaroscuro contrast. There is, often, some stock military footage (planes) in each film that stands out as poorer quality and many times sequences are repeated in more than one film. I was a bit surprised by the softness of Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep as compared to Section 23's 2014 Blu-ray , but I think it is far more accurate to its theatrical roots showing much more information in the frame. Part of the appeal of these films is that the effects are, by other production standards, weak - it is almost at the level of expressionism evoking the idea of a towering monster stomping on houses and people than it really happening. This gives the films more of their charm. I was very pleased that the black levels are improved over previous Blu-rays , in one of my favorite of the set; Destroy All Monsters. I'd say that, in general, the HD video presentations are marginally underwhelming but a fair representation of the sources provided.

: