Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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Rody
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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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That's not even mentioning that it took... What, 10 years or so? ...For Toho's old Blu-ray masters to arrive here via Criterion. The odds seem highly stacked against us seeing those transfers reach American shores anywhere in the near future.
MAYBE there's a chance of KKvsG making it over, depending on if Universal cares enough to negotiate with Toho for a single release; but that's a pretty big if, as much as I wish for it.

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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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Legion1979 wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:59 am Crispy...

I think its going to be a while before the 4k masters make their way to this country. So far only KKvsG has been released on disc in Japan, and that was two years after it's television airing, and nothing else has been announced yet. Who knows what Toho's game plan is going to be with these. At the moment we only know of 8 movies that are even getting this treatment. It's probably going to be a very long time before all the movies get released on 4k disc in Japan. And if Toho doesnt want cheaper American releases cutting into domestic sales, it will be even longer of a wait for a US release.

Also, I just don't see Criterion bothering to upgrade their set. Dealing with Toho was no doubt unrewarding, and they got a lot of crap from the dedicated fan base for various aspects of the set. I just don't think they're going to revisit it.
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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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Rody wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2021 12:58 pm That's not even mentioning that it took... What, 10 years or so? ...For Toho's old Blu-ray masters to arrive here via Criterion.
Not quite.

Media Blasters' DAM and Megalon releases from a decade ago used the Hi-Vision masters, as did Echo's Biollante release and G84 from Kraken.

Now that Sony has bailed on Godzilla I think anything released going forward between now and when the 4k masters finally arrive here are just going to use the Hi-Vision transfers.

And that's why I ask, when people seem desperate for Heisei and Millennium sets from Criterion....why?

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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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I forgot about that; thanks for the correction.
I'll also second that skepticism on the Heisei/Millennium demand; I get that people want the films to remain in circulation, but at this point (as someone who needs to catch up on the Sony Blu-rays, honestly), I'd almost rather they stay out of print until we can count on some genuinely improved versions, even if that takes a while. Biollante is getting the 4K treatment too, right? Maybe there's a glimmer of long-term hope there, at least.

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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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Yeah, I'm not expecting ANYTHING any time soon. As others have said, a one-off like King Kong vs Godzilla could be a possibility....but considering that film arrived and is right about to hit the home market...the timing of that ship has probably sailed.

But it would be snazzy if Uni got Toho's 4K restoration, and did their own 4K restoration of the US version...and then put them together. That would be huge. A total pipe dream.

I agree...I wouldn't really hope for or want any new physical releases of these films in the US unless we had some kind of assurance that they would be using the 4K restorations.
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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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I wouldn't at all mind the same transfers on the Heisei or Millennium movies if we got special features on the level that Biollante got, for example. Not that such things are any more likely.

Either way the Showa films are a landmark in cinema. There's a clear reason why Criterion would show interest in them. The Heisei and Millennium movies? Never say never, but that's way more of a stretch.
Last edited by Tohosaurus on Wed Jun 09, 2021 4:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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At this point I wouldn't be shocked if Criterion either went defunct, or were purchased/absorbed/turned into a 'label' within a larger entity. I had never really heard of Arrow prior to, I suppose their Robocop release, but they have been absolutely killing it with premium releases of top genre content. Criterion barely ever releases anything on my radar these days, and often times a lot of their stuff seems like it is coming up short in one way or another...whereas before a Criterion release was always without a doubt the definitive version to own.
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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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Chrispy_G wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 10:57 pm At this point I wouldn't be shocked if Criterion either went defunct, or were purchased/absorbed/turned into a 'label' within a larger entity. I had never really heard of Arrow prior to, I suppose their Robocop release, but they have been absolutely killing it with premium releases of top genre content. Criterion barely ever releases anything on my radar these days, and often times a lot of their stuff seems like it is coming up short in one way or another...whereas before a Criterion release was always without a doubt the definitive version to own.
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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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So...because Criterion isn't catering to your kaiju needs the way Arrow is you think its likely that they'll go out of business or be bought out by some other company

....what?

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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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Legion1979 wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2021 3:18 pm
Now that Sony has bailed on Godzilla I think anything released going forward between now and when the 4k masters finally arrive here are just going to use the Hi-Vision transfers.
Wait what? When did Sony bail on Godzilla? Did i miss something?

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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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gridiron_kaiju wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:43 pm
Legion1979 wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2021 3:18 pm
Now that Sony has bailed on Godzilla I think anything released going forward between now and when the 4k masters finally arrive here are just going to use the Hi-Vision transfers.
Wait what? When did Sony bail on Godzilla? Did i miss something?
Sony has apparently allowed its licenses to Godzilla vs King Ghidorah and Godzilla vs Mothra expire. It's been assumed (though not necessarily known) that they'll allow the subsequent Godzillas to revert to Toho, too.
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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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Terasawa wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:47 pm
Sony has apparently allowed its licenses to Godzilla vs King Ghidorah and Godzilla vs Mothra expire. It's been assumed (though not necessarily known) that they'll allow the subsequent Godzillas to revert to Toho, too.
Oh fabulous...now we'll have to wait for God knows how long for those to be available again...

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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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Chrispy_G wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 10:57 pm Arrow ... have been absolutely killing it with premium releases of top genre content
That's your issue right there. Criterion isn't a genre boutique. Yes some of their catalogue includes select and impactful genre films, but that isn't really their focus.
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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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I've seen similar talk about how GKIDS not announcing details about the NGE release right this second is gonna hurt the release because there'll be less hype and interest. There's a difference between personally disliking something a company is doing and that thing being bad for business. I really don't get that mentality.
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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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gridiron_kaiju wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:57 pm
Terasawa wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:47 pm
Sony has apparently allowed its licenses to Godzilla vs King Ghidorah and Godzilla vs Mothra expire. It's been assumed (though not necessarily known) that they'll allow the subsequent Godzillas to revert to Toho, too.
Oh fabulous...now we'll have to wait for God knows how long for those to be available again...
King Ghidorah and Mothra were in print for a good 20 years. I always assumed most fans already had them.

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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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Chrispy_G wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 10:57 pm At this point I wouldn't be shocked if Criterion either went defunct, or were purchased/absorbed/turned into a 'label' within a larger entity.
Dude Criterion is not going defunct. Besides, with the landscape beginning to move towards physical home media being a rarer commodity rather than the standard, we need Criterion. The world needs them.
I wouldn't be surprised, down the line, whenever Criterion gets around to releasing 4K discs, if they managed to drop a few standalone releases of the new 4K Godzilla transfers over here.
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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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gridiron_kaiju wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:57 pm
Terasawa wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:47 pm
Sony has apparently allowed its licenses to Godzilla vs King Ghidorah and Godzilla vs Mothra expire. It's been assumed (though not necessarily known) that they'll allow the subsequent Godzillas to revert to Toho, too.
Oh fabulous...now we'll have to wait for God knows how long for those to be available again...
Not necessarily. They're Godzilla films, not semi obscure titles like Space Amoeba, or Matango. If a label like Arrow catches wind of them being available for licensing, we can potentially get new (and definitely better, if from Arrow) releases of both, a lot sooner than later. However, I have heard that Arrow are "intimidated" in working with Toho, given how difficult they can be to work with, but I can't remember the source of that information.
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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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I don't believe for a a second Arrow licensing the Heisei films automatically would mean they'd be better than what Criterion would/could do. It all boils down to Toho, and if they decide to give Arrow the hi-vision transfers, trailers and a tiny handful of extras, that's all we'd get.

If I was an American distributor, I wouldn't give Toho the time of day. But that's just me.

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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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Honestly, I'd kind of like to see a scenario where Toho is TRYING to market their 90s/00s films, only to discover the Western distributors unanimously refuse unless Toho provides/allows higher-quality materials.
That's a total fantasy scenario, of course; but I do kind of wonder if Toho is watching the content being pumped out for the likes of Kadokawa and Tsuburaya (The deluxe Gamera and Daimajin sets, the constant stream of Ultra shows, even that 4K master of The Bermuda Depths), and if any gears are turning in their heads.

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Re: Toho's Godzilla 4K Restoration Project

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Legion1979 wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:23 am I don't believe for a a second Arrow licensing the Heisei films automatically would mean they'd be better than what Criterion would/could do. It all boils down to Toho, and if they decide to give Arrow the hi-vision transfers, trailers and a tiny handful of extras, that's all we'd get.

If I was an American distributor, I wouldn't give Toho the time of day. But that's just me.
My bad, I actually wasn’t trying to make a direct Criterion comparison, but you’re right. Toho need to do 4K transfers of all of the Heisei films first before any distributor here tries to pick them up. Even then, Toho would have had to have released them on BD/UHD in Japan before they would even license them out, so, definitely a lot of roads blocks in the way right now. Nobody wants to see HiVisons get released ever again, even if they were part of a ‘fancy’ release from Arrow.

If Toho get the 4K Biollante on disk in Japan before the next decade, that could potentially be sub-licensed from Miramax, but I am definitely not holding my breath for such a thing ever happening, especially not anytime soon.
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