Godzilla (1954) 4K UHD Is the Pick of the Week

I have to admit, I hadn’t seen any of the Godzilla films (except for Roland Emmerich’s disastrous 1998 remake) nor had found any desirable reason to see them. However, I’ve found myself kind of curious about the pioneering 1954 original, by Ishiro Honda. It appears to be a film with actual style and substance.

After doing some research on it and seeing it for the first time on TCM, I think the real monster is human error and not the radioactive titular monster himself. After he’s awakened (by nuclear testing no less), he causes rampage and immediate destruction in Tokyo. High-ranking politicians debate whether or not information about Godzilla should be made public (probably for profit), while non-politicians want to warn the country (to help save humanity).

Despite the Oscar-winning special effects, the design of Godzilla is a little cheesy and schlocky but compared how he looks now (with expensive CGI), you do appreciate the actual time and effort (where a stunt performer wore a suit and interacted with miniature sets) was used for the film. The less dated aspect is the film’s body count and overall message of the dangers of fear mongering and nuclear experimentation.

Making its 4K UHD debut from Criterion, the picture will probably look crisper. The supplements (including the 1956 American adaptation Godzilla, King of the Monsters, starring Raymond Burr) have all been ported over from the previous Blu-ray and DVD editions. There are also commentaries for both films by film historian David Kalat; interviews with actors Akira Takarada and Haruo Nakajima, special effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai, and score composer Akira Ifukube; photographic effects featurette; trailers and more! There’s also the essay by critic J. Hoberman (from the previous editions) included.

If you happen to be a diehard fan of the Godzilla universe, or least the 1954 original, then this new UHD should feel right at home in your physical media collection. Fire-breathing monsters sold separately.

Other releases:

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (Cohen Media): A brand-new documentary guided by filmmaker Martin Scorsese detailing the creative cinematic partnership of legendary filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Strange Darling: Acclaimed horror-thriller where a twisted one-night stand becomes the basis for something much, much darker.

I Love Lucy: The Complete Series (Paramount): A 33-disc set containing all 180 half-hour episodes of the groundbreaking, Emmy-winning classic sitcom.

Suspiria (Imprint): A brand new limited edition 3-disc 4K UHD/Blu-ray import box set of Luca Guadagnino’s wild and hypnotic 2018 epic remake/reimaging of the Dario Argento masterpiece.