Godzilla: The Showa-Era

Per chi ama e colleziona Godzilla (da film a gadget a qualsivoglia altra cosa), non può farsi sfuggire una collector's dei primi 15 film. Sì, sono presenti tutti e quindici film dell'era Showa (la prima era). I sottotitoli in inglese sono presenti in tutti i film, tranne in uno soltanto (se non ricordo male King Kong vs. Godzilla, in cui non è presente l'audio originale giapponese e nemmeno i sottotitoli in inglese, in quanto il film è interamente e solo in lingua inglese). Questa cosa l'ho trovata un poco fastidiosa, ma va bene lo stesso. E' l'unica collection, in cui sono presenti tutti e quindici i film e non potevo non averla. Faccio presente che tutti i blu ray sono region A e non leggibili sui lettori europei, a meno che si possieda un lettore multiregion o specifico region A. Se avete un masterizzatore blu ray collegato al pc (interno o esterno che sia), potete facilmente vederli.

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BE CAREFUL I YOU'RE BUYING THIS: This is Region *A*. If you're not from region A you need a region free player. It is a beautiful set of high quality. Very nice display piece and it feels peaceful knowing I can watch these whenever on BR and not have to search on the internet everytime.

A good collection in great quality. A region-free bluray player is required for viewing outside USA. The book holding the discs is ridiculously oversized. I got this especially for the Japanese cut of King Kong vs Godzilla and almost thought it wasn't included, but found it unlisted on the Supplements disc instead.

I had to drink a considerable amount of Sake to loosen my wallet enough to press the 'Proceed to Checkout' button on this rather pricey item. And am I ever glad I did, it's a beautiful presentation of a series of movies that I had forgotten how much I enjoy. I've only ever seen these films on low definition CRT screens during televised Sunday afternoon matiness filled with numerous commercials. Revisiting them through Criterions lovingly restored versions via Blu Ray/High Def on a big screen TV is like stepping into an alternative universe. And watching these films again as an adult is meeting my standard of motion picture excellence by putting a big smile on my face from beginning to end. One can criticize the production values of the Showa-era Godzilla films but it's hard to fault the care that Criterion has put into it's 1,000th release. And as far as production values go I love pre-CGI era model based special effects and I love nothing more than watching models blowed-up. These movies aren't just schlock, they're monster genre movies that defined the art form. My only problem is I can't get the sound of Godzillas screeching out of my head, it's playing repeatedly in the background like a song that you get stuck in your mind. This book that comes with this set is simply incredible. My friends 10 year old, Star Wars addicted grandson isn't impressed by the Showa Godzilla movies but he sure loves the artwork in the book. I just wish that the scanner on my printer was big enough so that I could copy them and pin them up on my workshop walls. In closing I'll comment that my favorite part of this collection is the inclusion of the film 'Invasion of Astro-Monster'. This has always been my favorite of the Japanese monster movies because the inhabitants of Planet X are amongst the most unintentionally hilarious character ever to bless the silver screen. Even if you don't purchase this item I'd highly recommend viewing Invasion of Astro-Monster once in your life. It's regularly shown under the title 'Godzilla vs Monster Zero' in North America. But if you love the early Godzilla films and but this collection you won't be sorry.