One would think that fans of the King of the Monsters would be in good spirits this fall.  Classic Media is releasing Ishiro Honda’s original 1954 Godzilla (Gojira) on Blu-ray disc (MSRP $29.95) on September 22nd, while Sony has set November 3rd as the debut date for the Blu-ray edition of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin’s 1998 big budget Godzilla remake, which stars Matthew Broderick.

 

But Godzilla fans’ joy will be tempered by the fact that the Blu-ray of the 1954 will not include the American version, which starred Raymond Burr.  While the American version does not contain some very interesting scenes, it moves like a freight train in comparison to the Japanese original, and it is the version that many North American fans fondly remember from their youth since it was re-released numerous times and shown a lot on TV. 

 

The lack of the American version is especially annoying since Classic Media released both versions in a Deluxe Godzilla Collector’s Set in 2004, which had an MSRP of just $21.98.  While a good high def transfer can make the purchase of color film on Blu-ray worthwhile, the difference in visual quality is much less clear cut when it comes to black-and-white.  It’s hard to justify paying more and getting less, especially given the enormous capacity of a Blu-ray disc.

 

As for the 1998 Godzilla, it irked purists with its re-imagined monster and pedestrian screenplay.  But as a pure popcorn movie it is a guilty pleasure that is just as entertaining as some of this summer’s mindless blockbusters.  And perhaps most importantly, the Blu-ray version provides significantly enhanced visuals, something that is very noticeable in the numerous, often exceptionally well-staged battles between the army and the monster.  While the 1998 Godzilla is nowhere near as good as John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London, which comes out on Blu-ray next Tuesday, it is good to see these late 20th Century genre films get the deluxe Blu-ray treatment.