Widescreen: Criterion Collection unleashes a monstrous 'Godzilla' boxed set
This summer's "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" introduced a new generation of moviegoers to some of the great lizard's other kaiju pals - such as Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah - and then hid them behind layers and layers of CGI snow, rain and smoke.
"Krampus" director Michael Dougherty tried to class up his monster mash with weighty, wonderful actors including Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Charles Dance and Kyle Chandler - then handed them a laughable screenplay.
If you want to actually see Godzilla and Co. unencumbered by digital particle effects and enjoy the charm of a bygone film era, the Criterion Collection has an eight-disc Blu-ray collection for you.
"Godzilla: The Showa Era Films, 1954-1975" contains 15 films featuring the iconic dude in a rubber suit - er, I mean terrifying monster - remastered in high-definition and packed with all the special features you would expect from the premier home-video label. It's available for a premier retail price, too: $224.95, available for preorder now at criterion.com ahead of its Oct. 29 release. (Perhaps you should give the A/V department at your local library a call, wink-wink.)
Among the films included: "Gojira," our titanic hero's very first movie; "King Kong vs. Godzilla," from 1963; 1969's "Destroy All Monsters," which features, you guessed it, all the monsters; and "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla," in which an alien robot clone tries to dethrone the big boy.
The set also contains a hardcover book with notes and essays by cinema historians, as well as color illustrations by a host of artists.
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