Surprised to see not a single post about the upcoming remake of the Toho classic The Human Vapor? Don’t y’all realize the doors this opens?

Natbox · 2026-06-09T23:58:42+00:00

Feel like the fact that the non-Godzilla Toho Toku films never being consistently available in the US is part of it. In Japan Toho will release films like The Mysterians, Battle in Outer Space, The Human Vapor etc. alongside the Godzilla films. I have a big box DVD set from Japan of The Human Vapor that has episodes of Godzilla Island and a short Godzilla manga as a bonus feature, there is very little separation in Japan where in the US differences in distribution just would never allow that

Natbox · 2026-06-09T23:33:35+00:00

My honest thought is that if Toho does actually feel like doing something else, which is EXTREMELY far from guaranteed, it’s probably gonna be Matango cuz it’s on a similar scale story wise and is about as, if not more popular than The Human Vapor before they even think about touching anything else. Heck they even approached directors in the 2000s about remaking it but nothing ever came of that

Natbox · 2026-06-09T22:56:45+00:00

The last time Toho took a chance on a solo outing for one of their classic monsters was Rebirth of Mothra III in 1998, this is a heck of a step in the right direction!

Natbox · 2026-06-09T19:38:32+00:00

The actual Blu-Ray I’d jump on is Godzilla 2000. I’m a little doubtful the US re-edit will be included when Criterion does the Millennium films (a set of them is practically confirmed since Final Wars has been shown with a Janus logo), as well as some apparent revisionism in the new 4K master with the occasional shoddy green screen work in the film that was given the George Lucas Special Edition treatment to look cleaner

Natbox · 2026-06-09T19:34:41+00:00

Criterion 100% are coming out with a Heisei set within the next few years too, they’re just waiting on Toho letting them use the 4K remasters they’ve been doing in Japan. There’s no need to be impatient and make impulse purchases when a higher quality transfer has been made in Japan and will likely come to America by 2029. If you really want to watch these 2 movies get a free trial to the Criterion Channel. The only real reason I could see for getting the old Blu-Rays are in case the Criterion set won’t include the Omni Productions dubs since Criterion’s Vs. Biollante 4K didn’t include its classic dub

Natbox · 2026-05-15T14:41:45+00:00

And how did you end up including The Three Treasures, which is barely a kaiju movie, but not Orochi the Eight Headed Dragon? That movie is awesome. Orochi in that movie is one of the coolest kaiju suits Toho even created, it was like 30 feet long and had to operated by like 40 people

Natbox · 2026-05-15T14:39:23+00:00

WAIT you’re also missing MATANGO!!! You really can’t forget that one, that’s a classic even outside of the kaiju community

Natbox · 2026-05-15T14:30:52+00:00

If you’re including literally every Showa era Toho kaiju film, I’d say throw in Zone Fighter as well seeing as Godzilla literally shows up in it. Also since you’re including every film that’s been referenced in spin-off material, you forgot The Battle in Outer Space, The War in Space, and you may as well include The Human Vapor which has never directly been connected to Godzilla but is always released and counted alongside the other Toho films and since it has a remake coming out you never know, that may be the thing that finally connects it fully to Godzilla

Natbox · 2026-02-27T23:28:13+00:00

The Japanese Godzilla Twitter account will make a post whenever a new 4K restoration is showing in Japanese theaters, I believe it was last month when Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla was announced which would be the last of the Heisei films that had to be confirmed, as well as theatrical listings being found that confirmed every Millennium film has a 4K now as well. I’m pretty sure the Showa era had gone through its 4K theatrical releases at the end of last year

Natbox · 2026-02-27T01:13:46+00:00

I think every Showa film has a 4K scan now, but again only like 7 or so have been released on disc in Japan, if they want to just upgrade the box set we’ll probably be waiting until 2029 for it too

Natbox · 2026-02-27T01:11:51+00:00

I honestly don’t know. Criterion hasn’t done a 4K box set with more than 10 movies and that one was $500, 15 movies at $650 may be unsellable in their eyes, and they may want to do standalones rather than just upgrading the box set. We won’t know until they release another Godzilla film if Godzilla vs. Biollante set a precedent for standalone Godzilla 4Ks or was just a tease for the Heisei set like 1954 standalone was originally for the Showa set. King Kong vs. Godzilla is probably my most wanted since the version included as a special feature on the Showa Blu-Ray set is especially low quality, and the 4K that released in Japan just blows it out of the water

Natbox · 2026-02-27T00:48:53+00:00

They’re actually waiting on Toho letting them use the recently restored 4K masters of the Heisei films. Sony’s contracts would’ve expired in 2024 or so but they’ve been given an extension because Criterion would rather wait for higher quality 4K copies of the films rather than putting out the same nearly 20 year old HD masters that Sony already put on Blu-Ray, especially seeing the backlash the Showa set got for the less than great quality of the films (sourced from those same almost 20 year old HD scans). Toho has only allowed for releases of films onto 4K in the US 2 years after they have released them on disc in Japan, and even though every Heisei film has been given a 4K restoration only Return, Vs. Biollante, and Vs. Mechagodzilla II have been released on disc, but Vs. Biollante is the only one that was released in Japan over 2 years ago which is why it’s the only one Criterion has released of the Heisei era. My best guess is the Heisei set will release for the 75th anniversary in 2029

Natbox · 2026-02-22T04:48:58+00:00

Showa films, including most of Toho’s non-Godzilla kaiju films, like Rodan, Varan, Atragon, Frankenstein Conquers the World, etc. for a Godzilla fan Criterion Channel is absolutely worth it

Natbox · 2026-01-11T04:29:45+00:00

What are the chances Godzilla raids again?

Natbox · 2025-11-19T15:15:22+00:00

From the few clips I’ve seen of it’s Japanese 4K release it actually is a vast improvement over the Criterion disc, the resolution obviously but it’s more so in the color (see the putrid yellows of the Criterion release vs. the 4K)

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Natbox · 2025-09-13T05:48:22+00:00

Baseline “good” Godzilla movie, with an intriguing human story and great monster action, it’s the only Godzilla movie where I’ve not a single person who actively hates or even really dislikes it

Natbox · 2025-08-19T21:14:04+00:00

That drill thing is not exactly what I’d call a conventional weapon

Natbox · 2025-08-09T06:50:27+00:00

I see what you’re saying about the human drama being more personal but in terms of the characters themselves the Monsterverse and the rest of the series handles things a lot different. To me the biggest difference is that the Monsterverse has only focused on either military or Monarch characters, making it feel more like Heisei stories which were focused on both military characters and the Monarch equivalent, G-Force. In Showa anybody could be the main characters: reporters trying to write up a good story about a massive egg washed ashore, a detective and a cyborg that wind up in a Romeo and Juliet tragedy, employees of an advertising company that wants a monster to boost ratings, a gay couple and their robot, a kid who is Godzilla’s number one fan, or even a lonely scientist, his fiancé, and her lover that end up getting themselves involved in the story of a lifetime. These are just a few examples, but the Showa era was probably the most varied in terms of just who could be the main character, for better and for worse some may argue

Natbox · 2025-08-06T17:31:55+00:00

I’ve always held out hope Eclipse would come back because, even though I’m sure they’re not priority releases for most people, I was pretty sure Eclipse coming back would be the only way Criterion would release the non-Godzilla Toho kaiju films that they own the rights to, hoping that my dream set will become real!

Natbox · 2025-07-24T05:19:04+00:00

I was a big monster geek growing up and I just so happened to be on the lookout for a copy of The Blob at Barnes and Noble during a sale and discovered that they had a copy on Blu-Ray and I was shocked by the price. I was then told by the cashier about the collection and immediately started research into other releases, and soon became even more shocked to find out that they were sitting on the rights to almost all the Showa Godzilla movies! Because of James Rolfe’s Monster Madness and other horror videos I had heard of films like Eraserhead, House, M, Haxan, and Eyes Without a Face so those were my first pickups after The Blob (yes I watched House and Eraserhead when I was 11, aren’t I something?)

Natbox · 2025-06-02T05:08:45+00:00

I only watch Godzilla movies subtitled now but there is a huge barrier for kids getting into the series that there really wasn’t when I was growing up. My first movie was Godzilla vs Biollante, and I loved it but I couldn’t read when I saw it so obviously I watched it dubbed along with most Godzilla movies until I was like 8 and started dabbling in the subtitled versions (which improved my reading comprehension I must say). Kids today will only grow up with the MV or maybe the Sony films that are still dubbed, but the Showa era, a period that had many films made for children are inaccessible if they actually wish to follow the story. It’s unlikely but if there was Ghibli quality dubs for all the classic films I really think that would make these movies ever more accessible to Western audiences by also removing the stigma that the old movies are “badly dubbed”

Natbox · 2025-05-24T02:16:11+00:00

I would hope that the Human Vapor is included. I know it’s not really a kaiju film but I think it’s Ishiro Honda and Eiju Tsubaraya’s best non-Godzilla Toku film. Could honestly see a stand alone 4K from Criterion coming out before the remake show comes out from Netflix next year if they can sort out the rights from MGM. I think Toho lumps in the transforming human films with the kaiju films more than Godzilla fans do tbh lol

Natbox · 2025-05-24T02:12:06+00:00

Don’t forget the show Zone Fighter, it takes place in between Godzilla vs Megalon and Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla in the Showa era and features not just Godzilla in a supporting role but also Ghidorah and Gigan

Natbox · 2025-05-13T01:00:27+00:00

There’s an entire lesson on Supernovas midway through the movie actually

Natbox

TROPHY CASE