Ten months after the film first hit theaters in the U.S., Godzilla Minus One is finally coming to Blu-ray. Director Takashi Yamazaki’s widely acclaimed take on the franchise is getting several different home video releases with 4K, Blu-ray and DVDs available, depending on one’s preference. This is very good news for hardcore fans who wish to add this gem to the ol’ physical media shelf. There is, however, a pretty big catch. We’ll get to that in a moment.
Toho has confirmed not one but four different releases for the film in the U.S., including a 4K Steelbook, which you can check out below. Toho had previously announced a deluxe Japanese collector’s edition of Godzilla Minus One, which is expected to arrive in September. That four-disc set was priced at $65 and wasn’t for the average viewer, per se. Just about everyone has a viable option now. The full list of options includes…
- Godzilla Minus One Steelbook (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Blu-ray Bonus)
- Godzilla Minus One 4K (4K + Blu-ray Bonus)
- Godzilla Minus One Blu-Ray (Blu-ray + Blu-ray Bonus)
- Godzilla Minus One DVD (DVD)
The various releases vary a bit in price from retailer to retailer at the moment, but they are available for pre-order as we speak. Now, let’s get back to the catch. Unlike the Minus One Blu-ray Deluxe Japan Collector’s Edition, these forthcoming releases do not include the black and white version of the film, Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, which is currently streaming on Netflix following its run in theaters last year. It’s unclear at this time if the Minus Color version will be given a separate release in the U.S. Even if that does happen, it means fans who want to watch that version on disc will have to buy the movie twice. That’s not ideal, to say the least.
At this point, there is no perfect option. Even the deluxe edition doesn’t have subtitles on the special features disc, which makes it pretty useless for anyone who doesn’t speak Japanese. For what has become one of the most roundly-beloved entries in the 70 year history of the Godzilla franchise, it’s a little frustrating that none of these releases seem to have it all.
Perhaps let someone who knows what they are doing (like Criterion) handle this. And the let them release an English-language 4k of Shin Godzilla too. Or both in a boxset.