Godzilla Minus One might be one of the most beloved sci-fi films released in the past 10 years, and its glowing word of mouth is just one of the things working in its favor. The Academy Award-winning film is unanimously beloved... and notoriously difficult to watch once its short theatrical run was over.
Until Netflix quietly dropped Godzilla Minus One on its platform, the film was the most pirated of the year. And while streaming it was nice enough, there were still many fans holding out for a physical release. Toho, the stewards of Godzilla, didn’t offer many updates on a true home video release, at least in the six months since Godzilla Minus One left U.S. theaters. Fortunately, the wait has been worth it: Minus One is officially getting a 4K and Blu-ray release. The “Deluxe Japan Collector’s Edition” is now available to buy on the Toho site, and it comes with a handful of exclusive special features. Unfortunately, there is a catch, one that could discourage collectors from splurging on the physical release.
The four-disc set includes two versions of Godzilla Minus One, the original film in color and Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, its black and white iteration. Only Godzilla Minus One is available in both 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray (which takes up two of those four discs), while Minus Color is presented only in HD.
The fourth and final disc offers a handful of special features, including a “Making Of” featurette for the film and its Oscar-winning visual effects, and select event footage. As this release is basically the Japanese collector’s item, though, English subtitles aren’t provided for any of the special features. That does put a damper on the true value of this exclusive, at least for U.S. audiences.
That said, this likely won’t be the last physical release Godzilla Minus One gets. The film is one of Japan’s most successful crossover projects in recent years (and the most acclaimed Godzilla film that Toho has ever produced), it’d be silly not to create more physical releases in the future, some exclusive to other countries. Japan’s collector’s edition is hopefully the first of many to come. Physical collectors will undoubtedly find something to love in Toho’s recent release, but everyone else may need to hold out for another update.
