Bela: Humanoid Monster Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Bela: Humanoid Monster Blu-ray Movie Review

Bela Humanoid Monster is inspired by the original anime series that captivated Japanese airwaves in 1968. Production by ADK Emotions (One Piece Film Red, Stand By Me Doraemon 2), Bela Humanoid Monster is a live-action adaptation version with some creative ideas at play to tie in to the series anniversary. The Bela Humanoid Monster feature-film was produced by ADK Emotions and it was originally released in Japanese cinemas in September 2020. Featuring performances by a cast including Win Morisaki, Emma, Akane Hotta, Seiji Rokkaku, and Sōsuke Yoshida.

Kōsuke Arata (Win Morisaki) was given a big assignment at work related to a project compiling all of the classic anime television series Humanoid Monster Bem for a special 50^th anniversary collectors edition box set. While Kōsuke is working on the massive box-set assignment, Kōsuke began looking for a new featurette to include to help the set feel more worthwhile to fans. How can the box-set lure in some buyers with more than just the episodes?

Yet the box-set project becomes the least of Kōsuke’s own worries when the long-lost original cut of the final episode of Humanoid Monster Bem surfaces. Madness ensues over the missing footage. Meanwhile, a local high school is facing unexpected tragedy. Could there be a connection between Humanoid Monster Bem and the DVD project alongside the school event? A girl named Bela (Emma) might be the link between the two seemingly unrelated things. Can the box-set project be finished or could a series of mysterious events lead to the project’s downfall?

Win Morisaki delivers a compelling performance in the feature-film. A lot of the filmmaking relies on his performance and his ability to tap into the role and bring something compelling to the table. The role is something that the actor managed to bring to life in a unique and effective manner. The performance provides a balance of drama and darkness. As the storyline unfolds, Morisaki had a lot of acting to showcase, exuding the intense darkness of the character as the film develops.

The production merits are worthwhile and add something fun to the filmmaking. Bela Humanoid Monster has nice production values for a lower-budget feature-film. The designs are effective: showcasing darkness and gravitas for a horror feature. These elements enhance the tone of the filmmaking.

One area of the film that could have used some improvement: the special effects. Though the special effects are kept to a bare minimum with only some creature effects work – the effects are clearly a somewhat problematic part of the film. The effects do not make as favorable an impression as one might hope to find. In fact, the CG seems as though it could have used some extra refinement to make the creature effects scarier and more intense. What is displayed in the film feels rushed and the effects don’t work as well at creating nightmares or evoking a sense of dread as one hopes to find in a horror production. Unfortunately, there is not much one can do about the effects work and the manner in which it is limited in scale here – the effort is underwhelming and the film deserved better effects.

The score composed by Minami Nozaki (Tokyo Nameless Girl’s Story, Genius Party Beyond) is one of the highlights of the film. Nozaki is a talented composer and the music plays a nice role in the film. There is some sense of dread and tension provided by the composer. The score does an admirable job with the production and helps to enhance the horror element of the filmmaking. Nozaki creates character cues and moments of note for the scarier parts of the production.

Written by Daisuke Hosaka (Sadako 2 3D, Tormented), Bela Humanoid Monster is not a perfect script by any sense of the imagination but it is admirably entertaining and it feels like a nice homage with the various tie-in elements in the storyline – such as the development of the box-set for the original television series. Hosaka provides some decent dialogue and the script manages to evoke some impressive dread. The script isn’t a total home run but it is engaging nonetheless.

Directed by Tsutomu Hanabusa (Real Girl, Tokyo Revengers), Bela Humanoid Monster is a fun if somewhat flawed horror feature. The film is entertaining and it works more than it doesn’t – it manages to evoke some sense of dread at times that is palpable. The filmmaking might not be in the same tier as the best Japanese horror productions – nor does it intend to or aspire to be at that level of filmmaking – but the film is a reasonable diversion for horror fans seeking some thrills and who want to explore the universe of the franchise. Bela Humanoid Monster is worth seeing.

Bela: Humanoid Monster Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Bela Humanoid Monster is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The release is presented with an impressive high-definition presentation. The high-definition visuals soar with outstanding clarity and resolution throughout. The crisp video quality on the release looks wonderful and the transfer does capably showcase the sleek cinematography highlighted in the feature-film.

The cinematography being preserved is certainly a standout aspect of the release. The transfer also shines with a quality encode. The encoding quality is superior to what viewers could possibly find on video streaming platforms. Streaming video services continue to provide presentations with lower video bit-rates and those seeking the best possible picture-quality can still reliably depend on physical media as the best option.

Bela: Humanoid Monster Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with English subtitles) and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio presentation is impressive and adds a lot to the experience. The surrounds are actively engaged and the sound mixing provides some quality moments of exciting energy for the presentation. The sound effects certainly help with the scares and add some ambiance that makes a good impression on the production. Dialogue is crisp and easy to understand.

The score is well reproduced on the release. The subtitles are good and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors. The release does not include a English dubbed option. Viewers will be pleased to know that the physical media release provides lossless audio that is superior to any streaming platforms – as streaming video services continues to only provide films with lossy (non-lossless) audio quality. For audiophiles seeking the absolute best audio quality for their home theater gear, the release boasts great clarity with the crystal clear soundstage.

Bela: Humanoid Monster Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a nice o-card slipcover. The cover-art on the slipcover remains the same as the artwork underneath the slipcover. Sometimes Discotek provides extra art (showcasing different key artwork on the slip compared to the art underneath the slip). Despite the lack of extra art on this particular release, the o-card looks nice and it adds a nice touch to the collectability-factor for the release.

On disc:

Trailer (SD, 1:21)

Unfortunately, the theatrical trailer is the only included on-disc supplement for the release. The release could have used some more extensive bonus features exploring the production of the feature-film with audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentaries, featurettes, and interviews with the cast and crew.

Bela: Humanoid Monster Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bela Humanoid Monster is an entertaining horror film with some nice jump scares and good chills for genre fans. Bela Humanoid Monster is not a perfect genre feature but it does have some merit and a nice performance by Win Morisaki. Bela Humanoid Monster is uneven at times – especially in the CGI department – but for audiences seeking a fun Japanese horror film, it's a nice feature and one worth checking out.

Discotek Media once again provides a quality release for fans of Japanese cinema. The release includes a collectible o-card slipcover. The only potential drawback to the release is a lackluster supplemental package and though this might deter some potential buyers from picking up the release, the strong presentation quality should help make the purchasing decision easier for some – with crisp video and lossless audio. Recommended.