Gamera vs. Barugon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Gamera vs. Barugon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 25, 2020

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Gamera: The Complete Collection.

There’s a venerable old maxim that states “what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for gander”, and in that regard, this deluxe Arrow release may be thought of as being at least kinda sorta the same “sauce” for an iconic kaiju that Criterion’s Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 was for what is arguably the most iconic kaiju in the annals of Japanese cinema. The Criterion release aggregated fifteen Godzilla films ranging from the monster’s 1954 debut to Terror of Mechagodzilla from 1975, while this collection covers the Gamera films from the 1965 debut of the creature through 2006's Gamera the Brave. The comparison between the two franchises is perhaps particularly apt in that, as August Ragone gets into in some of the bounteous supplemental features included on this release, Gamera was Daiei’s attempt to duplicate the success that Toho had had with the Godzilla films. As such, there’s an undeniably derivative aspect to quite a few (maybe all) of the Gamera films, plus there is a perhaps equally undeniable comedic element in that Gamera is in essence a giant, marauding turtle, as opposed to the arguably more threatening dinosaur-like ambience of Godzilla. Aside from the inclusion of retooled American versions of some of the films that this Arrow set offers as ostensible supplements, all of the original versions of the twelve "Japanese" films in this set save one were included in Gamera HD Bundle Collection from Mill Creek Entertainment several years ago, albeit with pretty shoddy technical merits according to my colleague Martin Liebman's reviews (the parent entry for the collection does not have a separate review, but if you go to the product Overview tab, Marty has reviewed all but one of the films in the set linked to in the parent review). Mill Creek also released Gamera Trilogy, which Marty reviewed separately, and which includes his only review of Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris. I'll refer to Marty's reviews in my reviews of the shared films in this set for those who want plot recaps, leaving the bulk of my reviews to both technical assessments and detailing of the supplementary material. The one outlier that wasn't released by Mill Creek, the aformentioned Gamera the Brave, was released by Tokyo Shock a few years ago and was reviewed at that time by Brian Orndorf, so in my review of that particular film I'll be referring to Brian's review for plot information. As always it can also be instructive to look at the various reviews in order to compare screenshots. I will say that I evidently have more of a soft spot for some of these films than my colleagues, and my scores for the films reflect that opinion. Arrow, long the champion of cult items, has outdone itself with this release, offering all of the Gamera films in a really handsomely appointed package that includes a glut of both on disc bonus features as well as accompanying non-disc swag (the disc related supplements are detailed in the individual reviews of each film, while the non-disc supplements are listed in the Gamera: The Complete Collection Blu-ray review).

As with many of the films in this set, this film was part of the Mill Creek Entertainment release from several years ago. For those interested in a plot recap, I refer you to Martin Liebman's Gamera vs. Barugon Blu-ray review of that version.

Gamera vs. Barugon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Gamera vs. Barugon is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded transfer in 2.28:1. Arrow's oversized booklet containing information on the films lumps the entire series together in its descriptions of the transfers:

The masters for all twelve original Japanese films were prepared and supplied to Arrow Films by the Kadokawa Corporation. Gamera the Guardian of the Universe, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris were restored in 4K by Kadokawa and approved by director Shusuke Kaneko in 2015.

Original 16mm and 35mm materials relating to the English language versions originally distributed in the United States by American International and Filmways were accessed through the kind courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer, in association with the Kadokawa Corporation. The English dubbed audio was restored from the original magnetic and optical tracks by Deluxe, who also conformed it to the Japanese masters. Some additional 16mm materials were sourced from UCLA Film Archive. The film elements, which include English language credit sequences, insert shots and trailers, were scanned at EFilm and restored at R3Store Studios. Additional English language materials for the series were kindly supplied by Shout! Factory, ADV Films and Media Blasters, with additional thanks to Paulie Senkawsky and Will Offutt.

For Gammera the Invincible, the American theatrical version of Gamera, the Giant Monster, attempts were made to access the original negative held at UCLA Film Archive, but this is no longer legally accessible. A 35mm exhibition print was scanned in high definition by Legend Films, who provided this HD master to Arrow. This print was missing some shots of a jet pilot at the start of the film, and another film source for these shots could not be found. To insure an uncut presentation, these missing shots were reintegrated into the master using the HD master for Gamera, the Giant Monster for the video and an analog tape master for the dubbed English audio. As a result, some of these shots have burnt in Japanese subtitles that did not feature on the original American theatrical release and could not be removed here; we hope these do not affect your enjoyment of the film. Additional restoration took place at R3Store Studios.

This is another clear step up from the Mill Creek version in every way. Colors are generally bright and vivid, beginning with the swirly credits sequence. Oranges and blues predominate quite often and are more often than not very nicely saturated. The island material pops with considerable authority throughout. There is still some minor flicker that can be spotted, and both day for night and actual nighttime material can be on the murky side, something that shows up repeatedly in the subsequent films. Grain generally resolves naturally, but is rather widely variant in thickness, at least partially due to old style compositing and effects work.

Gamera vs. Barugon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This is the first of several films in this set which feature two English dubs, AITV and Daiei, both presented in DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, as is the original Japanese language track. I again spent most of my time on the original language track but spot checked the two English tracks repeatedly. The Daiei dub can sound a bit on the "phasey" side, and is boxier overall, when compared to the AITV track. The Japanese track may have just a bit less high end than either of the English dubs. Dialogue, effects and score are all presented without any problems or damage. Optional English subtitles are available.

Gamera vs. Barugon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by August Ragone & Jason Varney


• Introduction by August Ragone (1080p; 7:57)


• War of the Monsters (1080p; 1:28:45) is the American version of the film, shorn of around twelve minutes from the original Japanese version. This is rather nice looking and features DTS-HD Master Audio Mono audio. The credits do look artificially stretched (the 1.33:1 presentation in the American International credit sequence, below, looked much more natural to my eyes).


• Alternate English Credits

  American International Version (1080p; 1:17)

  
  

  Sandy Frank Version (1080p; 2:09)

• Theatrical Trailers

  Japanese Trailer 1 (1080p; 1:13)

  
  

  Japanese Trailer 2 (texted) (720p; 2:38)

  
  

  Japanese Trailer 2 (texted) (1080p; 2:31)

• Image Gallery (1080p; 21:41)

Gamera vs. Barugon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is the first of many films in the Gamera franchise that utilize a "vs." element to introduce at least one nemesis. That may give this film a bit more excitement, but this is still often a pretty goofy enterprise, though one with a rather sweet undercurrent running through it. Technical merits easily outpace the Mill Creek release, and the supplementary package is outstanding. Recommended.