Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. / Godzilla: Final Wars Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. / Godzilla: Final Wars Blu-ray Movie Review

Changes of pace.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 6, 2014

'Godzilla' mania! Sony has made available eight 'Godzilla' films in four separate two-pack Blu-ray releases, no doubt hoping to capitalize on the imminent release, and heightened public awareness, of the new 'Godzilla' film. This set contains 'Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.' and 'Godzilla: Final Wars.' Individual reviews, and additional screenshots, can be found here and here.

Hit me with your best shot. Fire away!

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
Score: 3.0/5.0

Honestly, the Godzilla series has never really been about all that much more than rough-and-tumble monsters duking it out in and around Japan (well, discounting the Western film's geography, anyway). Yet there's always been at least some feeling, some purpose, some tangible side element meant to frame the action and provide, at the very least, a modicum of context beyond the monster chaos. Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., on the other hand, almost completely disregards story and structure, characterization and emotion in favor of mindless mayhem with only the most basic story-advancing plot elements to allow for some "logical" progression towards the end battle. The movie is very much a Western-inspired one, in that regard, favoring big action and speed rather than depth and meaning. Of course, some viewers might find that a positive, and that's a justifiable position to take given that Godzilla is a series with its roots in the fantastical. Still, the best films in the series, subjectively speaking, blend punches and purpose with, if not grace, at the very least some sort of dramatic context to keep the audience interested and engaged beyond what amounts to rather repetitive monster battles.

Godzilla is rising from the ocean floor. Mechagodzilla is undergoing repair and getting an upgrade. Two Japanese fighter jets engage Mothra. It appears another showdown is about to commence between three of the most powerful entities in the world. Yoshi (Noboru Kaneko) is into fighter planes and technology. His uncle Dr. Shin'ichi Chûjô (Hiroshi Koizumi) holds in his possession the secret to contacting Mothra. He and his grandson Shun (Kenta Suga) are soon greeted by The Shobijin (The Cosmos) who come with a dire warning: return Godzilla's "bones" to the sea and rely on Mothra for protection alone. What comes next could have consequences well beyond the immediate for Godzilla, Mothra, and all of Japan's inhabitants.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. is all about size. A large scope, huge action, and sweeping generalizations rule the day. The movie is big, fairly dumb, and relentless. The picture is made up of almost nothing more than monster battles and a few minutes of context for bringing the monsters together, namely the return of Mothra and the repair of Mechagodzilla. The dramatic angles are negligible, conveying little feeling on the way to the various confrontations that dominate the film's runtime. The final battle is particularly long and detailed, no doubt an Action fan's delight but still lacking anything to truly separate it from the literally dozens of other films in the series that culminate in a similar affair. What exists beyond the action feels cliché and built on forced emotions rather than tangible contextual elements. The human characters are particularly shallow, most of them one-track-mind sorts who serve only to advance the plot to the next battle rather than inject it with relatable feeling.

Action specifics offer nothing particularly unique. The monsters look terribly fake in the film, particularly Mothra, who looks like little more than a flying shag carpet. On the plus side, miniatures are a touch more detailed and realistic than the abysmal models seen in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus. The basic monster movements, maneuvers, and mechanics all operate as expected, as do most of the various battle techniques, from Godzilla's atomic breath beam to the larvae's spitting web attacks. Technically, the film is rather slick, not polished, certainly, but capable of juggling the fast pace and massive monster battles with commendable attention to detail and flow. Make no mistake, it's all quite exciting on the surface; it's just a question of whether audiences will find the movie satisfying beyond the very base series requirements of monster-on-monster-on-mechamonster mayhem.

Godzilla: Final Wars
Score: 2.0/5.0

Just because it's called Godzilla and features Godzilla doesn't make it Godzilla. Final Wars isn't Godzilla. It's more like The Matrix meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets X-Men meets Independence Day with some notable Godzilla creatures in the middle of it all. No, this movie is more about lasers and precisely crafted fight choreography and high-flying wire acts and over-the-top characters and all sorts of random stuff that ties in Godzilla and franchise mythology but doesn't really honor it. This is moviemaking concerned only with flash and bothered by substance. Audiences that wish to view a movie from which they can completely disengage and, almost literally, leave the brain at the door might find value here, but anyone expecting classic Godzilla should run far, far away.

If some good has come of the monstrous rampages, it's that man has banded together to stop them. No longer does man fight amongst himself but rather alongside those from other corners of the globe, all under the umbrella of the "Earth Defense Force," in the unending effort to stop monsters once and for all. Mutants with great powers have been folded into the Earth Defense Force under the title of "M Organization." When monsters dating back millennia are uncovered, monsters rise up all over the world. Almost simultaneously, Earth is visited by extraterrestrials and the monster attacks cease. However, not all humans are certain of the validity of the aliens' peaceful overtures. When the aliens' true plans for humankind are revealed, man has no choice but to turn to Godzilla to save the planet.

Godzilla: Final Wars sees the final evolution away from the more classic lines and refined styles of the Heisei series and toward the new blooded, high powered, reckless, and relentless Millennium Series. The film takes the radically different tone found in both Godzilla vs. Megaguirus and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. and further reshapes the series into something that's practically unrecognizable when compared to classic franchise stylings. It's a celluloid smorgasbord if there ever was such a thing, a veritable hodgepodge of stuff that's all thrown together under an admittedly interesting but obviously forced narrative umbrella about aliens and monsters and mutants and the battle for control of the planet. It's just too much, to spread out, too chaotic. Perhaps it would have worked better under a different name, with different monsters, with different expectations, with different pacing, with different characters, with different everything. There's a fun movie in here somewhere but it's not this movie, not this one that doesn't hurt for energy but lacks the balance necessary to keep the audience from going into its own nuclear meltdown that's a result of an excess of cinema bedlam.

All of that said, the movie's core action elements can be a blast when taken at face value and in a vacuum, not as part of the larger Godzilla universe. The monsters admittedly look fantastic, nicely detailed and menacing, if not a bit rubbery and fake even at the macro level. The monsters move very fast and with an obvious flow and feel to them, organically battling rather than waddling about as seen in previous films. This results in battles that feel far more organic and destructive both to the monsters and to the environments in which they fight. The scale feels large and the tension remains thick. The human-focused scenes are another story. The film's acting ranges from passable to laughable. The characters are neither inwardly nor outwardly complex, most of them just pieces within a greater whole, some necessary, some not. The human versus human action emphasizes movement and a wannabe "cool" factor over more story-based action scenes. In short, the film is a great success in creating visual havoc but not much of a success in providing the audience a reason to care.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. / Godzilla: Final Wars Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
Score: 3.0/5.0

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. arrives on Blu-ray with a fair but somewhat flat 1080p transfer. It's a touch soft throughout and finds only moderately well defined details across the board. Don't expect much in the way of precision intricacy and lifelike accuracy from clothes, skin, furniture, or creatures. Mothra's fur coating, for example, doesn't reveal its details at the micro level but shows just enough in broader shots to get a good feel for its coating. Likewise, the Godzilla and Mechagodzilla suits don't show off much in the way of fine close-up textures. Colors are a little drab but serviceable, from brighter clothes to Mechagodzilla's yellow eyes. Skin textures appear mostly natural. Black crush is evident in places, as is some ringing, and minor title wobble is apparent. The picture's grain structure is rather flat. This is easily amongst the least attractive of the Sony Godzilla releases.

Godzilla: Final Wars
Score: 3.0/5.0

Godzilla: Final Wars' 1080p transfer satisfies on a very general level but never really escapes the doldrums of high definition mediocrity. In general, the image offers serviceable details, revealing basic definition on clothes and faces. Monster textures are fair, showing decent attention to detail in up-close shots but failing to find the precision, nuanced textures associated with the best transfers. Light grain is present, and the image does take on a fair film-like appearance, but at the same time it's terribly flat and even a bit soft. Colors never really impress. The film takes on heavy tints at times, from pale green to cool blue, but offers a decent array of hues that never pop or stand apart but that provide a colorful basic context for environments and objects. Very light banding and compression artifacts are visible from time to time. This is by no means a showstopper, but it's a watchable image that's not too far removed in terms of quality from the other classic Sony Godzilla releases.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. / Godzilla: Final Wars Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
Score: 4.0/5.0

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. explodes onto Blu-ray with an aggressive Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It plays in a big stage, offering quality spacing and engaging surround support. Musical clarity ranks highly throughout the range, and the low end adds some defining heft. Action sound effects rule the day and dominate the track. Fighter jets zoom around, explosions hit hard, and crashes are felt and not simply heard. It's potent and big almost to the point of over-engineering, but it makes for a fun soundtrack that's the perfect compliment to the movie's equally big action pieces. Dialogue plays naturally and smoothly from the center. The English dub, also presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, doesn't fall too far behind. While there's a touch more clarity and definition to the Japanese track's music and effects, this one proves just as potent and aggressive. Dialogue is also rather clean and well-defined. Listeners who wish to forego the original track won't feel left out of the fun with the English option. Audiences who choose the Japanese track may select between optional English, English SDH, and French subtitle options, should they be necessary.

Godzilla: Final Wars
Score: 4.5/5.0

Godzilla: Final Wars features an aggressive and satisfying DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese language lossless soundtrack. This is easily the most dynamic and exciting of the Sony double-feature bunch, providing plenty of ear candy through explosive, dynamic sounds and constant surround support. Music plays big and aggressive but doesn't sacrifice clarity along the way. Godzilla screeches and other monster sound effects are full and loud. Collapsing structures, cracking ice, and other heavy sound effects play deeply and loudly but also accurately, never coming across as an undefined wall of sound but rather precise, seemingly lifelike elements. Laser blasts and aerial battles enjoy a heavy crisscrossing effect that sends sounds all over the stage, out of one speaker and into another, effectively placing the listener in the middle of the mayhem. Dialogue plays firmly and clearly from the center. This disc also offers the best English dub of the eight classic Godzilla films Sony has released. The differences between it and its Japanese counterpart are minimal, from music to dialogue, from spacing to bass. Fans who wish to enjoy the film in English are in for a treat. For those who wish to stick with the original, Sony has included optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles, should they be necessary.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. / Godzilla: Final Wars Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
Score: 1.0/5.0

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. contains a making-of feature and a trailer.

• The Making of Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (SD, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles, 21:48): A classic "fly on the wall" supplement that intercuts raw on-set making-of footage with final film elements.
• Theatrical Trailer (HD, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles, 0:35).

Godzilla: Final Wars
Score: 1.0/5.0

Godzilla: Final Wars contains a featurette, several teasers, and a theatrical trailer.

• Godzilla: B-Roll to Film (SD, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles, 17:54): A classic "fly on the wall" feature that takes audiences inside the making some of the film's key scenes, followed by a clip from the end product.
• Original Trailers (HD): Teaser 1 (Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles, 0:41), Teaser 2 (Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles, 0:41), Teaser 3 (Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles, 0:42), and Theatrical Trailer (Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles, 2:11).

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. / Godzilla: Final Wars Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One would expect the best two technical presentations of the entire Godzilla series considering they're the newest of the bunch. While the audio is terrific, both titles feature rather drab and flat video efforts. Supplements are limited to trailers and two brief "making of" extras. Rent it.