Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie Review

The year of Godzilla.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 1, 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 vs. King Ghidorah' and 'Godzilla vs. Mothra.' Individual reviews, and additional screenshots, can be found here and here.

Roar!

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Score: 3.5/5

How does one keep Godzilla fresh? How about travel to the past, visits from the future, UFOs, secret political agendas, and underhanded economic manipulation? How about an origins story? Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah doesn't retune formula or stray from the series' roots, but it does offer a nice little jaunt into thematically interesting and canon-critical territory while still maintaining classic Godzilla structure, i.e. the irradiated mega-lizard battling some equally oversized foe in and around Japan. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah sees the return of one of the series' classic villains resurrected for another round of devastation and combat in the midst of a story centered on man's own hunger for power and control, going so far as to rework the past for his present (future) gain.

UFO sightings are up all over Japan. When the unidentified vehicle lands, three humans -- Wilson (Chuck Wilson), Grenchko (Richard Berger), Emmy Kano (Anna Nakagawa) -- or, rightly, three holograms of humans, appear with a proposal: travel backwards in time to prevent the emergence of Godzilla and save Japan from a disastrous fate. The government agrees to go along with the operation and sends three of its own citizens along with the future visitors: a writer and Godzilla origins expert named Terasawa (Kosuke Toyohara), a dinosaur expert named Mazaki (Katsuhiko Sasaki), and Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka), a member of the Paranormal Research Center. The mission appears successful; Godzilla is transported away to another location, but when the time travelers return to the present, they discover that the three-headed monster known as King Ghidorah is devastating Japan. When the truth surrounding the future visitors arrival is revealed, the government is left with no choice but to recreate Godzilla to save the country.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah follows an interesting angle that pits man against himself in front of the backdrop of yet another massive confrontation between Godzilla and one of his arch-rivals. The story constructs some interesting backstory and origins for the title characters, dating all the way back to World War II and moving forward all the way into the distant future, while also folding a number of geopolitical and economic considerations into the tale. Still, the movie is 100% Godzilla at its core, relishing every moment of destruction, savoring each blow and counter-blow, and wowing the audience with every revelation and each instance of human intervention on the ground. Certainly the film plays with something of a repetitive feel down at its most basic level when compared to other Godzilla films of its time, but it's a satisfying little diversion that's just crazy and convoluted enough to bring a smile to the face and serve as a reminder of all the series does so well.

Basic Godzilla qualities rule the day in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Monster construction is primitively impressive, not so different than most other films in the series released around this timeframe and within the Heisei universe. It captures a fair sense of scope in the monsters, particularly when contrasted against cities and humans. Special effects -- complete with an abundance of wires, lightning, Godzilla-breath, and bulky future spacecraft, consoles, and guns -- aren't spectacular but prove serviceable, adding a charm that's missing with most of today's seamless but in many ways significantly more phony digital visuals. Acting ranges from acceptable to awful; many performances go far over the top, and most of the American actors from the film's World War II segment are laughably bad (and never mind the terrible "Spielberg" joke). The film finds its strength, however, in its origins story for Godzilla, dating back to nuclear testing and island-hopping battles between Japanese and American soldiers in World War II.

Godzilla vs. Mothra
Score: 3.5/5

In Godzilla vs. Mothra, the enemy isn't some gigantic, mutated or otherwise unnaturally large alien being destroying half of Japan but is instead man himself. After all, what is a handful of toppled buildings in comparison to the mass destruction man has caused to his own ecosystem over the millennia? The film is squarely in the corner of environmentalism, telling the story of man's own undoing by failing to exist in harmony with the world around him and the creature sent to destroy everything that man has made to damage the earth. It's more goofy than it is preachy, more mindless fun than it is focused message. In the end, it still comes down to mass mayhem as the lizard-like Godzilla, the colorful Mothra, and Earth's own self-defense mechanism, Battra, do battle in an epic showdown that, well, feels like all the other final act epic showdowns throughout the Godzilla universe.

A slumbering Godzilla is awakened when a meteorite crashes into the waters off Japan, near the final point in the battle between Godzilla and King Ghidorah. Nearby, a mudslide, the result of torrential rains, unearths a gigantic egg. Later, an explorer named Takuya Fujita (Tetsuya Bessho) is blackmailed by his ex-wife Masako Tezuka (Satomi Kobayashi) to join her and Kenji Andoh (Takehiro Murata) to explore a mysterious island. There, they discover the egg and make, perhaps, an even more startling discovery: inches tall "humans" that call themselves "The Cosmos." In essence, they are the very realization of Mother Earth and present the team with a dire warning: the Black Mothra, Battra, once created to destroy man's ability to harm Earth, has been released. The egg, they claim, belongs to the more protective Mothra. Soon, a battle rages between Godzilla, Mothra, and Battra with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

Godzilla vs. Mothra's first act feels like some strange combination of Deep Impact, Indiana Jones, and Ferngully, highlighted by a Jackie Chan-inspired stunt in which one of the heroes must ascend a crumbling flight of stairs. Beyond that, however, and even considering the strong environmental themes, the movie is classic Godzilla, one featuring one of the series' most identifiable monsters in Mothra and the typical chaotic battle that fills most of the entire third act. There's mayhem, destruction, plenty of frightened civilians, and more examples of the Japanese military's futility in battling the island nation's largest foes. Like most films in the series, it's pure escapism, not meant to be taken as much more than face-value entertainment, even considering the inclusion of heavy environmental themes.

Indeed, the story is constructed almost entirely from what is no doubt a thinly veiled plea to save the planet. Godzilla vs. Mothra contains everything from worldly spirits to talk of earth taking offense to man's fiddling with nature beyond a peaceful co-existence. Of course, it's all born of a long-lost civilization that befell the wrath of Battra (nice of Mother Earth to leave a notice) that, here, anyway, shows that history will always repeat itself, particularly if it allows a trio of monsters to battle it out in the end. Godzilla vs. Mothra doesn't do much with the environmentalism beyond introduce a couple of miniature singing girls and use it all as a backdrop for conflict, but that's OK. With so many movies within the series -- plenty before it and plenty more after it -- there are bound to be a good number of rather silly plot devices meant to get the story to the final battle in some logical, or at least understandable, manner beyond just starting the movie in the third act and foregoing a lot of the clutter that's just a lead-up to the inevitable.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Score: 3.5/5

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah's 1080p transfer isn't dynamic and flashy, but it's a serviceable, well-defined image that suits the material well. The image lacks that razor-sharp, lifelike crispness of what most would label "reference" material, but Sony's transfer showcases a solid image with adequate definition, little softness, and good coloring. Detailing proves adequate, with good, basic textures and definition on clothes and faces. Monster visuals reveal a good bit of intimacy, showing the finest ridges and lines on Godzilla's leathery reptilian body. Basic image clarity is strong, and light grain appears throughout. The World War II scenes appear a little more colorfully rich and dynamic but at the same time a touch smoother than the somewhat grittier (then) present day footage. Colors fare well. A bright red jeep and deep grassy greens satisfy, though the palette never exhibits much of a flashy, realistic tone. Black levels are fine, and flesh tones don't stray too far from natural shades. Minute blockiness creeps in from time to time, but never to the point of total distraction. The print shows little in the way of wear-and-tear. It doesn't dazzle, but Sony's transfer definitely gets the job done.

Godzilla vs. Mothra
Score: 3.5/5

Godzilla vs. Mothra arrives on Blu-ray with a fair, though not spectacular, 1080p transfer. Sony's Blu-ray release offers, generally, a well-defined image, one that's nicely cinematic and visually engaging. Though not a showstopper, it features solid clarity and above-average attention to detail, showing general facial and clothing lines with relative ease. Whether the rubbery and furry creature details or old wood and stone elements seen near film's start, the image enjoys fair representations of objects but not at the level of striking, lifelike reproduction fans expect form the top releases. Likewise, colors are solid but not particularly explosive, showing fair balance yet failing to find a real striking exposure, whether Mothra's colorful wings or dense jungle greens. Black levels, while not perfect, are neither too overpowering nor too dim. Flesh tones rarely betray a natural appearance. Light print wear is evident at times, but the image suffers from no excess blockiness or other unwanted eyesores.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Score: 2.5/5

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah features a native Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 lossless soundtrack. A companion dubbed English language track of the same configuration is also included. The differences between the tracks is stark, but not significant in the grand scheme of things. The Japanese track sounds much fuller, offering a more robust, richer experience than the more shallow and, frankly, unimpressive English version. Opening music offers a good example of the superior presence and weight the Japanese track produces, though certainly both fail to find a truly deep, immersive, lifelike presence. The lack of bass and the absence of real volume to the track is disappointing. Godzilla's footfalls -- particularly those of "dinosaur" Godzilla in the World War II sequence in chapter six -- are absent a true, thunderous power, playing quite punily, in fact, with the Japanese track only providing a little more sense of weight. Dialogue is shallow and inept on the English track. It's more forceful and clear in Japanese, but accompanied by underlying hiss. There's some decent reverberation and spacing in chapter four as sound bounces around the alien ship, but otherwise the track lacks much in the way of organic and exciting immersive support effects. Battle sequences, like the footfalls, offer basic, identifiable sound effects but never surround the listener or play with significant power. All around, a disappointing track but one that's fortunately a bit better in its native Japanese (optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles are included).

Godzilla vs. Mothra
Score: 3.0/5

Godzilla vs. Mothra's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Japanese language lossless soundtrack isn't particularly impressive but it is worlds better than the included English dub track. The Japanese track enjoys a slight uptick in fullness, richness, clarity, and attention to detail in all areas, notably music, in comparison to the track found on Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Still, all elements come up wanting, even as musical elements enjoy a little more heft, balance, stage presence, and accuracy. The track features minimal ambience and little power or presence to some of its biggest action moments, such as zooming fighter jets, missile fire, screeching monsters, and crashing structures. Dialogue plays with serviceable presence and evenness with front-center imaging. The English track borders on the disastrous, with terribly uneven and shallow dialogue, listless music, and limping sound effects. Stick with the original. Optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles are included.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Score: 0.5/5

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah contains only a collection of original trailers: Teaser 1 (HD, 0:34, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles), Teaser 2 (HD, 0:35, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles), Teaser 3 (HD, 0:47, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles), and Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:20, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles).

Godzilla vs. Mothra
Score: 0.5/5

Godzilla vs. Mothra only contains a trailer collage: Teaser 1 (HD, 0:32, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles), Teaser 2 (HD, 0:33, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles), Teaser 3 (HD, 0:34, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles), Teaser 4 (HD, 1:01, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles), and Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:53, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles).

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sony's Godzilla twin-bill features two entertaining movies with decent video and troubled audio. Supplements are limited to trailers. Recommended.