6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
On a secluded island in the South Seas, a group of castaways stumble upon a paramilitary organization whose nefarious nuclear activities threaten the world at large.
Starring: Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno, Chôtarô Tôgin, Hideo Sunazuka, Tôru IbukiForeign | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 48% |
Fantasy | 33% |
Action | 19% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Gojira first marauded through an epically miniature Tokyo in 1954’s Godzilla, quickly assuming the mantle of King of the Monsters when the film matriculated to American shores shortly thereafter. The evolution of this now iconic character is an interesting study in how an archetypal villain can morph rather unexpectedly into either an outright hero or at least a default protective force who might be the lesser of two (or more) evils. The original conception of Gojira (a fabricated “word” meant to evoke the monster’s supposed resemblance to both a gorilla and a whale, and, no, that isn’t a typo) was an obvious visual metaphor helping the Japanese to come to grips with the aftershocks of their own nuclear holocaust, and in fact in the most renowned of the creature’s origin stories, it’s nuclear activity itself which brings the beast (back) to life. In many of the Godzilla films, the titular being is able to emit its own nuclear smack down, courtesy of a radioactive blast it emanates from its immense mouth. If the original film was both figuratively and literally black and white, positing a destructive behemoth who had to be stopped at all costs, the franchise underwent a rather startling transformation through the years, with a “kinder, gentler” giant quasi-dinosaur emerging as a friend to humanity, or at least as less of an imminent threat. With the imminent release of a new theatrical Godzilla poised to stomp through cineplexes, a whole glut of older Godzilla entries are being released on Blu-ray, including three from Kraken Releasing (an imprint of anime specialist Section 23, which distributes Sentai Filmworks releases). These three come toward the end of Godzilla’s miraculous metamorphosis from nemesis to colleague, and each of them has a certain childlike innocence that seems to point toward the fact that these were crafted with children in mind. There are lessons to be learned about our stewardship of the Earth in all three of the films, in what might be seen as the most obvious throwback to the original formulation of one of the most recognizable rubber suits in the history of film.
Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kraken Releasing, an imprint of Section 23 Films, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Rather interestingly, at least when considering the fact that this is the oldest of the three Godzilla outings Kraken is releasing, Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster offers by far the least grain, though there doesn't really appear to have been any over aggressive filtering applied to this release. The elements show their fair share of age related wear and tear, but nothing is ever at a highly problematic level, limited mostly to tiny knicks and flecks that afflict the image. Colors are quite vivid, if perhaps slightly skewed toward the brown side of things. Blues pop especially well throughout this presentation. The higher resolution easily reveals some of the sillier effects work, including less than convincing miniatures and some of the various techniques utilized to bring Godzilla to life.
Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster features lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono mixes in both English and Japanese. While the opening sequence sounds nearly identical in both versions, once the dialogue kicks in, there's incremental though noticeable uptick in the Japanese track's amplitude. Both tracks have a tendency to sound just slightly boxy quite a bit of the time, especially in sound effects laden sequences like when the giant monsters emit various calls. The boxiness also slightly afflicts the film's score, which can only be described as a curious mash up of James Bond idioms as played by The Ventures. Dialogue is very cleanly presented and neither tracks sports any damage considerable enough to warrant concern.
Some fans take Godzilla very seriously, despite little peccadilloes like zippers in rubber suits occasionally being apparent. Those folks probably won't gel well with Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster's frankly manic and at times over the top comedy, not to mention some probably unintentional comedy that pops up along the way. But this is big, goofy fun for those who don't mind laughing at unabashed silliness. The technical merits of this Blu-ray may not be reference quality, but they're surprisingly strong. Despite the lack of any really meaningful supplements, Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster comes Recommended.
怪獣大戦争 / Kaijû daisensô / Godzilla vs. Monster Zero
1965
ゴジラ対ヘドラ / Gojira tai Hedora / Godzilla vs. Hedorah
1971
怪獣島の決戦 ゴジラの息子 / Kaijûtô no kessen: Gojira no musuko
1967
メカゴジラの逆襲 / Mekagojira no gyakushu
1975
ゴジラ対メカゴジラ / Gojira tai Mekagojira
1974
ゴジラ対メガロ / Gojira tai Megaro
1973
地球攻撃命令 ゴジラ対ガイガン / Chikyû kogeki meirei: Gojira tai Gaigan / Godzilla vs. Gigan
1972
三大怪獣 地球最大の決戦 / San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen
1964
モスラ対ゴジラ / Mosura tai Gojira
1964
怪獣総進撃 / Kaijû sôshingeki
1968
キングコング対ゴジラ / Kingu Kongu tai Gojira
1962
ゴジラ・ミニラ・ガバラ オール怪獣大進撃 / Gojira-Minira-Gabara: Oru kaijû daishingeki
1969
ゴジラの逆襲 / Gojira no gyakushû
1955
ゴジラvsモスラ / Gojira vs. Mosura / Godzilla vs. Mothra
1992
ゴジラvsメカゴジラ / Gojira vs. Mekagojira
1993
ゴジラvsスペースゴジラ / Gojira vs. Supesugojira
1994
ゴジラ × メガギラス G消滅作戦 / Gojira tai Megagirasu: Jî shômetsu sakusen
2000
ゴジラ×メカゴジラ / Gojira x Mekagojira
2002
ゴジラ / Gojira / The Return of Godzilla
1984
ゴジラ2000 ミレニアム / Gojira ni-sen mireniamu / Godzilla 2000: Millennium
1999