5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 3.7 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A Colossal Battle Between Two King Kongs! It's King Kong to the rescue when a giant robot threatens to destroy Tokyo in the gripping King Kong Escapes! The action begins when the conniving Dr. Who builds a robot Kong in order to retrieve a highly radioactive element for his mysterious benefactor, Madame X. When the robot proves less than reliable, the devious duo scheme to kidnap the real Kong from his remote island home of Mondo. Interfering with their plans are the heroic trio of U.S. Cmdr. Carl Nelson, Lt. Jiro Nomura, and Kong's current crush, Lt. Susan Miller. It's up to them to outwit the greedy ape-nappers in this sci-fi adventure that takes Kong to unprecedented heights of excitement.
Starring: Rhodes Reason, Mie Hama, Linda Miller (VI), Akira Takarada, Hideyo AmamotoForeign | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 93% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English SDH, French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
With a brand spankin' new Godzilla set to invade theaters in less than a month, giant monsters movies are lumbering out of the sea by the dozen. Announcements, releases, bargain bin sequels aplenty... if it has Godzilla on the cover, it's suddenly all the Blu-ray rage. Even Universal is diving in headfirst, first with Ishirô Honda's King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) and then with Honda's King Kong Escapes (1967), the latter sans Godzilla. Normally, such a deluge of lesser Japanese big-creature features would be a godsend for collectors and completists. What could possibly spoil the fun? Particularly for those who have a special place in their hearts for Honda's so-bad-they're-a-blast Toho Company King Kong flicks? Not a whole lot apparently. Priced to sell and backed by fairly decent AV quality, there isn't much here to prevent diehard fans of the towering icons from taking advantage of the catalog-broadening opportunity Sony's Godzilla reboot has provided.
As is the case with King Kong vs. Godzilla, print damage is the real monster of King Kong Escapes. Scratches, nicks, specks, top-edge tape marks and other distractions pop up on a regular basis, and with a bit more frequency than in Kong vs. Godzilla. Crush takes a slight toll too, although I'm happy to report there aren't many other issues of note. Grain isn't quite as refined and natural as it is in KvG, but any noise reduction that's been utilized appears to have been employed judiciously. Smearing and waxiness aren't a problem; the grain itself is just somewhat pulpier. That said, colors are more vibrant, skintones warmer, primaries stronger, blacks levels a bit deeper, and contrast more eye-popping. Detail is quite impressive too, with crisp edges, pleasing textures and an overall clarity that, at least for the time being, makes this the definitive presentation of the film. Now if only something could be done about the print damage without sacrificing the integrity of the image. That, of course, would require an investment, though; an investment Universal isn't likely to grant an obscure 1960s King Kong pseudo-sequel. Even so, I didn't expect to be so impressed. If it weren't for all the print damage, my score would be higher.
King Kong vs. Godzilla and King Kong Escapes offer comparable English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks, neither of which is all that problematic or remarkable. Dialogue is generally clean and clear, minus the usual tininess, ringing and prioritization mishaps that tend to be an inherent part of the sound designs of low-budget 1960s cinema. Effects are relatively weighty too, although I would have liked to see a more invigorating 5.1 remix (with booming LFE support and assertive rear speaker activity) alongside the original audio mix. Still, both tracks get the job done without major incident.
The Blu-ray edition of King Kong Escapes doesn't include any special features.
King Kong Escapes isn't a classic Kong sequel, or even a very good pseudo-sequel. It's little more than a so-terrible-it's-terrific bit of fun aimed at a niche audience, but more power to them. With the right frame of mind, King Kong Escapes can be a hilariously campy throwback well worth a watch. Universal's Blu-ray edition has something to offer too, namely a fairly faithful AV presentation. Still, an abundance of print damage and a barebones disc hold back what could have been a better supported monster movie release.
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1991
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1993
ゴジラ ファイナルウォーズ / Gojira: Fainaru uôzu
2004
ゴジラ2000 ミレニアム / Gojira ni-sen mireniamu / Godzilla 2000: Millennium
1999
ゴジラ×メカゴジラ / Gojira x Mekagojira
2002
ゴジラvsモスラ / Gojira vs. Mosura / Godzilla vs. Mothra
1992
ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ 大怪獣総攻撃 / Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidorâ: Daikaijû sôkôgeki
2001
キングコング対ゴジラ / Kingu Kongu tai Gojira
1962
ゴジラ×モスラ×メカゴジラ 東京SOS / Gojira tai Mosura tai Mekagojira: Tôkyô S.O.S.
2003
ゴジラvsビオランテ / Gojira vs. Biorante
1989
Mosura 3: Kingu Gidorâ raishu
1998
ゴジラ / Gojira / The Return of Godzilla
1984
ゴジラ × メガギラス G消滅作戦 / Gojira tai Megagirasu: Jî shômetsu sakusen
2000
ゴジラvsデストロイア / Gojira vs. Desutoroiâ / Godzilla vs. Destroyer
1995
ゴジラvsスペースゴジラ / Gojira vs. Supesugojira
1994
ゴジラ対ヘドラ / Gojira tai Hedora / Godzilla vs. Hedorah
1971
モスラ対ゴジラ / Mosura tai Gojira
1964
Gamera tai Bairasu
1968
地球攻撃命令 ゴジラ対ガイガン / Chikyû kogeki meirei: Gojira tai Gaigan / Godzilla vs. Gigan
1972
ゴジラ・エビラ・モスラ 南海の大決闘 / Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daiketto / Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
1966