Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

The H-Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 25, 2020

Note: 'The H-Man' is currently only available as part of a two-disc double feature with 'Battle in Outer Space.' Specifications include English (1:18:57 runtime) and Japanese (1:26:04 runtime) edits, 1080p video, two-channel lossless audio, and no supplements.

Official synopsis (spoilers follow): The Tokyo sewer system is an oozing mess after a radioactive liquid turns people into slimy blobs that float down the drains following a rainstorm. To add to the havoc, the gelatinous masses then begin to reproduce. The blobs are ultimately destroyed in a fire that lights up the city.

This slowly paced Monster movie, directed by Ishirō Honda, the filmmaker best known for Godzilla and Mothra, spins a gooey yarn about a gelatinous monster born of atomic testing. The film pushes no boundaries or breaks new ground, comfortably exploring the basic ebbs and flows of the post nuclear age Sci-Fi films so prevalent in its time, dealing in terror and science in equal proportion. The visual effects are crude by modern standards but, like the B-level acting, add a certain retro charm to the experience. Thrills are cheap, scares are few, but The H-Man stands as a decent example of its type, including, it would seem, by building the story around the title. At one point in the film, a character says, "A liquid creature produced from an H-bomb explosion. Couldn't it be called 'H-Man?'" Why, yes, Yes it could.

The H-Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For this Blu-ray release of The H-Man, Mill Creek presents a pleasing source in generally good condition. The picture quality is quite satisfying in total. The film-source elements hold a pleasantly even and flattering grain structure which is consistent and natural throughout. Details are well defined in the aggregate, certainly lacking the razor-sharpness of impeccably photographed and remastered presentations seen on Blu-ray from this era, but given the various constraints at the source and the budget for this Blu-ray, the image is quite handsome overall. Optical effects stand out like a sore thumb but only add to the inherent charm. There are occasional color fluctuations in the same shot, and the palette overall has a mildly depressed, slightly faded appearance, but most viewers will find an evenly represented collection of essential tones that satisfy the requirements of clothing, environments, shadows, and skin. The green monster represents probably the most aggressive color push in the movie, and it displays with a satisfyingly bright radioactive feeling. A few speckles and stray lines betray the print's age and lack of a thorough clean-up, but all things considered it must be said that the image looks quite good. These observations hold for both the Japanese and English cuts.

The H-Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both the Japanese and English cuts feature DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtracks, the former in the film's native tongue and the latter dubbed. Both are fairly similar in essential audio output. Despite the two-channel configuration, much of the material refuses to budge from a constrained front-center imaged location. The good in that regard is that dialogue is planted firmly in the middle with only rare occurrences when there's even a hint of drift to the edges. The bad is that music cannot enjoy a more natural stretch and engagement, and neither can action effects or atmospheric supports. With that said, clarity lacks, anyway, and larger spacial engagement might have just created a more frustrating experience. Music and effects alike are often gravelly and garbled, crunchy and lacking anything approaching lifelike accuracy or elemental finesse. Some of the more intense big band, percussion-heavy club beats, such as heard in chapter seven around the 48-minute mark, offer loud, intense output but not a significant amount of clarity. Sound design was obviously not high on the filmmakers' priority list for this one, but Mill Creek's track does all it can given the inherent limitations. Both tracks will get listeners through the material but not in a way that really accentuates it in any way.

The H-Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplementary content is included.

The H-Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The "H" in The H-Man could very well stand for "hokey." This is a silly, overplayed film but one of a certain charm in its representation of its era. Notes of The Blob are evident, even as the films released in the same year. Mill Creek's Blu-ray is featureless but does include two cuts of the film. The video and audio presentations on both cuts are similar, with the video a standout and the audio capable enough. Recommended.