Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The H-Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 8, 2021

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Eureka! Entertainment's Ishirō Honda Double Feature: The H-Man + Battle in Outer Space.

Ishirō Honda lived a long and eventful life that saw him forge a really remarkable career in the Japanese film industry. Though being at least intermittently associated with such legends as Akira Kurosawa, Honda may forever be best remembered for his relationship with another “legend” of sorts: Gojira (note that the link points to a long ago release, because that’s one I personally reviewed). Honda was instrumental in developing what a lot of folks think of as the “modern” kaiju film, having not just helmed the first (and several subsequent) Godzilla outings, but also Rodan and the recently reviewed Mothra. While all of those kaiju entries probably at least flirted with a science fiction ambience, Honda also made films which were inarguably firmly within a sci-fi idiom, including The Mysterians, as well as both of the films Eureka! Entertainment’s Masters of Cinema series has aggregated together here in this release. This collection in fact mirrors the Mill Creek Entertainment The H-Man / Battle in Outer Space release put out for the North American market last year, at least in terms of the content of the features included.

As mentioned above, The H-Man received a release from Mill Creek Entertainment for the North American market last year, and Martin Liebman's The H-Man Blu-ray review offers a brief plot recap for those interested. Marty's review is also a good resource for screenshot comparisons (the Mill Creek release evidently offers no supplements for The H-Man). I'll only add that the excellent audio commentaries by David Kalat as well as Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski included on this release get into a wealth of information that may in fact add at least a bit more interest to this admittedly pretty rote tale of atomic "infection", as well as pointing out the film's kind of distinctive blend of "cops and robbers" with a more traditional monster movie aspect.

The H-Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The H-Man is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This looks at least similar if not identical to the version Marty reviewed that was released by Mill Creek Entertainment, but as was also the case with my recent Mothra Blu-ray review, which referred to Marty's previous review of that film courtesy of a Region A release, my scores for video and audio vary somewhat. I'm a bit less generous than Marty was in terms of the video presentation, and a bit more generous in terms of the audio presentation. (You'll note I also seem to like the film a bit more than Marty judging by our slightly different scores.) This film has a lot of dark sequences, and while grain is appealing and there are no serious compression issues, shadow detail is often less than optimal, and it tends to degrade even more when optical effects are involved. The element looks slightly faded, so that reds can veer just a tad toward dirty brown-orange, and flesh tones can look kind of dowdy and brown as well. That said, a lot of the nightclub material in particular pops pretty well, all things considered, and detail on some of the costumes is precise looking as well. There are numerous if minor signs of age related wear and tear throughout.

The H-Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The H-Man features LPCM 2.0 Mono tracks in either Japanese or English (the English language version features a "Perspecta Stereophonic Sound" credit, but the press sheet accompanying the check discs mentions mono audio, and I certainly didn't hear any true separation in the English language track). Both tracks offer a typically slightly boxy and shallow sound, one that lacks consistent depth in the mid- to low ranges in particular, but which deliver fine fidelity overall in terms of dialogue, effects and music. Optional English subtitles are available.

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

• Original Japanese Version (1080p; 1:26:04) and International English Dubbed Version (1080p; 1:18:58) are offered.


• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat is available under the Play Menu for the Original Japanese Version.


• Audio Commentary by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski is available under the Play Menu for the Original Japanese Version.


• Stills Gallery (HD)

While Eureka! only provided check discs for the purposes of this review, the press sheet accompanying the discs states that this is another nicely packaged release from the label which comes with a collector's booklet featuring essays by Christopher Stewardson and Jasper Sharp.

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

The H-Man is admittedly goofy, and its slimy "villain" will probably remind folks of another 1958 opus The Blob. Technical merits are generally solid, and the commentaries very appealing, for those who are considering a purchase.