7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The first television series produced by Eiji Tsyburaya, the special effects man behind Godzilla. In the vein of The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone except with giant rubber suited monsters. The show revolves around three recurring characters and the situations they get into with said monsters. The show is the precursor to the Ultraman series.
Starring: Kenji Sahara, Bin Furuya, Hiroko Sakurai, Yoshifumi Tajima, Yasuhiko SaijôForeign | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 40% |
Fantasy | 20% |
Supernatural | 17% |
Action | 16% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (4 BDs)
Digital copy
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: some of what appears below are summations from the booklet included with this Blu-ray release, written by Keith Aiken.
When UltraQ debuted in Japan in early 1966, Kaiju was growing in popularity. Toho's Godzilla and Mothra, amongst many others, had become cultural sensations and
demand was high for more, similar content. Beyond monsters and massive popularity, a thread those films had in common was the involvement of
Special Effects Director Eiji Tsuburaya, who in 1963 founded Tsuburaya Productions, an ambitious company with an eye towards high quality television
productions with theatrical film budgets and techniques. The result: Ultra Q, an instant success that blended monsters and mystery in the
tradition of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, two popular American television shows that paved the
way
for one of Japan's great television legacies that since spawned dozens of spinoff series and motion pictures.
It's important to go into Ultra Q: The Complete Series with reasonable expectations: not too high, not too low. That way, the transfer's general excellence will please and its shortcomings won't prove much of a burden to the overall experience. The black and white, 4x3 image (placing vertical "black bars" on either side of the 1.78 HD display) looks exceptional, for the most part. The image is naturally sharp and maintains a true, organic grain structure that does waver in intensity a bit depending on any given scene's location and lighting challenges. Ultra Q was shot on 35mm film, one of the key components in Tsuburaya's vision for creating a more robust product for the home market, and the picture is pleasantly rich and true to its roots. Details are sharp and revealing. Faces showcase essential character traits beyond the basics, with well-rounded intricacy and intimacy in close-up. Clothes fare much the same, with crisp, well defined fabric definition and lines. Environments, which vary greatly through the show -- from natural outdoor locations to complexly designed sets -- never fail to offer satisfying levels of clarity worthy of pause-and-explore. The various creature suits are likewise strong. The resolution certainly betrays the relative lack of complexity that was previously hidden in lower resolution and on smaller screens, but it only adds to the inherent charm. The grayscale is pleasing and consistent. Lighter shades are well defined and whites are adequately crisp while darker tones and black levels are handsome, even when competing for screen space in the same shot (see the 6:50 mark in the final episode on disc one, "S.O.S. Mount Fuji," for an example). The image does show a fairly steady steam of vertical lines marring the picture, but only occasionally does density rise to interfering levels. Other points of print wear are minimal and there are no serious compression issues to note, either. Despite a few hangups, Mill Creek's restoration efforts are impressive, more so considering the affordable price point. Fans should be thrilled with these results.
Mill Creek presents Ultra Q: The Complete Series on Blu-ray with the show's native Japanese soundtrack in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless configuration; there are no dubs available. Optional English SDH subtitles do default to "on." The track is obviously of limited sonic interest beyond its conveyance of the show's basic necessities. In that regard it's just fine, presenting music and effects alike with appropriate front-end stage stretch and enough clarity to offer a fairly distinct collection of sounds, from the most intense moments of score to the more aggressive monster effects, from reserved ambience to squishy sound effects. The track is more than capable of stretching and extending within its means, particularly through a range from high to low, albeit with some muddled components and lack of ability to more finely define at any given element's limits. Still, it's very capable and well rounded. Dialogue is not perfectly clear or lifelike but it is satisfactorily detailed and adequately prioritized in more sonically intense moments. It is well positioned in a rather seamless front-center imaged area.
Ultra Q: The Complete Series contains no supplements across any of the four discs. The main menu screens on each disc only offer the opportunity to toggle subtitles on and off in addition to selecting any of the disc's episodes, which are vertically oriented. The set does ship with an impressively assembled booklet that includes glossy pages, numerous black-and-white photographs, and plenty of text. It begins with an introductory essay on Eiji Tsuburaya and Tsuburaya Productions, a broad series introduction, detailed episode synopses, key monster explorations, and character and technology guides. Mill Creek has put together a comprehensive series breakdown in a relatively small space. While it's disappointing that there are no video-biased extras, this compact handbook is a treasure and a necessity for newcomers just getting their feet wet in the universe.
With Ultra Q: The Complete Series, Mill Creek has opened the floodgates to a treasure trove of Ultraman high definition bliss. This is the first of many planned releases, and while the absence of on-disc supplements is disappointing, the included booklet is well worth a perusal. Video and audio presentations are not perfect, but they're close, particularly considering the price point. It's an attractive package at an unbeatable price, and for a few dollars more fans can get their hands on a terrific SteelBook packaging variant. Highly recommended.
ウルトラセブン
1967-1968
ウルトラマン
1966-1967
帰ってきたウルトラマン / Kaettekita Urutoraman
1971-1972
ウルトラマンA(エース) / Urutoraman Ēsu
1972-1973
Series + Movie / ウルトラマンオーブ & 劇場版 ウルトラマンオーブ 絆の力、おかりします!
2016-2017
ウルトラマンタロウ
1973-1974
Series + Movie / ウルトラマンジード / Urutoraman Jîdo
2017-2018
モスラ対ゴジラ / Mosura tai Gojira
1964
三大怪獣 地球最大の決戦 / San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen
1964
1974-1975
怪獣島の決戦 ゴジラの息子 / Kaijûtô no kessen: Gojira no musuko
1967
2006
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
Gamera tai Barugon
1966
Daikaijû Gamera
1965
Gamera tai Gyaosu
1967
怪獣大戦争 / Kaijû daisensô / Godzilla vs. Monster Zero
1965
メカゴジラの逆襲 / Mekagojira no gyakushu
1975
ゴジラ / Gojira / The Return of Godzilla
1984
ゴジラ対メカゴジラ / Gojira tai Mekagojira
1974