Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Ultra Q: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 18, 2019

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.

The show's interesting history extends beyond Tsuburaya's involvement. It was originally titled Unbalance, perhaps a more suitable title given the show's tenor and narrative focus, but it was changed to Ultra Q following the social frenzy over the 1964 Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo, and the Japanese team's commitment to performing on a level dubbed "Ultra C," which on the scale of technique difficulty ranging from A (easiest) to C (most difficult) conveyed the team's goal of achieving beyond the most challenging scenarios. For the show, "C" was changed to "Q," representing the word "question." Of course the name stuck and the rest is history, but it's certainly an interesting footnote to see the crossover between sport and Sci-Fi television entertainment.

Tsuburaya Productions originally envisioned the show to focus more on the supernatural and the fantastical rather than delve too deeply into the monsters for which the company's founder was most widely known and beloved. But monsters were en vogue and Tokyo Broadcasting System, a major financial backer for the show, pushed hard for a greater focus on monsters, a position which ultimately won out over the show's original envisioning style, structure, approach, and supernatural focal points. And it worked. The show was, of course, a major success (that its legacy lives today and Mill Creek has been blitzing press with celebrations of the acquisition and release plans is certainly proof enough) and the Ultra series has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World records for most spinoffs.

As for how the show plays decades removed from its original run, it's a blast. Entertainment value remains high, even if there's an unmistakable corniness at play in hindsight and, truthfully, probably existed to some degree when the show first aired, though one can certainly see the young children of the day enthralled at the program for its fun factor, production value, and accessibility on the small screen. Considering the massive amount of merchandise that it spawned, all of those spin-offs, and its value to a generation of fans -- and generations to follow -- its success indeed goes without question. The production values are impressive even today within a prism of foundational context, and the scripts are well balanced, blending fun and drama, surprises and satisfying character development rather than simply resting on its laurels and pressing forward through each episode as if by rote. There's certainly a semblance of stylistic structure to which the show adheres; each runs around 25 minutes and there's a fairly firm rhythm to how things develop and play out, but at the same time there's an identifiable center to each episode and across the fuller arc, a feel of character growth and, just as important, forward motion even through familiarity. It's not right to call it captivating, but it's a very breezy and well-paced watch that is both historical curiosity and a foundational bit of television that would spawn an empire, which will be making its way to Blu-ray in the coming months.

Ultra Q: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Ultra Q: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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.

Ultra Q: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.