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Returner, a film which enjoyed a limited theatrical
release in the United States, is Tristar's first non-kaiju
Toho release. The DVD has, like their other releases
from Tristar, excellent video and audio quality; however,
the disc goes above and beyond as it contains numerous
worthwhile extras, a rarity for a Tristar DVD of a Toho
film.
Video:
The video quality found on this disc is, more or less,
superb. The colors are vibrant, with no signs of color
fading, and the brightness is set at just the right
level on this disc, which is fortunate as the film itself
tends to be rather dark during most scenes; however,
the contrast is a little low, and colors aren't quite
as vibrant as they could be. The picture quality is
noticeably sharp, but does show small signs of artifacting,
grain, through out. Thankfully the print used in the
transfer is in perfect condition, containing no noticeable
scratches, which can be expected from a film only 2
years old.
Audio:
The audio presentation on this disc is especially note
worthy, and it makes one wish that other companies when
this extra mile, as the DVD is intact with the original
Japanese audio track, a adequate English audio track
and a French audio track. The audio tracks are complemented
with subtitles, available in English, French, Spanish
and Portuguese; furthermore, it should be noted that,
unlike Tristar's previous two Godzilla releases for
2004, the English subtitles correspond with the Japanese
audio track, not with the English dubbing. The audio
quality itself is superb, with no pops in any of the
three audio tracks, and the stereo moments shine through
perfectly (such as when the Daggra craft fly over head
in scenes, and the audio tracks them).
Extras:
The extras found on this disc are really top notch,
as there is over a hour of bonus material to be found
on this DVD. We are presented with a modest collection
of trailers, two of which belong to Anime films/series;
unfortunately, the trailers are all for the US versions.
Also included on the disc is a awesome "Production
Diary," which documents the making of the film,
and clocks in at well over 50 minutes in length. The
"Production Diary" is available without commentary,
or with commentary from the director (Takashi Yamazaki)
and lead actress Ann Suzuki (role of Miri in the film).
The disc also includes interviews with the film's action
coordinator, Takenari Tsuneyoshi, and art director,
Anri Johjo, each of which clocks in around the 5 minute
mark. The last extra, and probably the most interesting
one, is a scene by scene comparison between scenes without
added CGI and the end result once the CGI is in place.
Overview:
Bottom line, anyone, who has even a remote interest
in the film, should pick up this disc as the video and
audio presentation alone make this a worth while DVD,
but it also comes backed with enough extras to really
make the disc a worth while addition into most collections.
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