Funimation has been doing a good job stepping up to the plate to release some of the newer special effects features from Toho. While most will thank them for their later release of Shin Godzilla (2016), the company also leapt on the live action features around the Attack on Titan series. Although releasing those two films theatrically in 2015 in the United States, Funimation pushed out a home video release until late in 2016. Naturally, the company released the first title in the series to Blu-ray, offering an okay presentation in doing so across video and audio while skimping on much in the way of extras.
It should be noted that this is a dual format release. Both a Blu-ray and a DVD are included. However, with the disc being the same as the stand alone DVD version this review will focus on the Blu-ray edition.
| Video: |
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Included on the Blu-ray is the video track for the original Japanese version of the movie. The video has no notable source discrepancies, although normal for a movie this age. That said, the film doesn't look as sharp as it should for a high definition, 1080p movie. While the CGI aspect is likely due to the quality of the special effects themselves, it also applies to details on the actors and sets. Sadly, there are also signs of compression as well, such as pixilation seen in Hans' hair while she is demonstrating the Titan's weakpoint. In terms of colors, the movie has a very muted palette, although this is intentional. Even in the meadow scene the movie is never vibrant, and often intentionally color tinted as well. So while it doesn't look impressive, it matches the intended appearance of the movie. In terms of brightness, it's set at just the right level, with details being clear while true blacks are apparent as well.
Attack on Titan is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio.
| Audio: |
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The Blu-ray offers two different audio tracks. One is the original Japanese, in 5.1 surround with Dolby TrueHD. The other is dubbed into English, presented also in 5.1 surround with Dolby TrueHD. Audio quality is high, with clarity in dialogue and no overt discrepancies. The tracks do a good job with directionality as well, apparent right off the bat with the busy city streets at the start. The action sounds like it's taking place all over the viewer, doing a good job of creating a soundscape. However, some effects sound particularly weak, such as the footsteps of the titans. This is probably due to the original material, I will admit I have not seen the movie outside of home video, rather than this transfer though.
Unfortunately, the dubbing on this movie is particularly weak. The performances are really subpar and none of the cast feels particularly invested into their readings, similar to GANTZ (2011). Casting also feels off, for example Hans is given the voice of an older woman which feels strange. Basically a dub is better than no dubbed option, assuming it's a supplement to the original Japanese track being available. That said, this one is on the lower end of the totem pole in terms of performance quality. In fact, moments like when the little girl gives the rabbit veer into "so bad it's good" territory. This is becuase the dubbing on the little girl is obviously from a grown woman trying to throw her voice to sound like a young girl... and utterly failing to do so. To be fair, though, at least the voice actor for Captain Shikishima does a good job.
The Blu-ray includes two removable English subtitle tracks. One translates the Japanese dialogue, rather than work as closed captions for the dubbed version. The other track translates onscreen Japanese text into English, and is meant to accompany the English dubbed version.
| Extras: |
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In terms of extras, this disc is very light. The Blu-ray contains three trailers for the live action Attack on Titan. Two of these are Japanese trailers while the third is a US trailer for Attack on Titan and Attack on Titan: Part 2 (2015). The US trailer has burnt in English subtitles, while the Japanese trailers have removable English subtitles. Beyond this, the disc also has a wealth of trailers for other Funimation releases, although these are US trailers for their Blu-ray releases.
| Overview: |
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Overall, this isn't an outstanding release, but is a good way to watch the movie in the US on home video even if it mostly skips out on added content. The fact that it includes the DVD, Blu-ray and digital Ultra Violet copy give viewers a variety of options on how to watch the film as well.
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