There are four home video releases of the 2014 Godzilla film floating around in the US. Three of them can be found at most retail stores. This particular review is on the fourth, which is a Target exclusive containing the DVD and Blu-Ray along with a Digital HD Ultraviolet Copy. The selling point is it contains an exclusive, almost 30 minute feature based on the creation of the film which is only found on the Blu-ray in the set. The added feature is solid and enjoyable, with when mixed with good video quality and excellent audio quality lead for a good package.
While this set contains both the DVD and Blu-ray versions of the movie, I'm going to focus mostly on the Blu-ray here as the DVD is the same one included in all the other releases.
| Video: |
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First and foremost, the movie is a touch too dark here. This is especially apparent in contrast to the extra features that sample segments from the film. These segments are much brighter than the moments in the actual movie found on the same disc. To compare, here are contrasts of three segments from the features and the movie:
While the bonus feature footage is a shade too light, the movie footage is too dark. The black levels are rich, but overpowering. Some scenes in the movie are impossible to see, such as when the troops enter the boat on the wharf near the climax while the monsters are fighting. While I understand the need to keep some of the film shrouded to convey the sense of mystery the movie sometimes goes for, the result is overboard. Sadly, this also mutes the colors a bit too, and the spectrum here is not really vibrant and the colors a little subdued. On the plus side, the print is in excellent shape. The frame also contains rich details, with the viewer able to make out smaller elements in the frame to good effect.
Godzilla is presented in its
original aspect ratio of 2.40:1 on all versions and is anamorphic for widescreen TVs.
| Audio: |
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The disc has three audio channels: English, French and Spanish. All three are in surround, with the English mix being seven channels. The quality on each is fantastic, and the dynamic range on the effects using the extra channels is great. It does a wonderful job of creating a sense of space with the speaker depth. Sadly, it would have been nice if the disc included at least one stereo option, since people listening on headphones isn't unheard of in this day of age.
As for the dubbed versions, both the Spanish and French are done well. I laughed a little at the over the top announcer for the on screen text, for example "Janjira, Japan", but otherwise there was a good effort done here.
The disc also contains three subtitle tracks, which are English, Spanish and French.
| Extras: |
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The Target exclusive version of Godzilla is the most feature rich of the current releases. It retails for a bit more, about $3-4 more than the other edition. For reference, Target does sell the normal edition alongside the one with the exclusive Godzilla: Rebirth of an Icon feature. It's easy to tell the two apart, besides that it costs more, as it features the HALO jump cover and the slip cover is covered with stickers promoting the 30 minute exclusive. I will cover all the features, but with more focus on the exclusive feature.
Titled Godzilla: Rebirth of an Icon, this featurette is the best of the extras from the set. On one hand, that's good because it's worth the added price tag. On the other hand, that's a little unfair for anyone who doesn't have the option to pick up this edition. The extra feature covers basically everything behind the production. It's a summary "behind the scenes" feature that you might see on TV. It encompasses both things on the grand scale, and on the intimate. For example, it goes into great detail into how the new roar was created or why director Gareth Edwards was chosen for the movie. The style of the feature is interview quotes interlaced with behind the scenes footage, segments from the movie and also scenes from Godzilla (1954). The downside of the feature is that it repeats parts from two other features: Godzilla: Force of Nature and New Level of Destruction. This includes many exact quotes that appear in both. So there is a bit of repetition here, but this is still the definitive of the extras included.
In terms of the rest of the extras, they are broken into two groups:
"MONARCH Declassified" and "The Legendary Godzilla".
The "MONARCH Declassified" group are a mixed bag. They include: Operation Lucky Dragon, Monarch: The M.U.T.O File and Godzilla Revelation. They are all done as "canon" to the film universe. For example, Godzilla Revelation has someone narrating from the found footage related to the events after the film revealing MONARCH's involvement with covering up Godzilla. It's an interesting concept, but the voice over is dull in its delivery and each seems boring and outstay their welcome, with the three total a run time of almost 15 minutes.
The second group, "The Legendary Godzilla", is much longer and better over all. Like the Rebirth of an Icon feature, these are behind the scenes in nature. There are four, each covering an aspect of the film. They include Godzilla: Force of Nature which is about updating the character, New Level of Destruction which is about the sets, Into the Void: The H.A.L.O Jump which is about the jump sequence in the film and finally Ancient Enemy: The M.U.T.O.s which is about the adversary kaiju in the movie. The four features total almost 40 minutes, and give a good amount of cast interviews and CGI conception shots.
The Blu-ray disc also contains a trailer to The Edge of Tomorrow, although this is a preview that plays before the disc menu and is not something that can be selected. Speaking of the disc menus, they are beyond generic here. I haven't seen a whole lot of modern Warner Bros. releases, but I know the recent The LEGO Movie has the exact same menu design: a still image that is placed against very run of the mill menus below. No special background for the extras or anything.
Note: the extras only appear on the Blu-ray. The DVD contains no extras, not even the Godzilla: Rebirth of an Icon feature
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If you are a hard core Godzilla fan, and the type to enjoy extras, this is worth the extra few bucks it retails for over the regular version. Is it worth a cross state trip? Probably not, so hopefully there is a Target nearby.
In terms of an overall reflection of the Blu-ray pack, its a shame the video
is so dark on this as it would get fairly high marks if that aspect was more up to snuff. As is, though, it's still a solid way to enjoy the movie and while a few scenes are negatively impacted, the movie as a whole looks good and sound great. The extras here still feel like they could have used one or two more additions, like trailers for the movie or deleted scenes, but there are enough behind the scenes reflections to give a really packed experience.
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![Blu-ray: Godzilla [Target Exclusive] (Warner Bros.)](../images/blu-ray/godzilla_target_warner14/cover_tn.jpg)
