Sold by Section 23 under their new Kraken Releasing label, this disc marks the first time Godzilla vs. Gigan would be released on the Blu-ray format in any market. The release offers the movie in 1080p resolution, but doesn't really stand out much beyond that with lackluster video quality mixed with an okay audio presentation that has hardly any extras to tout.
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The Tristar Godzilla vs. Gigan DVD was always going to be a tough act to follow. One thing that Sony did very well with their Showa Godzilla releases was the video quality, producing fantastic colors and sharp images for the DVD format. Both of these were on account of saturating and edge enhancment, but done in moderation where the final product looked incredible. The video quality on this disc is a step below. It's great to have the movie available in high defition, allowing the viewer to soak in all the detail even down to the "zombie-like" Anguirus water suit used in the film. However, it comes up a little short in a few areas and is the least successful of the Kraken Releasing Godzilla titles in the video area.
The most obvious downfall of the disc is that the colors are on the more dull side, lacking a rich vibrant array.
Even things like the Space Hunter Nebula M Aliens don't really pop with their neon orange suits. At least the color spectrum isn't distorted with a yellow tint, as they were on a lot of the Toho region 2 DVD releases, but the more muted tones are all too obvious here. The video track also isn't as sharp as it could or should be given the format. This is painfully obvious during the human sequences and the monster action that takes place in the distance. Regardless, there are a few sequences that do look quite impressive like this shot of King Ghidorah. The video track also has considerable noise in the frame, which is very obvious in some of the more well lit sequences such as the restaurant scene. Thankfully, most of the monster action happens at night which does mask the noise a bit.
The print used for the transfer appears to be the "new" international version. This means the same modern English title sequence seen on the Tristar DVD, same end credit card and same
opening credits.
Godzilla vs. Gigan is presented in its
original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.
| Audio: |
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The Blu-ray has two audio tracks, one the original Japanese version and the other the International English dub version, which has been widely available in the US on VHS and DVD before. Both are presented in mono and sound good, with no distortions in either track, although the Japanese one has a better presentation. The English track, especially the dialogue, lacks a little in clarity. The sounds effects and music are a bit more clear, although not on par with the Japanese audio track, so it very well could be a problem with the way the original English dubbing was recorded as I haven't heard a particularly stellar presentation of it before.
The disc comes with two optional
English subtitles. One is for the English dub audio track and translates the "World Children's Land: Construction Site" sign and others through the movie. The second is for the original Japanese audio track. The second subtitle track is a slight hybrid between dubtitles and translating the Japanese dialogue into English. When the spoken line is close enough to the dubbed dialogue, it opts for it. If the meaning is different, it will translate the text in most cases. For example, during the standoff in the apartment when Tomoko Tomoe lets the karate fly and beats up the Space Hunter M Nebula aliens, the dubbing line is a bad ass "You, get out!" from Tomoko. The original dialogue, and as translated on the Blu-Ray, is instead shock that one of the intruders is the director hiring her boyfriend. Surprisingly, the subtitles are exactly the same ones that appear on the Tristar region 1 DVD. This includes the infamous "You Momagon" line and keeping the "You cheeky pig!" line from the dub rather than the correct "You made me a monster!". This also has the same problem as that DVD of having no cartoon bubbles for the dialogue between Godzilla and Anguirus, meaning its just hearing monster screeches on the Japanese audio.
| Extras: |
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The disc comes with the original Japanese trailer with English subtitles for both the text and dialogue, which is cool to see. The colors on the trailer are a little distorted, with a slight blue tint, but the overall condition of the print used for the trailer is good with hardly any scratches or specks.
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The cumbersomely titled Godzilla on Monster Island! Godzilla vs. Gigan is definitely worth getting for those who don't own the movie already. Those who might already have the Tristar DVD, though, aren't getting a whole lot of extra value here. Of the three Kraken Releasing Godzilla titles, this one is the most underwhelming. The trailer and HD might be enough to warrant pulling the trigger on it, and I personally like having both releases in my collection, although more budget conscious consumers are better off sticking with the 2004 DVD if they own it.
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