Godzilla Vs Kong arrives on home video in a Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital Copy package that will please viewers and fans with its terrific visuals and audio but may leave some wishing for more with its extra features.
| Video: |
 |
The stand out of this three format release is the Blu-Ray by far. I'm very pleased that a DVD was included because I want to be able to view a movie in as many formats as possible but there's no question that a movie like Godzilla Vs Kong should be viewed in the strongest format possible. The digital copy code redeems for a HD copy, however the visual and audio quality will be dependent on your internet or mobile data connection or device capabilities. I really appreciate that studios are now including special features with the digital copy, meaning I can pull them up on my phone or PC without being limited to viewing them on my TV. The picture quality of the Blu-Ray is fantastic. I was impressed watching the disc on my TV but I was even more impressed when taking screenshots from a rip of the Blu-Ray I made on my pc. The level of detail present is mind blowing especially when looking at the small details like the hide on Kong's axe, the countless scales on Godzilla, to the mechanical rivets on MechaGodzilla. The transfer is also awash with colors especially when the third act of the film and the fights in Hong Kong are a visual treat.
| Audio: |
|
I'm not the most sonically attentive person and without a home theater set up I can't provide the most technically detailed review of sound, but I was never taken out of my view by low sound effects or character dialog. The music also made a stronger impression on me in my home viewing than the theatrical screening I attended!
| Extras: |
 |
Unfortunately, I think the extras are not only the weakest part of this release, but perhaps the weakest of all the MonsterVerse releases. First off, I do want to praise this release for including cuts from Gojira and the original King Kong in the features really reminding us of the iconic status of these great characters. The issues begin with the disc menu which are just a generic copy and paste style we've seen from many past Warner Bros releases, lacking any distinct visual style. There are no "real world" news footage or Monarch video files like past titles and the cool monster profile breakdown videos that Godzilla King of the Monsters featured are missing as well. The extras are grouped into Godzilla and Kong specific entries, which is neat, but there is little organization beyond that and following the basic story structure of the actual film. The features are also rather scatter brained, you'll be watching a feature on Kong when they start talking about wardrobe and costuming for the human cast with little transition. Multiple topics are addressed in a single feature, and while it may have made for shorter features, I wish each topic like set design was its own feature rather than combined with multiple topics into one video. The editing for the features is also more conductive to a promotional video or trailer than an informational feature. Most of the footage of the Titans in these features are composed of completed footage from the final cut of the film, making them feel repetitive. We get a few tantalizing shots of in development character models and animatics but not nearly enough, I felt. There's also very little technical information in here. What programs did the animators use? Why was key frame animation chosen over continuing the motion capture performances of the past films? None of that is addressed. We know there is a lot of this film that was left on the editing floor, but no deleted scenes are included. Adam Wingard provides a commentary that is greatly appreciated, but sadly we know from an interview with Toho Kingdom conducted by Chris Mirjahangir that the full commentary was edited with a lot of his comments cut from the final product, and that the editing lead to a syncing error between the audio commentary and the visuals. Not even Adam Wingard knows why his commentary was edited and we're left with a crippled feature that should have been the highlight of this release.
| Overview: |
 |
On its technical merits, Warner Bros.' release of Godzilla Vs Kong stands strong and tall. If you have the necessary setups for either the 4K UHD or 3D release, I would recommend springing for those. For everyone else, this particular release featuring the Blu-Ray disc, DVD disc, and Digital Copy code is a winner, providing viewers with a multitude of ways of experiencing this film. Outside of its visual and audio strengths, however, I was let down by the mostly surface level features and the cut up director's commentary. Fans deserve more substantial features on these releases, and there are a great majority of people who buy these releases FOR those features. For future releases, I'd urge Warner Bros. to consider putting more effort and care into showcasing the creative process and behind the scenes footage from productions of this scale.
|
