Lions Gate's first attempt at a Toho release, which nets them some mixed, although generally positive, results. The noteworthy aspect of the disc is the movie itself, which boasts both excellent video and audio transfers; however, the downside is that Lions Gate has failed to pack the disc with any interesting extras, a problem all too common on most region 1 Toho DVDs.

Lions Gate's has done a wonderful job with the video presentation on this release. Nearly everything about this aspect of the disc is done extraordinarily well, although the movie itself isn't the best to showcase some of these efforts. The colors are a good example of this, as they are very vibrant and rich in contrast on this release; however, the movie is loaded with color filters (an all too common element in modern Japanese horror) and is generally very dark, which makes a lot of this less apparent. This leads to the next aspect of the disc: the brightness level. Overall, it's set perfectly here, but still hard to gauge as the movie uses such a dark setting where one is barely supposed to make out what might be, for example, moving in the shadows. As for the digital inconsistencies, there is some very slight artifacting present, but otherwise it looks good, as edge enhancement is not a issue and the movie looks naturally sharp. In regards to the shape of the print: nearly flawless without a single scratch to be seen. There is also a very minimal amount of grain, which given the age of the film could be because this is a digital source, while noise present, such as from artifacting, is low.

Infection is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and is Anamorphic for widescreen TVs.

The audio found on Infection is generally great. There are two audio tracks present, a 2.0 stereo presentation and a 5.1 surround presentation, both in Japanese. The 2.0 track is flawless, boasting a rich array of speaker distinction and without any noticeable errors. For the most part, the same could be said for the surround track, except one small discrepancy which occurs around the 70 minute mark, where one of the character's dialogue is completely lost, although all of the other audio in that scene comes through fine. It's a very obvious error, one which I can't believe made it into the retail version, but at least the excellent stereo track is present to compensate.

The audio tracks can be accompanied by English or Spanish subtitles, which can be toggled on or off.

To sum up the extras, quickly and in one word: lame. There are two trailers present, but they are Lions Gate's versions, not the original Japanese ones. To that extent, the film's own trailer, even Lions Gate's version of it, is absent from this release too.

Something that shouldn't go unmentioned, though, is the DVD's amazing menus, which I will say, without hesitation, are the best I have seen for a region 1 Toho DVD. To sum them up: each is an animated sequence, which is looped flawless, that is unique and connects with events from the film. It's a great touch that's hard not to marvel at.

Bottom line, Lions Gate did a good job with the film itself on this release, but those looking for any supplemental content will be largely disappointed, although it's still highly suggested to fans of Japanese horror films.