Audio: Both the film’s original Japanese language track, and ADV’s new English dub, are presented in 5.1. Both sound very good. All of the dialogue, sound effects, and Ko Otani's haunting and melodic score are well reproduced.

The English dubbing is much improved from the previous film, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion. The voices and lip-synch are well done, and the dialogue is a straight and serious translation of the Japanese. The character of Kurata is over-the-top, but he was always a bit fruity. Whether you watch the film dubbed or subtitled first is strictly a matter of personal preference. Definitely give each audio track a spin, though. Grade: A

Extras / Menus: Once again, ADV includes quite a few extras. Except for the “Outtakes,” “commentary by Gamera,” and some of the ADV trailers, the extras are presented in Japanese with optional English subtitles. First up is a 30-minute interview with Shinji Higuchi, the film’s director of special effects. This is actually the third and final part of a very extensive interview. (The first two parts are on the Gamera: GOTU and Gamera 2 DVDs.) The interview is conducted by Hirokatsu Kihara, a writer and former production manager for Studio Ghibli. The interview covers all three films in the series, and ADV thoughtfully prefaces it with a spoiler warning. The main topics covered are the depiction of human death in the Gamera films, the extensive “destruction of Shibuya” sequence, and integrating the human story with the monster plot. Higuchi also talks about working with such an established character with a spotty reputation as Gamera. The interview wraps up with some final thoughts from the two participants. Kihara says he could tell Higuchi was holding back; Higuchi says the marathon interview was trying and stressful, and brought back many memories.

The press conference runs for almost 4 minutes. It is not an announcement of production like the conferences included on previous discs. Instead, it gives a progress report on the shooting of the film, as well as the official announcement of the film’s title and the name of the enemy monster. (Interestingly enough, the monster’s name, at least in the title, is written as “demon” but pronounced as “Irysu.”) A promotional logo is also unveiled.

The “Japanese Theatrical Trailer Collection” includes 5 trailers. Some of them use the promotional titles Gamera 3: Incomplete Struggle and The Absolute Guardian of the Universe. It’s amusing that several use music which very obviously imitates James Horner’s score for Aliens, which has been used in many American sci-fi, action, and horror trailers over the years! The trailers run for 5 minutes. There is also a collection of 20 (yes, 20!) Japanese TV spots. They run for 5 1/2 minutes.

Next comes a 5-minute montage of behind-the-scenes footage, set to the song “Gamera Always Wins.” “Gamera Promotional Events” is a mere 1 minute of footage. It’s a photo-op for the press held at Daiei studios with director Shusuke Kaneko and the actresses from the movie. Kaneko alludes to Godzilla’s makeover for the U.S. movie the previous year, and says he would like for Gamera to achieve international success.

Also included is footage of the film’s opening day in Japanese theaters. The film’s premiere is preceded by onstage appearances by Shusuke Kaneko, Shinji Higuchi, and several actresses. There is an appearance by Gamera himself (via a promotional suit), and the cast & crew sign autographs for the fans after the show. This clip runs for 6 minutes.

While all of these extras are taken from the region 2 Japanese DVDs, there are two comedic additions produced by ADV themselves. “Outtakes” runs 4 minutes. It consists of film clips with humorous dubbing. The clips are fewer in number, but longer, than those included on the G2 DVD. This selection is also funnier than the G2 outtakes. “Commentary by Gamera” is a mock audio commentary on an alternate audio track. It’s moderated by Kyle Jones (who is listed in the DVD credits as producer, writer, and director of the English version of G3, as well as a voice actor for several minor roles). The “participants” are Gamera (who speaks with the same British accent as in the G2 outtakes), Iris (a woman’s voice with a Russian accent) and Soldier #6. He’s a “fake shemp” (uncredited stand-in) who claims to have played “background” roles in every Gamera film. He has a hillbilly accent familiar from several of ADV’s humorous supplements. As the movie runs, these players answer questions and comment on the on-screen action. This commentary is a minor diversion; it’s worth watching once for a few chuckles.

Finally, there are the requisite ADV previews. This batch includes Noir, Farscape Season 3, The Princess Blade, Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda Season 2, RahXephon, and Gamera: Guardian of the Universe.

Though still solid, this batch of supplements is the weakest of the trilogy. While this disc has the same categories of “real” extras as the first two, the number and variety of clips included is lesser. Most of the menus are still images with background music. The chapter select and ADV preview screens have animated film clips in the selection windows. Grade: A-

Final Analysis: Gamera 3 may be the greatest modern kaiju film. It looks and sounds great on this DVD. Every kaiju fan will want to complete their Gamera collection with this fine disc. Thanks again, ADV! Final Grade: A