| Video: The anamorphic widescreen image is sharp and clear. Flesh tones are natural, the image is free of grain, and nothing looks too dark. The box front is labeled “HD,” so this may have been downconverted from a hi-def source. A region 1 transfer would probably be a bit more vivid (they usually are), but the picture here looks natural. As far as Universe Laser R3 DVDs go, this transfer is superior to any of their Millennium Godzilla releases. I haven’t yet compared it to their more recent Heisei Godzilla discs, but it probably holds true, since those films are older and some of the discs aren’t even anamorphic. Grade: A-
Audio: The film’s original Japanese language track is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. It sounds very good. The dialogue is clear and natural. There are some nice “punchy” sound effects (such as the whoosh of old Gamera’s fireball obliterating a Gyaos), and they’re well reproduced. For reasons unknown, Gamera’s distinctive roar has been replaced in this film with one that sounds like the 1976 version of King Kong. The music is unusual for a kaiju film. It has some “traditional Japanese” style, and includes quite a bit of light choral work. It isn’t as memorable as a strong, Ifukube-style kaiju score, but it works fine in the movie.
The Cantonese dub track is recorded slightly lower than the Japanese. Some of the sound effects have less impact. The dubbing is okay, but some of the kids’ dubbed voices sound fakey. They sound like the kids in some of the ‘70s Godzilla dubs, except their dialogue here is in Cantonese. It doesn’t matter much, as most viewers will no doubt listen exclusively to the original Japanese track. Grade: A-
Extras / Menus: There are two extras on the disc. First up, is the film’s 90-second theatrical trailer. It’s presented in non-anamorphic widescreen, and Japanese with non-removable subtitles in English and Chinese. Secondly, there is a photo gallery consisting of 12 images from the film. Considering the clear freeze-frame capabilities of DVD, including film stills on the disc is redundant.
All of the menus are fullscreen still images, with no sound or music. The chapter select menu has animated film clips in the selection windows. Everything is labeled in both English and Chinese. Grade: C-
Final Analysis: The latest Gamera film looks and sounds great on this affordable (under $20 US) DVD. Don’t be put off by the Engrish synopsis on the back of the box. The subtitles are good; they’re similar (if not the same) as the version screened at G-Fest and a few other US venues in 2006. (The back of the box says, “subtitles based on Japanese version,” presumably so we know these aren’t dubtitles derived from Chinese). Highly recommended! Final Grade: A- |
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