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Godzilla Raids Again
Region 1
Studio: Classic Media
Country: US
Format: NTSC
Year: 2007
Chapters: 12
Time: 78 Minutes (English)
/ 83 Minutes (Japanese)
Video: *** ½ / *****
I really have a bone to pick
with Classic Media. Some of you might disagree with me when I say this, but here I go; what is up with this video quality?
I know the movie is over 50 years old but I’m sure if Gojira was kept in a safe place in Toho’s archives, so could
this. There is a flicker that is there throughout the film in the Japanese cut and it’s barely noticeable in the English
Version. Grain, Scratches, and ALL of that bad stuff plague the film and it really wasn’t that bad on the Gojira release.
The film is presented in it’s original format which is full frame 1.33:1. There are subtitles for the Japanese cut of
the film but I don’t understand why Classic Media could have done the same on English cut for the deaf and for the people
who have hearing problems. A big noticeable change on the English cut is that the original title used in the 1959 release
known as Gigantis, the Fire Monster. Also, another thing which is funny is that they left the Warner Bros. Logo at the end
in the last ten seconds of the film.
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Special Features: ** ½ /
*****
Geez, you think that Classic
Media could have gotten the features off the Toho DVD? “Well, I kind of like this face!” … oh wait, I forgot,
I am reviewing a DVD; back on course. We have a commentary on the English Version by Steve Ryfle where he constantly and hysterically
bashes the living daylights out of the Paul Schriebman cut-it-up-and-make-it-terrible-version. Although it’s great to
listen and laugh it’s the reason why there’s two stars; now for that last half-star. We have a “poster”
slide show where it’s not that great and I past through it quickly. Now, for a feature that could have been great but
just seems to cut off is The Art of Suit Acting. In it we learn about Haruo Nakajima who play G’ and the others who
played the other suit actors. Now when it ends with the layoffs and the decline of the Japanese cinema in the 1970’s,
I felt as though it was just the beginning and it could have a lot better if it went on with the other actors like Tsutomo
Kitagawa and his suit acting and all the other actors who were kaiju in the Heisei and Shinshi years.
Overall: *** / ***** I say this was a miss, big
time. When it was announced that there’d be a US release for Gigantis, the Fire Monster, I was really hyped up for it
and when November came, no DVD. Why? Because Classic Media screwed up on the DVD for some reason I don’t know and possibly
would like to know why. So we have to wait until April 2007 and now we have it and now I wish that
some crappy public domain company would have released this because it would have been cheaper than the $15 + tax I got. I
still have not gotten Mothra Vs. Godzilla and I am really fretting it. In a month or so, I will have my Digital Disc copy
of Godzilla Vs. The Smog Monster / Godzilla Vs. Megalon Double Feature up for review. Thanks for your time and I’ll
see you around.
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