DVD REVIEW: SAN DAIKAIJU: CHIKYU SADAI NO KESSEN
DVD REVIEW: CLASSIC MEDIA [ 2007 ] 93' / 85'
DVD REVIEW: AVG. BITRATE: 5.6 / 5.23 Mb/sec
WTFFILM RATING:

THE FEATURE PRESENTATION:

Classic Media presents SAN DAIKAIJU: CHIKYU SADAI NO KESSEN in an anamorphically enhanced aspect ratio of approximately 2.49:1 (listed aspect ratio 2.35:1). No cropping appears to have been done to the top / bottom of the image and there is a slight increase in information presented to the left and right over Toho's region 2 release from December 2001 - this is also a welcome improvement over the previous MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA release, which was cropped slightly on the left hand side of the frame. The transfer is new and, thankfully, progressive scan. Colors and contrast are well reproduced and appear more vivid and lifelike than those of the aforementioned Toho disc - sharpness also appears to be marginally improved over that disc. A fine amount of film grain is visible throughout but never distracting.

Left: Classic Media R1 Right: Toho R2

This transfer, itself, is easily the best yet for any of these Classic Media releases. One sticking point is the amount of damage present on the print that was transferred - there is a considerable amount of dirt and speckling present compared to the print Toho used in 2001. My opinion is that Toho provided Classic Media with a lesser print than that which they transferred the from in 2001 (that or it's deteriorated considerably since the 2001 restoration) - that said and damage to the print aside, Classic Media's transfer is the superior of the two and, ultimately, the one I prefer as I feel it represents the film as-it-would-have-been in 1964 better than the Toho disc does. Kudos to CM for that.

Audio is solid and monophonic with minimal hiss and noise - while not up to the quality of Toho's reduxed stereo and surround tracks the audio here certainly shouldn't disappoint anyone. Subtitles this go around are generally on par with those on the other CM discs - as is the norm with these, I think a bit more time spent on the translation would have done a world of good. That said, the subtitles are a thin white font that could have used a bit more of a border but aren't overly difficult to read on either standard television sets or larger monitors. While the subtitles may simply be on par, the transfer itself is the best CM has done to date, making the main feature presentation quite good indeed.

Also presented here is the American cut of the film - though how it is presented will probably annoy those of you out there who are purists like myself. GHIDRAH THE THREE HEADED MONSTER is presented in an anamorphically enhanced aspect ratio of approximately 2.53:1 with very slight cropping to the top of the image present in comparison to the original Japanese version reviewed in the previous paragraphs. Contrast and color reproduction are both on par with the Japanese version, but the overall image is noticeably softer. Those of you excited about the progressive transfer for the Japanese version can stop celebrating, as the transfer of the American cut is interlaced instead. It's important to note that this isn't the true American cut of the film - there's no doubt that it begins with the honest-to-Pete American credits for the film. After the credits are over the image takes a considerable step up in quality - this is because Toho edited together a new version of this cut of the film, complete with ill fitting digital fades, a slow-mo'd ending shot, and alternate THE END card citing Toho as the rightful copyright owner of the film. This version of the film also begins with the Toho-Scope logo, which is rather poorly integrated. Audio is monophonic and quality is variable from scene to scene, though the track is certainly serviceable. It's disappointing that Toho chose to provide a digitally compiled remake of the American cut of the film as opposed to an actual print of it, but at least the main feature is accurately represented. The bitrate for the main feature is slightly higher this go around and slightly lower for the accompanying American cut - I noticed no compression artifacts while watching either version.

THE EXTRAS:

To start out with are two image galleries - while improved over the ones present on previous discs both are still disappointingly short and feature only a handful of the total number of images that they could have. Next up is the original Japanese trailer for the film, which appears to be for the re-release of it during the late sixties / 70's. This is presented in a letterboxed aspect ratio of approximately 2.43:1 and is interlaced - for a trailer it looks quite good enough. Another brief featurette by Ed Godziszewski is present as well, this time covering the life of effects maestro Eiji Tsubaraya. While informative, the information here is presented in a very dryly - something that's been a small issue with me through all of these releases. The best extra on the disc is the highly entertaining commentary track provided by David Kalat - author of A CRITICAL HISTORY AND FILMOGRAPHY OF TOHO'S GODZILLA SERIES. There are a few missteps and mistakes along the way, but the majority of the track is informative and enjoyable in a similar vein as the Steve Ryfle commentary for GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER. Kalat is a bit more serious than Ryfle was, but his commentary is still a welcome addition to the disc and the only extra I can really see myself coming back to on future viewings.

THE OVERALL PRESENTATION:

If you've seen the previous releases of GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN and MOTHRA VS GODZILLA then you know exactly what to expect in terms of presentation - the only difference is that the color of choice this go around is a sort of pea green. One thing of note is that, although the feature is most definitely in color, the images on the back are in black and white. After comparing this with the back of the DVD cover for the MOTHRA VS GODZILLA release I've come to the conclusion that the back cover is better suited for black and white images than color. Disc art is identical to the first two releases only, again, in a different color, and the belly band that adorns the previous CM Godzilla releases is certainly here as well. The packaging, while nothing new, is well done and suits the release well.

The disc content starts out rather irritatingly, however, with a promo spot for every other past, present, and future CM Godzilla release. While not necessarily bad in and of itself, remote options are not enabled - this makes the spot impossible to skip past when viewing the disc on a standard DVD player. Menu designs are essentially the same as those on the previous two discs and are rendered in progressive scan. This is a nice package and, aside from the promo that must be sat through every time you view the disc, I have no complaints.

THE VERDICT:

This is a solid release, all told - those of you who were pleased with the previous two releases will no-doubt enjoy this one as well and the transfer of the original Japanese version is well worth the price, in my mind. I have no problem recommending it along with the MOTHRA VS GODZILLA and GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN discs. Again, this is supposed to be coming out in a boxed set once all the DVD releases are finished (two more to go) so whether you buy it now or then is completely up to you.