DVD REVIEW: MOSURA TAI GOJIRA
DVD REVIEW: CLASSIC MEDIA [ 2006 ] 89' / 88'
DVD REVIEW: AVG. BITRATE: 5.25 / 5.43 Mb/sec
WTFFILM RATING:

As is noted in my previous (and first for this site) DVD review of CM's GOJIRA NO GYAKYUSHU I have a sort of love-hate relationship with the latest domestic Gojira DVD releases. The dual disc release of GOJIRA put out by Classic Media last year was quite a letdown for me - as such I was none too eager to purchase their two latest releases. As was also noted, however, their release of GOJIRA NO GYAKYUSHU took me quite by surprise with its superior progressive transfer and overall presentation. I was hoping that their release of MOTHRA VS GODZILLA would be of the same muster - while it doesn't quite meet the standards of the previous disc, it does stand well on its own.

THE FEATURE PRESENTATION:

MOSURA TAI GOJIRA is a new anamorphic transfer (aspect ratio is 2.37:1) from a Toho provided print - I do not own the R2 release of this title, so I cannot compare the image quality of the two. My biggest gripe here (and the reason the Feature Presentation for this disc loses a star in comparison to the previous one) is that the transfer is interlaced as opposed to progressive scan - a real shame considering how well the transfer for GOJIRA NO GYAKYUSHU came out. That said, it's not a bad transfer at all. Colors are naturally and consistently reproduced and there is a good amount of detail to the image. It looks like Toho cleaned up their print of this title considerably as damage to the print, even in optical composition shots (where it can be most noted in older prints), is virtually non-existent. I can easily count the the number of times I noticed speckling or dirt on one hand. Compared to the print released by Simitar, CM's looks to be cropped slightly on the left, it makes up for this by opening up the print considerably more to the right as well as slightly on the bottom (see the images comparing a shot from the CM A.I.P., Simitar A.I.P., and CM Japanese below for comparison). A good progressive transfer could have succeeded in a sharper image the transfer that is on display here certainly does the film justice (another review of this disc that I read online stated that the image appeared "soft" - I noticed nothing soft about it).

The audio for the Japanese version is monophonic - as it was originally recorded - and is well mastered. The overall quality is a big step up from the previous release, though the issues with that track are understandable given the conditions in which it would have originally been recorded. The big improvement with the feature presentation this go around is the subtitles. On a standard set these will appear mostly in the black area above and below the widescreen image, so there are no issues with visibility. Translation and grammatical presentation are also much improved from the previous disc, though a few clumsy bits still crop up (Akira Takarada and Kenji Sahara both saying "Hey, don't utter strange voice" for instance). While there is still room for some improvement in this department they are a big step up from the subtitles present on the previous disc.

GODZILLA VS THE THING, the A.I.P. English language version of the film has been an bone of contention among many fans since CM first announced that it would not be shown in its original aspect ratio (the source print they used was in 1.78:1 widescreen as opposed to the original 2.35:1*). Indeed, the fact that it is not presented in its original aspect ratio is somewhat disappointing. That said, the print of GODZILLA VS THE THING on display here is upon comparison with the version released by Simitar in the 1990's the better of the two. Why? For starters, the Simitar print, while closer to the correct aspect ratio, was riddled with problems. Reels of film would end too soon and start too late, resulting in irritating transitions between scenes (The easiest one to spot, in my opinion, is when the Japanese general is going over the artificial lightning plan - the opening lines of his explanation are cut from the Simitar print). There are also a number of problems with the audio track due to the age and damage to the print (Akira Takarada says "Mothrathing" at one point, as opposed to the appropriate "Mothra, the Thing", for instance). To make matters worse the colors and contrast of the Simitar print are wildly inconsistent, turning the blue of Godzilla's atomic ray a violet color during many scenes (see the images below for comparison. Order of images is CM A.I.P., Simitar A.I.P., and CM Japanese).

So, even though CM's print isn't in the original aspect ratio it is the superior of the two in that it represents the film itself more faithfully. The presentation of it on this disc is more than satisfactory - the print has good and consistent colors (though it is darker and duller than the Japanese print on display) and a nice amount of detail. Grain and print damage are apparent, though I can't imagine anyone honestly not expecting to find it on a 43 year old print of the American version of this film. The latter tends to be most prominent around reel changes, but speckling and dirt can be seen throughout (but it is nowhere near as prominent as it is on the previously mentioned Simitar print - again, see the images above for comparison). The audio track is surprisingly clean for this version of the film - CM has done a good job mastering it. The transfer itself is anamorphically enhanced and is also, sadly, interlaced. That said, it does justice to the print on hand and is a welcome addition to the disc. I noticed no compression related issues with either of the two versions of the film that are present here.

THE EXTRAS:

The extras on this disc are comparable to the extras provided on both the GOJIRA two disc set and the GOJIRA NO GYAKYUSHU disc. First up is the original Japanese theatrical trailer for the film, presented in non-anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen. This trailer is in good condition, as are most of Toho's other trailers from 1960 onward. Just like the two film transfers present on the disc it is interlaced, not progressive scan, though that isn't so much an issue in this case. Also present is the stills and posters slide show, which is done in the exactly same manner as the one on the first disc. Why CM doesn't opt for the space-saving gallery method is beyond me. The number of stills and posters present, while more impressive than those for the GOJIRA NO GYAKYUSHU disc, is still pretty disappointing. Next up is a biography of Akira Ifukube that features numerous stills of him at various stages in his life and a text tribute from Shogo Tomiyama at the conclusion. The information here is presented very dryly but is interesting enough on its own to keep the brief featurette from feeling too dull.

Available with the English cut of the film is a commentary track provided by Steve Ryfle, who gave us an excellent commentary track for the GOJIRA NO GYAKYUSHU disc, and Ed Godziszewski, who is responsible for the featurettes on this disc and the other GOJIRA discs from CM. This commentary track, while certainly informative and interesting as far as the data provided is concerned, is a real step down from the previous disc as far as the amusement factor goes. While Steve and his various cohorts seemed to be having a blast on the GOJIRA NO GYAKYUSHU commentary, all of the information here is presented in a very cut and dry manner that keeps it from being as fun as it could be. Overall the extras on this disc are nothing spectacular, but they are comparable to those present on the previous two releases from CM and are, no doubt, indicative of what is to come. The extras department is definitely the weakest on these DVD releases - hopefully it can be improved for future ones.

THE OVERALL PRESENTATION:

Just like the previous release - and assumedly just like the forthcoming releases from CM - MOTHRA VS GODZILLA comes housed in a very sturdy digi-pack style case with a wraparound band detailing the contents of the disc and announcing "Remastered GODZILLA direct from the Toho vaults". Keep this band close, as you'll need it to keep the case shut as there is no latch mechanism present to keep it shut on its own. The overall design is aesthetically pleasing, with a base metallic color and a blue color scheme for the text this time around (red was the color of choice for the GOJIRA NO GYAKYUSHU release). Featured prominently on the front cover is poster artwork for the film - represented is one of the best posters made for the film, re release or otherwise. The back cover features three images from the film - oddly they seem to have been vertically stretched this time around, giving them an unnatural look - as well as a brief synopsis and a list of the contents of the disc. Inside the front cover is a large still of Godzilla doing battle with Mothra as well as thanks to the various people who helped out with the disc. The inside back cover features the clear plastic hub as well as the CM logo for Godzilla running vertically from bottom to top.

The disc starts out with the usual logos (CM, TOHO, and Sony, since this disc was finalized before Genius Productions took over the distribution of these titles due to Sony closing the branch responsible for them) as well as the same FBI warning present on the GOJIRA NO GYAKYUSHU disc, though this go around all are anamorphically enhanced. The menu designs are attractive and anamorphically enhanced as well - the main menus feature Akira Ifukube's opening theme for the film in the background. The odd thing about them is that they appear to be progressive scan - a strange thing considering the films themselves are not presented as such. The overall presentation of MOTHRA VS GODZILLA is on par with that of the previous release - these discs should look quite attracted when stacked together.

THE VERDICT:

While not quite as well done as the re released GOJIRA NO GYAKYUSHU disc - hopefully the fact that the transfers on that disc are progressive scan means that the transfers on the future discs will be as well - CM's MOTHRA VS GODZILLA is still a well done DVD release. Improvements could certainly have been made to certain aspects of it (the extras department tends to be the weak point on all of these releases), I don't have trouble recommending it. The film on display is one of the absolute best of the series and, with a low retail price ($19.99, but it can be had for considerably less at various retail outlets), it's certainly worth owning. Just like GOJIRA NO GYAKYUSHU, this will be made available in a boxed set later on this year, so whether or not you purchase now or then is up to you.