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[tab title="Movie Review"]

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Mothra and the two singing fairies return in the 27^th Godzilla film, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. much to the satisfaction of die-hard fans. The errors of director Masaaki Tezuka and Masahiro Yokotani’s script are forgivable in light of the massive action scenes on display as Godzilla tackles Mothra’s hatched larvae and MechaGodzilla. While it is true that the horror aspect has been all but dropped in favor of science fiction elements, this double-feature delivers on some space age action as giants tackle giants.

Striking first with a legacy of Godzilla productions, the Toho Company, Ltd – known around the world for their special effects bonanza of man-in-a-rubber-suit monster flicks – releases quite an impressive haul of Godzilla vs. titles for your blu-ray player this May. While some titles are better than others, there is no denying that Godzilla has returned to smash more than just box office records this summer as this is only Part One of their release plans. The fourth and final title in their first wave is the massively mechanized double feature of 2003’s Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. and 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars.

Something has happened, though, in these latter day Godzilla productions. While the Godzilla flicks never were that sharp on characters and chemistry, the more recent releases don’t even try to develop lasting voices to carry on the mythos. Characterization has been jettisoned in favor of more action scenes and more unnecessary technical explanation of events. This direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla has, once again, more hokum than it does humanity but – for those wanting WWF smackdowns – it delivers on an insane level.

The second film attached to this release is 2004’s colossal Godzilla: Final Wars. Featuring no less than 14 creatures battling a fire-breathing Godzilla, this two-hour-plus monster marathon is both in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the King of Monsters and the grand Toho farewell. It is both camp and classic as it rehashes the plot of Destroy All Monsters. So, yeah, it is not original but its heart is in the right place and, sticking to the formula of bad acting, continues on the tradition of soft storytelling in the middle of epic battles across Japan.

If these four double-feature blu-ray releases sell well, Sony promises to bring out the other Toho films later in the year. There are still Godzilla classics out there. We just have to wait for them to drop under the moniker of “The Toho Godzilla Collection” in neon green splashed across the cover before we get too excited.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - May 6, 2014
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
Audio: Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 25GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (2 BDs); UV digital copy; Digital copy
Region Encoding: A

Sony’s 1080p transfer isn’t perfect. There are obvious limitations to the picture as it isn’t nearly as crisp as it could be. I highly doubt a true restoration has occurred. There isn’t a lot of dirt or debris in the image but the film isn’t as clear as was expected. There’s a certain level of dinginess to some of the scenes and edges fluctuate between solid and murky. Please note that none of this is in anyway unwatchable. It is; however, slightly disappointing but – as this release is from Sony – the image is likely to be the best it ever will be. Colors are sometimes bright and other times a bit dull. Black levels are inconsistent but usually well-defined. Both films feature a native Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack lossless soundtrack that simply dazzles.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

We finally get some supplemental material on the last disc. It isn’t much but it does cover these modern releases with making-of featurettes that incorporates raw footage from the actual set. Trailers for both films are also included.

• The Making of Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (22 min)
• Godzilla: B-Roll to Film (18 min)
• Trailers

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