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This May the Toho Company, Ltd – known around the world for their special effects bonanza of man-in-a-rubber-suit monster flicks - strikes back with quite an impressive haul of Godzilla vs. titles for your blu-ray player. 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 first title in the line-up is the one-two punch of 1991’s Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and 1992’s Godzilla vs. Mothra.  

Directed by Kazuki Omori, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah was the glorious return of Japan’s favorite kaiju headliner. The film – featuring the return of one of Godzilla’s greatest three-headed foes – was a hit with audiences who failed to show for the last Godzilla flick released in 1989, Godzilla vs. Biollante. Combining visitors from the future and a mission to save Japan (and the rest of the world) from its nuclear self, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is still a satisfying entry in spite of its budgetary limitations.

The film stars Anna Nakagawa, Megumi Odaka, Katsuhiko Sasaki, Akiji Kobayashi, Yoshio Tsuchiya, and Robert Scott Field as an android but the biggest stars are the two monsters going toe-to-toe across Japan. The discovery of Godzilla’s true origin – a dinosaur on Lagos Island mutated by atomic radiation fallout from the hydrogen bomb – is the meat of one writer’s theory as he faces an uphill battle trying to prove that the dinosaur existed in the first place. No one will confirm the dinosaur actually fought off American soldiers but, when a UFO descends from the skies, all is confirmed.

Aliens? And Godzilla? Not really. But if you aren’t onboard for the time travelling loopiness featured here then the second feature – Godzilla vs. Mothra – will really twist your neck backwards with its singing muses named the Cosmos. In 1992’s follow-up, Godzilla battles both Battra and Mothra and the earth hangs in the balance of a giant moth’s wings. While cool (due to its attempt to make the monsters more than the sum of their parts), the film’s rushed nature makes it a bit difficult to recommend to newcomers to the whole kaiju scene.

Directed by Takao Okawara, the film is worthy of its follow-up status and sets up nicely for the story to continue even if its basis is a simple plea involving two singing muses and a giant moth. The construction of Mothra is impressive and really does carry the film as mutants topple skyscrapers and stomp people into the ground.

This is a solid twofer that should be on any Godzilla fan's shelf.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - May 6, 2014
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
Audio: Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
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 MA 2.0 lossless soundtrack that underwhelms more than it does dazzle.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• Negative

Special Features:

Do trailers count? Because there are teasers and trailers for each film that run right around three minutes and that is all. Disappointing, I know.

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