Released just in time to see Godzilla in stunning 4k before the release of Godzilla vs. Kong. It looks and sounds good enough, in my opinion, to warrant grabbing this even if you own the Blu-ray release.
DISCLAIMER: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment sent us a copy of this for review.
“This spectacular adventure pits Godzilla, the world’s most famous monster, against malevolent creatures that, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.”
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray/DVD that we reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.
Godzilla opens as several people from the Monarch company visit a newly discovered site that contains fossilized remains of a previously unknown, monstrous creature. The site also contains several eggs, one of which look to have hatched recently, with a giant trail leading to the ocean. We then are introduced to Joe Brody (Brian Cranston) and his wife Sandra (Juliette Binoche) who work at a Nuclear Reactor in Japan. Large earthquakes that continue to occur in increasing intervals cause them to begin the shutdown process, but not before something breaches the cooling towers, sending nuclear material rushing through the lower confines. Now, fifteen years later, Joe’s life has been consumed with finding out the real cause of the accident, believing that the public was lied to, and his son, Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has to leave his wife (Elizabeth Olsen) and son to ensure his father doesn’t get into trouble. What they discover when going back to the site is something neither of them ever expected, and something that ends up changing our world forever.
The original attempt at rebooting this monster franchise for American audiences in 1998 didn’t go over so well. While I remember a lot of buzz surrounding the movie, complete with music videos, toys, and a giant marketing campaign, it was clearly riding the dinosaur-hype that captivating younger children during that time, thanks to Jurassic Park and its sequel that came out shortly before. It took another sixteen years for Hollywood to give us another go at the infamous monster, one that helped spawn a new universe that has given us several subsequent films, and a new one coming out at the end of the month.
What Godzilla did right was go back to the basics of the monster design. Instead of looking like a giant tyrannosaurus like the 1998 film, we get more of the traditional, standing upright Godzilla, complete with stubby legs. The creation of the MUTOs specifically for this film always left me conflicted. They are pretty interesting creatures, and the first American created monsters to be introduced into the Godzilla universe. But, to not feature a classic Godzilla foe left me a bit disappointed, that is until the sequel was released. Looking back on this decision, it was probably the best one at the time, so we don’t gloss over other potential villains like Ghidorah or Gigan, etc. It was a good introduction into the world of the titans, and as subsequent films follow, we’ll be able to hopefully experience a much wider array of classic villains from the franchise.
As much as I enjoy this film, it does seem like two separate stories are playing out, neither of which connect to one another. The Godzilla vs. MUTO stuff is great. We get to see some great battle sequences and stunning visuals, as well as getting to know Godzilla. That being one of the more difficult feats to pull off, since we can only learn about him from his actions. Godzilla taking care not to directly harm humans, blocking missiles from hitting a school bus, all of which could be construed as mere coincidences, but together painting a picture of Godzilla as someone you want to root for. The human aspect of the story starts off wonderfully. Bryan Cranston is phenomenal in the first act, with real passion that drives him and his actions. Once he’s gone, the story just kind of falls apart. There’s nothing that drives Aaron Taylor-Johnson at all, besides wanting to get back home to his family. He’s brought along and kept ‘in the loop’ with Monarch just because his father might have said something to him in passing that could help track these creatures. Why wasn’t Bryan Cranston just kept in the story? It would have been so much more entertaining I guarantee, and as much as I have always liked Elizabeth Olsen, way back from Silent House and Martha Marcy May Marlene, she’s relegated to looking scared and reacting to everything happening around her. There is no story in that, but filler, until we can get to the next monster fight. The sequel improves upon this discrepancy quite a bit, making the human element much more connected to the story than this one. It’s the most disappointing part of the film, but thankfully that’s really not why we watch Godzilla films, is it?
Video
Godzilla is presented in 2160p 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen 2.39:1 featuring HDR10. This new transfer, to coincide with the newest film in the franchise, looks fantastic. The picture quality is crystal clear and detailed, with brilliant brights and deep darks. The film is dark by nature, the large portion of it taking place at night, so the vivid colors you see really are contrasted nicely against those deep darks, providing a better viewing experience than the Blu-ray disc.
Audio
My favorite part about this set is the Dolby Atmos track. The previously release was already impressive enough, but this has taken it ever further, providing some extremely nice surround effects utilizing the Atmos speakers: Helicopters, various monster noises, etc. There are also some very robust sequences, like the hatching of the first MUTO, as the EMP begins to build will shake your entire house. There is a great balance between all this powerful sound and the center channel, complete with a great score that rounds out the film nicely.
Special Features
No new extras on this set. They are all located on the Blu-ray disc and carried over from the previous release. The one thing I do love is the cover art, which those who appreciate that kind of thing will love too, I’m sure.
Extras include:
- Operation: Lucky Dragon
- MONARCH: The M.U.T.O. File
- The Godzilla Revelation
- Godzilla: Force of Nature
- A Whole New Level of Destruction
- Into the Void: The H.A.L.O. Jump
- Ancient Enemy: The M.U.T.O.s
This new set looks and sounds great, just in time for you to re-watch before the much anticipated sequel. If you’re in the same boat as me, owning the 3D version of the film, it does present a quandary as which one to view if you have the means. The improved picture and sound quality might just edge out the 3D gimmick though, making this one a valued addition to the collection. Be sure to grab this one before the sequel is released!
