Godzilla Blu-ray

Godzilla

 (1998)

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller



The original radioactively mutated, giant lizard is back in all his flame-snorting, city-stomping glory - bigger, better and badder than ever before! An earth-shattering explosion rocks the French Polynesian Islands, and a nearby supertanker is swiftly and inexplicably destroyed. Was an explosion — or something far more horrifying — responsible for the devastation? The giant footsteps trailing from the wreckage seem to provide the answer. Soon the newly awakened monster is leaving a mysterious trail of carnage in its wake as it cuts through miles of Panamanian forests, heading directly to a small, densely populated island... Manhattan. It's up to two teams of investigators, each with their own agenda - headed by nuclear scientist Nick Tatapoulos and aspiring reporter Audrey Timmonds - to band together to discover the secret of Godzilla ...and determine the only way to stop him.

For more details about Godzilla on Blu-ray, see the Godzilla Blu-ray Review

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn
Director: Roland Emmerich

Godzilla Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Godzilla surfaces on Blu-ray with a quality 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer. There's no doubt the visual presentation plays second fiddle to the devastating soundtrack (more on that below), but this is a solid technical presentation in its own right. Godzilla is a fairly dark and dreary film; the primary action takes place at night and in the driving rain, and many interior locations feature low lighting levels, all of which keeps the transfer from offering a sparkling array of colors or all that much in visibly intricate detail. The early Panama scenes probably fare the best; the dry, daylight, exterior shots feature a good sense of depth, solid detail, and nice color reproduction, particularly amongst the green grasses that are so prevalent in the sequence. Though some backgrounds look a bit undefined, clarity and sharpness are solid, too. A few colors do stand out nicely in the rain-soaked and darkened New York City shots, for instance yellow cabs and forklifts and the red, white, and blue of an American flag against a gray and dreary distant New York skyline. Even underneath the precipitation and darkness, general imagery appears nicely detailed, whether close-ups of faces, rain dripping off of camouflaged parkas, or the texture on paved streets and manhole covers. Blacks are fairly strong, and flesh tones look solid underneath the thick veneer of darkness. Accompanied by a layer of grain, Godzilla isn't the stuff of high definition visual bliss, but it looks good for what it has to offer.

Godzilla Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Godzilla stomps onto Blu-ray with a hard-hitting DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Want volume? Godzilla's got volume. Want bass? Godzilla's got bass -- enough to shake the house down. This is the sort of soundtrack that defies description and is much better experienced first hand than read about second hand, but suffice it to say, this is a devastating, room-shaking, speaker-blowing, brain-scrambling soundtrack. Even at more than 10 years old, Godzilla is still one of the standard-bearers for ridiculously aggressive, terribly powerful, yet crystal-clear and highly entertaining sound mixes. Early in the film, thunder and rain explode through the soundstage, and from the monster's first attack on a fishing vessel onward, there's no mistaking that this is anything but a surround sound and bass-happy extravaganza. It seems almost pointless to mention specifics, because this one rarely lets up in its ability to create a large and seamless sense of space, make fantastic use of the surround channels, and deliver consistently tight and devastating bass. The subtle downpour that accentuates most every exterior scene, the reverberating thuds as the creature stomps through the city, the din of heavy artillery and gunfire, or Godzilla's deafening screams travel through the soundstage and into the ear drums to almost punishing effect. This may be too much for some listeners at reference volume, but a slight decrease in volume doesn't too terribly adversely affect the quality of the listen. Also featuring solid dialogue reproduction that doesn't really become muffled or lost under the rain and bass, Godzilla makes for a so-loud-it's-silly listen on Blu-ray.

Godzilla Blu-ray, News and Updates

• PSP Digital Copy Included on Sony Blu-ray Releases - September 29, 2009


• Emmerich's Godzilla Stomps on Blu-ray in November - July 1, 2009


• Sony Confirms Godzilla Blu-ray Release - October 3, 2007

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