I used the corner of my thumbnail in an attempt open the shrink-wrap, by placing my nail in the slot between the two sides of the case. As I slid my thumb down, instead of tearing the plastic, my nail split on the groove where it always splits when I attempt to do such things. After an unnecessarily loud "FUUUUUK MEEEEEE" I resumed the opening by picking at one of the folded down corners until it began to tear a bit. Instead of a satisfactorily sized rip, only a smidge of the corner came off, leaving a good 98% of the plastic still on the case. I then lifted the edge of this hole I made, hoping the plastic would tear that way. Happily, it gave way and like an orange the clear cellophane snaked away.

I was initially disappointed by the package design as I felt the graphic elements used on the sleeve were a tad unprofessional looking, considering this is such a monumental release it's quite the missed opportunity to make an impression. I popped open the case, still cursing my thumbnail, and got that familiar whiff of new DVD smell. It's better than buying a new VW. What a drug. The inserts were simply a one-page ad for aGodzilla PS2 game with a chapter listing on the other side, and a neat little fold out repro poster for the original Godzilla release. I walked thru the Lime Room O' Lovin' to our cozy TV room popped the disc in my powerhouse known as the Cyberhome 300 and promptly plunked my posterior on what somehow ended up being my assigned side of the sofa. Before turning on the TV via one of my 312 remote controls, I grabbed a tissue from a tissue box on our coffee table, to clear out the goop that collected in my nose. Being so clogged up with aBEAUT of a head cold I sounded the moose call. DAMN. I was so stuffed up that water shot out of the corner of my left eye. Lovely..

After wiping the eye water from my eyelid, I turned on the TV using the brand new remote I received from my cable company for signing up for digital cable, a rather unneeded extravagance that gives me 30+ channels that I will more than likely not watch anyway. The menu screen appeared and I was again under whelmed by the attention that was given. No motion, just a still illustration of the big ol' green fella with menu selections. Oh wait. I take it back. It moved. How exciting. I choose to watch the ORIGINAL version, for that's why I bought it in the first place, and I sat back as the familiar Toho logo appeared on my screen.

There is no Godzilla movie better than the first Godzilla movie. Whenever I watch the first one even the mundane becomes an event. You can have your Destroy All Monsters and all of its space alien goofiness, this ‘zilla is the real ‘zilla. I often wonder what the world would have been like if there was only one Godzilla movie. The first one. I doubt we would have seen such a proliferation of giant monster movies. I don’t think we would mock the Japanese as openly as we do with snide Godzilla-themed comments. I’m fairly certain we wouldn’t have the urge to tromp through some kid’s Lego city that he took four weeks to build. I’m also quite positive that the first film would be respected in the same way any given film by Kurosawa has been. Godzilla is a dark, depressing movie. In its non-Raymond Burr form it’s an allegory for the atomic bomb and the evil face of America. Director Ishiro Honda does not even attempt to hide his hatred of war and provides us with a harsh, unflinching view of post-war Japan is the guise of the aftermath of a Godzilla rampage. Unlike later entries in the Godzilla series, the human element is of utmost importance to the narrative. The urge to pick up the remote and chapter skip to the next Godzilla moment never occurs. That freaks me out every time. The acting is deadly serious and even the traditionally campy scientist character (Akihiko Hirata) is treated with respect and dignity… even if he is a little fucked up.

Yes this disc comes with the US cut of the film, which stars that Perry Mason guy, but why even watch that when you can watch the original cut? The American version cuts out all of the characterization and feels more like at look at “those strange Japanese” since it’s told from the P.O.V. of Burr’s Steve Martin character. The allegory is all but lost on the cutting room floor leaving just a monster movie. A very dark monster movie, granted, but just a monster movie.
Godzilla’s testicles have finally been restored. Give it up for Godzilla’s testicles.


How's It Look, Smart Guy?
The print was pretty much as I expected. I knew the original was not screened too many times for it was pretty beat up. As a matter of fact I own a VHS version (*cough- cough*bootleg*cough-cough) of the original Japanese cut so I knew there was nowhere to go but up. It's an improvement. Not pristine by any stretch of the imagination for there were still many scratches and flaws and dirt, but it was quite a bit better than I was familiar with. It still could have been so much better. Being a PAL transfer I was anticipating the usual moment to give myself for speed up adjustment but I found that was not needed for I adjusted very quickly. Oddly, the images had more of a ghosted effect when in motion more than a distracting straight jerky as some PAL transfers do, but it wasn't overtly offensive and I didn’t notice it after a while. The same applies to the US version, which is only slightly cleaner looking. Obviously, both are full screen presentations.

How's It Sound, Ya Bum?
The soundtrack still showed it's age with sibilant “s” aplenty, but I did detect some sweetening in music cues and sound effects whenever there was no dialogue to interfere with. Obviously, the only audio option was Japanese on the Japanese version and English on the US version, but oddly English was the only choice for subtitles on each. You do have the choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 or a 2.0 mono with both versions, but due to the age and poor condition of the source material the 5.1 mix doesn’t add a whole lot more to the brew.

You Think I Just Wanted The Movie, Pal? 
Pretty slim with just the original Japanese TRAILER added to the disc. Oh well, life goes on. 

Bring Us On Home, Brother
For any shortcomings, considering the well-known condition this film was in, this is indeed a firm step up. For @ $20 US this is not a rip-off or a crappy transfer. Perhaps a little more care in presentation to satisfy the aesthetic need in most DVD buyers, but all in all a must buy for any Godzilla fan who needs (and you do NEED) the classic Godzilla on DVD.