Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster / Ebirah: Horror of the Deep Blu-ray - Classic Kaiju Movie Collection for Sci-Fi Fans & Monster Film Enthusiasts

BOTTOM LINE: I was really pleased that I took the plunge and double-dipped for this spiffy Blu-ray upgrade. GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER remains one of my all-time favorite G-films and it look & sounds superlative in this 1080p hi-def edition from Kraken Releasing. 5 STARSTHE STORY (contains spoilers): Ryota, a hard-headed young man desperate to find his older brother, (who was lost at sea a few months before), commandeers a well-stocked yacht and sets sail for the south seas with two newly-made friends and a cryptic stranger aboard. The four eventually end up shipwrecked on mysterious Letchi island. But rescue or escape may prove extremely difficult as they soon discover that the island contains a secret base for the Red Bamboo, a nefarious paramilitary organization that is using their island complex to manufacture heavy water, a key ingredient in nuclear weapons. They have been kidnapping peaceful natives from nearby Infant Island, forcing them into slave labor. One of these, a beautiful girl named Daiyo, encounters our four castaways while attempting to escape from the patrolling Red Bamboo soldiers. As a means of insuring that no slaves escape and to keep all others away from the island, the Red Bamboo use the monstrous mutated lobster creature Ebirah, a by-product of their radioactive skullduggery, to patrol the deep waters offshore. Adding to the intrigue, Infant Island just so happens to be the sanctuary of benevolent insectoid demigoddess Mothra. And further complicating matters, (and unbeknownst to the Red Bamboo), Godzilla is slumbering in a seaside cavern on the far end of the island. The sinister schemes of the ruthless Red Bamboo are about to go up in smoke, at least if Daiyo can contact Mothra AND her plucky castaway friends can figure out a way to awaken the mighty Godzilla!THOUGHTS: A sentimental favorite out of all the G-films, as it was the very first one I ever saw. The plot is straightforward & energetic, and things snowball quickly to the rousing climax that sees the three Toho titans mixing it up while our human heroes scramble to keep from being crushed underfoot in the conflict. Originally written as a third vehicle for Toho's version of King Kong, the idea was scrapped and eventually re-tooled, with Godzilla taking Kong's place. This explains the very anthropomorphic behavior Godzilla engages in throughout the movie. The film is full of lush seaside vistas and impressive island scenery. The color palette is bright and eye-catching. The actors are playing it straight but also having a good time. The monster bouts are splashy & imaginative. First-time G-director Jun Fukuda keeps the proceedings moving quickly and the overall tone light. A bouncy surf-rock infused musical score from Masaru Sato helps further distance this movie from other more somber G-films and, combined with the tropical south sea setting, it makes for a refreshing change of pace. This atypical entry in the Godzilla series is an enjoyable way to spend a breezy 87 minutes.THE BLU-RAY: Brought to us by the crew at Kraken Releasing, this hi-def version of GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER looks & sounds amazing. The audio & video quality of this Blu-ray is as impressive an improvement in comparison to the DVD from Sony as the DVD was to a VHS tape. Colors pop. Details & textures lost in all previous home video versions are now crystal clear. Location scenes and the gorgeous seascapes are now truly, breathtakingly impressive. The rich musical score fills your speakers. Simply put, the film has never looked or sounded better. In fact, the only negative is that the beloved English dub track from AIP has once again not been included. The substandard English language track created for Toho's International version of the film, (the same track that Sony used for their DVD release years ago), is what we're stuck with on this new format release. Purists can also enjoy the film in its original Japanese language w/ English subtitles.