Reviewed by Jason LockardUltraman was a Japanese produced tv series. I like many people who were first introduced to this series from old English dubbed TV episodes. The bad dubbing of these Japanese film was a lot of the charm of these classics.
Well, Mill Creek Entertainment recently acquired the right to the entire Ultraman franchise library. The released the first series Ultra Q on Blu-ray. You can read our review of that release here. But now it's time to take a look at Ultraman.
Ultraman follows the exploits of The Science Patrol is the last line of defense for Earth when it is being threatened by alien invaders and giant monsters. The Agency is armed with high-tech weaponry and vehicles to combat these threats from the unknown. When the Science Patrol's weaponry is ineffective one of their members, Hayata, transforms into a giant alien called Ultraman. A being from the Land of Light that gave his life to him to help bring peace to Earth.
The series ran for 39 twenty-five minutes episodes. The series is everything you love of the old kaiju films. There are awesome monsters, the great special effects, the iconic sound effects. They are all found in this series.
The 39 episodes are presented in 1080p High Definition in the original full-screen format 1.33:1 aspect ratio and in the Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 And come with the English Subtitles
Okay, so we don't get the English dubbed version of these episodes. That would be awesome. We do get the episodes and the transfers of these episodes look and sound glorious. With each disc having only 6 or 7 episodes on them the best quality isgiven to these cult classics. I am shocked at how clear these episodes look. I have never seen them look this good.
Disc One: Ultra Operation No. 1 / Shoot the Invader / Science Patrol, Move out / Five seconds before the explosion / The secret of the Miroganda / The coast guard command / The blue stone of Baradhi
Disc Two: The Monster Anarchy Zone/ Lightning Operation / The Mysterious Dinosaur Base / The Rascal from Outer Space / Cry of the Mummy / Oil S.O.S. / The Pearl Defense Directive
Disc Three: Terrifying Cosmic Rays / Science Patrol Into Space / Passport to Infinity / Brother from Another Planet / Demons Rise Again / Terror on Route 87 / Breach the Wall of Smoke
Disc Four: Overthrow the Surface / My Home is the Earth / The Undersea Science Center / The Mysterious Comet Tsuifon / The Monster Highness: (Part 1 & 2)
Disc Five: Human Specimens 5 & 6 / Challenge to the Underground / Phantom of the Snow Mountains / Who Goes There? / Endless Counterattack / The Forbidden Words
Disc Six: A Gift from the Sky / The Monster Graveyard / Don't Shoot! Arashi / A Little Hero / Spaceship Rescue Command / Farewell, Ultraman
The packaging of this Blu-ray set. All the Blu-ray discs come in there own hub in a hard shell Blu-ray case. There is no stacking of discs on this one, which many people hate. There is a high-quality collector's booklet, that features an in-depth synopsis of each episode and information about the series, the monsters, and characters in this series. Finally, it comes in a sturdy cardboard protective sleeve.
I have to say as impressed as I was with Ultra Q I think I am even more impressed with this Ultraman set. Probably because I have a bit of nostalgia for this series. But both are something I highly recommend.
So if your a fan of Kaiju this is definitely the best set for your money! Its episodes look stunning and the packaging is top-notch. Head over to Amazon.com and get your copy today. Note this series is also available on special edition Steebook.
Offensive Material: Monster Violence
Audience: Parental Guidance
Genre: Sci-Fi
Length: Over 16 Hours
Blu-ray Rating: A
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