Destroy All Monsters - 5-th Anniversary Edition DVD

Unlike Daiei Company's Gamera series, A.D. Vision's re-release of Destroy All Monsters on DVD leaves one with very little to cheer about. When first examining the box however, one can be very optimistic. The art work, featuring several shots taken directly from the film itself, is a big improvement over the original DVD design (see below). Unfortunately this would appear to be the only improvement made over the previous release. In addition, unlike their previous Gamera releases (which included a wide selection of supplemental features), this DVD offers no extras.

As for the film itself, the film transfer used for this "Special Edition" is the same International version previously released, complete with the poor dubbing, and the lack of any chapter sections (the DVD just starts playing, and one can not skip ahead). Although presented in the wide screen format, the picture quality still suffers from blemishes and the occasional fading. Furthermore, one can not wonder why the A.I.P version of the film was not released, as this version (with it's far superior dubbing), has not been seen in years. At the very least it would have offered fans something different than just repackaging the original DVD. On the plus side what truly makes this edition "special," is the inclusion of a bonus CD featuring the complete Ifukube soundtrack. Sound quality is very good, and well worth the $19.95 retail price, but only if you do not already have the soundtrack CD (the disc is actually just the musical track lifted directly from the film itself).

Overall Destroy All Monsters - 50th Anniversary Special Edition should only appeal to those of us who, for one reason or another, did not pick up the original DVD release, or do not have the soundtrack. It is a shame, considering how well the Gamera films were presented that A.D. Vision could not have done something really special for the King of the Monsters' 50th Anniversary.

KAIJU FAN ONLINE