• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
  
• Resolution: 1080p/24
  
• Audio Codec: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
  
• Subtitles: English
  
• Region: A (Region-Locked)
  
• Rating: TV-14
  
• Discs: 1
• Studio: Funimation
  
• Blu-ray Release Date: April 19, 2011
  
• List Price: $29.98

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BestBuy.com:

Purchase Goemon on Blu-ray at CD Universe

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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG  thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

The Film

[Rating:4/5]

Director Kazuaki Kiriya (Casshern) brings Goemon to life in this thrilling combination of fantasy, anime action, and folklore. In Japan, Goemon the Good is a folk hero similar to Robin Hood in the West, he was a shinobi, or ninja, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Now, in this new film, entitled simply, Goemon, he is brought to life again in a special effects-driven martial arts spectacular.

It is the feudal period in Japan and Goemon (Yôsuke Eguchi) has been on his own for 15 years after his master, Lord Nobunaga (Hashinosuké Nakamura) was killed. He as become legend in the land, known as the greatest thief, stealing from the wealthy, even lords, and giving it all away to the poorest of the people. But Goemon steals the wrong item – a lacquered blue box – from Lord Hideyoshi (Eiji Okuda). The secrets contained within threaten to bring down the corrupt ruler and expose his less-than-honorable path to the top. Goemon, realizing the truth behind his Lord’s death, cuts a bloody and vengeful path to bring down the corrupt rulers of Japan and bring happiness back to the people.

With its love stories, uneasy friendships and twisting subplots, Goemon is not only an intriguing story that sits somewhere between Robin Hood and King Lear, but its mesmerizing special effects make it a visual marvel that must be witnessed to be believed. It is eye candy with substance – the perfect modern samurai film.

Video Quality

[Rating:4/5]

Goemon was captured in high-definition and its imagery has a very digital-like appearance, both because of being an HD production and the excessive use of CGI and obvious tweaking in the DI (Digital Intermediate) stage. While the AVC/MPEG-4 1080p transfer looks nice, there’s just a sort of veil of softness over the image that keeps it from being completely sharp and detailed. The great strength of the transfer is in the wonderfully brilliant colors that look absolutely splendid.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4/5]

The original Japanese language track is in a Dolby TrueHD 6.1 (7.1 matrixed) mix and there is an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 dub provided as well. I used the Japanese soundtrack as my reference for this review. It was rather well done with much activity in the surround channels throughout the film and good dynamics. High frequencies were airy and natural and there was lots of low frequency extension. If there was one issue, it was just that sound effects sounded just a bit thin and raspy; there could have been just a little more weightiness behind some of the punches, kicks and gunshots to make them more believable.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:2.5/5]

There are two fairly interesting behind-the-scenes “making of” type featurettes that offer lots of production footage and interviews with the filmmakers and visual effects specialists.

The supplements provided with this release are:

• Making of Goemon (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 0:36.12)
• Making of Goemon Kiriya World (1080i/60; 0:18.16) – A look at the CGI and conceptual art of Goemon.
• Original Teaser (2.35:1; 1080p/24)
• Original Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24)
• Coming Soon:
  • Kamui Gaiden
  • Hong Kong Connection
  • Shinobi
  • Mushi-Shi
  • Genghis Khan
  • Love and Honor
  • Daytime Drinking

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:4/5]

Moving, energetic, and refreshing, Kazuaki Kiriya has reinvigorated the genre with Goemon. Good acting, beautiful imagery, and a third act that is a special effects extravaganza, this is a must-have for fans of martial arts and fantasy films.

Additional Screen Captures

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[amazon-product align=”right”]B004DMIIO6[/amazon-product]

BestBuy.com:

Purchase Goemon on Blu-ray at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]

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