Attack on Titan: Part 1 (Shingeki no Kyojin) (Blu-ray) (2015)

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General		Extras
Category	Sci-Fi Action	Trailer-Japanese Trailers (6:14) Trailer-Trailers (9:39) for other Madman live action releases More…-6 Character Cards
Rating
Year Of Production	2015
Running Time	98:34
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Shinji Higuchi
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Haruma Miura Kiko Mizuhara Kanata Hongo Jun Kunimura Satomi Ishihara Takahiro Miura Nanami Sakuraba Pierre Taki Ayame Misaki Hiroki Hasegawa
Case	?
RPI	?	Music	Shiro Sagisu

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Japanese DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English (Burned In)	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes

     Attack on Titan is the manga by Hajime Isayama that generated such a large and enthusiastic following that it led to an anime series, a game for PS4 and now a two part live action film.

     The first of the two parts is Attack on Titan (or Attack on Titan: Part 1) which begins with a brief overview of the background situation. Over a century ago a race of powerful giants, which people called Titans, appeared. The Titans were almost invincible and had a voracious appetite for eating humans. Mankind was on the verge of extinction until the survivors erected three concentric rings of 50 metre high walls, caging themselves in but keeping the Titans at bay. Inside the walls life went on and for 100 years there have been no Titan attacks.

     Eren (Haruma Miura) and his friends Mikasa (Kiko Mizuhara) and Armin (Kanata Hongo) live in the agricultural zone, the zone nearest the outer wall. Eren is a dreamer, feeling trapped and wondering what exists beyond the wall. One day when the three friends are visiting the wall, a massive Titan appears and knocks a hole in the wall, allowing a horde of Titans to enter the agricultural zone and start to devour humans. In the panic that ensues Eren’s town is destroyed, scores are killed and eaten and Eren loses track of Mikasa. Fast forward two years later; the agricultural zone has been abandoned and Titans roam unchallenged. The human survivors have moved into the middle zone where they live in poverty and virtual starvation. Eren and Armin have joined the military as they want to fight back against the Titans.

     With food running short it is decided that an expedition be sent to try to plug the hole in the wall using explosives, after which the Titans inside the agricultural zone could be hunted and killed, allowing people to return to their farms. The expedition is led by Director-General Kubal (Jun Kunimura) and Eren’s group of fighters, including Squad Leader Hans (Satomi Ishihara), Jean (Takahiro Miura), Sasha (Nanami Sakuraba), the older Souda (Pierre Taki) and single mother Hiana (Ayame Misaki). They travel in a convoy of vehicles by night but are attacked by Titans. When hard pressed they are assisted by the sudden appearance of legendary Titan fighter Captain Shikishima (Hiroki Hasegawa) and a female fighter who shows she is very proficient at killing Titans. Eren is surprised to find that the female killer is in fact Mikasa and he is distressed when she ignores him and seems to be in a relationship with Shikishima. Despite Mikasa and Shikishima’s intervention the expedition fails to reach the wall. When the majority of the soldiers retreat, Eren’s group are left isolated and alone, facing a horde of Titans. But when during the fighting Eren is eaten by a Titan, something very strange happens.

     It was always going to be a challenge to reduce a lengthy and well-loved manga and / or an anime series running over 10 hours to live action film(s) running three hours while pleasing the fans, especially something like Attack on Titan with its complex subtexts about haves and have nots, loyalty, outsiders, friendship and what it is to be human. Even before the film(s) were released the changes to characters and the story made by the filmmakers were drawing a backlash from fans which explanations by the filmmakers did nothing to dampen: see here for an example. I have not read the manga but very much enjoyed the anime which I reviewed on this site. However, this Attack on Titan is a film and deserves to be judged in its own right. Having said that, however, those not familiar with the world of Titan could have trouble understanding what is happening or how the special gear which allows the soldiers to seeming fly through the air to attack the Titans works, as this only briefly explained.

     Stripped of most of its subtexts, Attack on Titan is still a loud, colourful fantasy action film with some stunning sets (the grubby, crowded, run down village is beautifully detailed as are the ravaged and abandoned buildings). There are explosive set piece battles, death and destruction, cascading blood as the Titans dismember humans, and CGI that ranges from impressive to indifferent. The camera work in the action sequences is however excessively jerky, distractingly so, making it difficult to follow what is happening. The acting generally is rather wooden and it is also not helpful that a number of the actors look similar (Haruma Miura / Kanata Hongo or Nanami Sakuraba / Ayame Misaki) with similar length black hair and similar uniforms.

     Attack on Titan, as the first part of two films, is not complete but ends in an explosive set piece battle and a major revelation which would be a surprise to anyone not familiar with the source material.

Video

     Attack on Titan is presented in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, in 1080p using the MPEG-4 AVC code.

     The sets are well detailed and the fine detail of dirt, bruises or blood on faces is clear. Colours in the early, pre-attack sections are bright with blue skies and vibrant yellow flowers. After the Titan attack the colour scheme is dull, with dark colours dominating; devastated buildings, the grey wall and grey sky although there are bright reds and yellows for blood and explosions. The standard Titans are grey and deliberately soft, in contrast to the ‘intelligent’ Titan with its firm lines and brighter colours. Blacks are solid and shadow detail very good, skin tones natural, brightness and contrast consistent.

     Artefacts were not present, although the jerky camera in fast pans made things hard on the eyes.

     Lip synchronisation was fine.

     The English subtitles are in a clear white font. They are burnt so cannot be removed for Japanese speakers. I did notice a couple of minor errors with capitalisation.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio, Japanese DTS-MA HD 5.1, is a loud and aggressive mix.

     Dialogue is clear and centred. The surrounds and rears were in full voice during the action sequences with the thump of Titan feet, explosions, crashing building debris and music. In the quieter moments there were ambient effects, such as water dripping. The sub-woofer rumbled with the thump of Titan feet, Titan roars and the crash of debris.

     The score by Shiro Sagisu was epic in sections but could also be intrusive in quieter moments with choral sections and piano riffs.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Japanese Trailers (6:14)

     Four trailers and TV spots.

Trailers (9:39)

     Trailers for live action versions of Attack on Titan: Hangeki no Noroshi, Rurouni Kenshin, Black Butler, Lupin the Third and Parasyte Part 2.

Character Cards

    The package includes 6 Character Cards.

     In other Regions individual Blu-ray’s of each part of this live action Attack on Titan are either available (UK) or due in mid-October (US). Extras are limited to trailers. I cannot at this time see any two disc collection of both films. In Australia, we do not get the individual titles option but the Attack on Titan: Movie Collection with both films, which I think is fine. There are Deluxe Blu-rays available in Region A Japan, with extras, but neither the film nor the extras are English friendly.

     One of the strengths of the Attack on Titan manga / anime was the underlying conceit that the Titans are an uncomplicated and single-minded menace compared to the human characters within the walls. Although shorn of the subtexts, this live action Attack on Titan still has its moments; it is exciting, loud and colourful, with detailed sets, spectacular set piece action sequences and copious sprays of blood. It is a bit difficult, however, to understand just who this live action film is catering for. Fans of the manga or anime will not like the changes to the plot and to the characters while the world of Titan is not sufficiently explained for those coming fresh to the franchise. However, if you just go with the action and don’t think about why it is happening you can have a lot of fun with Attack on Titan.

     Attack on Titan was released in theatres in Japan a month before the second part, Attack on Titan: End of the World. The films are released here together on Blu-ray by Madman as Attack on Titan: Movie Collection.

     The video is good, the audio loud and aggressive. Extras are limited but we get what is available in other English friendly regions.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall