Nezura 1964 – SRS Cinema (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 2020
Director: Hiroto Yokokawa
Writer: Kensaku Sakai, Hiroto Yokokawa
Cast: Shirô Sano, Yukijirô Hotaru, Norman England, Mach Fumiake, Ippei Ôsako, Bin Furuya, Ryotaro Fujiyama, Yoshiro Uchida, Nômaru Abe, Mai Saito

Release Date: October 28th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 53 Minutes 48 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 & 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $19.95

"1963 Summer. Nagano, the president of the Daiei Film Company, is in need of a new hit movie. He's convinced by his special effects director Tsukaji to make a giant monster motion picture—but to outdo the studios' competitors, not just any monster movie, but a "Giant Horde Beast" feature. Along with veteran director Muraoka, assistant director Yukawa, and producer Shigeo, they set out to make a movie "in which hundreds of giant rats attack a city." Successful test footage is shot, and the new movie is set for production... However, disaster looms. And when the movie shoot is cancelled and the animals destroyed, an even bigger threat emerges..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Nezura 1964 comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 15.3 GB

Feature: 12.5 GB

Flesh tones look healthy, image clarity, contrast, and black levels are solid, and there are no issues with compression.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image slideshow with music from the film playing in the background (73 images), a music video for the end credits song (1 minute 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese, no subtitles), a behind-the-scenes featurette (3 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese, no subtitles), a collection of Kaiju trailers for films released by SRS Cinema, and trailers for other films released by SRS Cinema.

Summary:

Nezura 1964 is a faux documentary about Giant Horde Beast Nezura, a film that was going to be Daiei Film’s first foray into kaiju films. Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, Giant Horde Beast Nezura put giant rats in the place of the birds. Filming would ultimately come to a halt on Giant Horde Beast Nezura when the health department shut things down because of the rats escaping and the fear that they would potentially transmit disease in the nearby areas.

Through a series of reenactments of the FX moments with the rats, cast members auditioning, and executives discussing Nezura, this film does an excellent job fleshing out all of the details surrounding the aforementioned abandoned film. The opening setup does a superb job drawing you in, and the narrative moves quickly, culminating with a scene where a character seemingly comes up with the idea for Gamera. Ultimately, Nezura 1964 is more informative than entertaining; it is also a film that plays into nostalgia, making it a must-see for fans of Kaiju films.

SRS Cinema gives Nezura 1964 a strong audio/video presentation.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer