chris7crows

According to KFCC, the Japanese zombies-with-guns flick "Versus" will be released on DVD in Japan on 4/26 -- and will include English subtitles.

http://www.kfccinema.com/news/news.html

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Chris

carnifern

This is confirmed on the actual Japanese KSS site. I preordered the DVD from CDJapan.

Krug

Extras: An audio commentary with the director and staff (probably in Japanese, sadly), a 27 minute documentary on the "making of", a 7-minute 'Versus' side-story called 'Nervous', and 4 minutes of trailers will all be featured on the disc.

Sounds good...

Cornfed

36.49 USD. Gimme a break. Why do the Japanese DVDs cost so much. There's a handful of discs I've been wanting to get from cdjapan, but those will really set me back -- especially if anything goes wrong or the package gets snagged by customs.

carnifern

Japanese DVDs, VHS, CDs, games, etc. are prohibitively expensive because the Japanese don't often buy them. Since a majority of entertainment interests are in major cities, and most homes in these cities are extremely small, most people simply rent. Because the retail market is so small the companies are forced to jack up their prices in order to still make a profit.

Here in the US there's a lot more room for homes, and a larger population, so people are able to actually buy and store items therefore sales are higher and prices are lower.

MassaCure

36.49 im happy with that price especially when people where paying more then that for the bootleg

Tuan Jim

Has anyone here seen the movie yet? I've d/l the trailer and clip that kfccinema.com posted and they really kick ass, but I'd like to see the movie before I buy. Here's hoping a cheap R0 version comes out sometime this year.

incidentally that new French movie on the news page for www.kfccinema.com -- Nid de Guepes -- looks pretty dang cool too. You can catch a streaming trailer from the official site, but I couldn't figure out how to make the image larger.

Tuan Jim

carnifern

I have the... ahem... other version and it's an absolutely amazing movie. It's not a zombie movie in the traditional sense. Oh sure it has zombies, but how many zombie movies have zombies running around with guns (excluding Nightmare City) and incredible martial arts battles in more of a Hong Kong style.

I'd very highly recommend Versus if you enjoy HK martial arts and gunplay. The zombie aspect is kind of secondary.

roseart

Anybody know if the offical release will be ALL Region or R2???

chris7crows

Reactions to this movie have definitely been polarized. Myself, I loved it. It's like "Evil Dead 2" took a field trip to the woods from "Blair Witch Project," except the whole thing was directed by John Woo on crystal meth. One of those films where they didn't just go over the top, they snapped off the lever and ate it. And, bizarrely enough, if you stick with it there's actually something of a plot. Well worth your time if you're a fan of HK flicks or action-horror.
--
Chris

carnifern

Nothing official yet but I'd count on it being R2.

Trigger

Ok - I'm seriously considering picking up Wild Zero and Versus, but I was pretty unimpressed with Junk. I thought it was low-budget garbage. I like low-budget cheesey zombie flicks from the 80's as much as the next guy, but to make a low-budget cheesey zombie flick from the 80's today is just plain lazy. Anyway - I'm wondering if I'll like Wild Zero and Versus any better. As for Wild Zero - I'm into American punk rock music and Evil Dead 2 is one of my favorite movies. As for Versus - I just hear it's great. Has anyone else seen all three films and can confirm that Junk is by far the weakest link? Are these two films worth spending 80 bucks on?

carnifern

I have all 3 films and Junk is absolutely the weakest. I love 70's and 80's zombie films as well and I found it to be thoroughly unimpressive.

Versus is just an amazing film. The zombie aspect is almost secondary since the film focuses on martial arts and gunplay. This is one of the few movies you'll find (along with Nightmare City) where the zombies run around with guns. It's an amazing film that any martial arts/gunplay fan should have.

Wild Zero is my favorite of the three. People either love it or hate it and there is no in-between. It's a very cult zombie/action/punk rock/bizarre love story and among my top films. Guitar Wolf is a great garage punk band and they have 2 songs in the movie with the rest contributed by other Japanese punk bands. Considering how split the conensus is on this film, you may be better off finding a way to see it first but it certainly has my recommendation.

ScreachingWeasel

I've only seen Junk and Versus. Personally I kind of like Junk for what it is, but don't consider it a must buy. I have have it and I'm not going to sell it, but on the other hand I don't know if I would have picked it up after seeing it. Versus is very cool. It really reminds me of some anime like Ninja Scroll, but with gun's and a modern setting. One of the main bad guys especially makes me think of an anime character. Wild Zero I want to get, but I heard the Japanese disc is non anamorphic and nothing to write home about. I remember reading on Asiandvdguide that a European (German I think) Company was releasing it with Eng subs, so I want to wait and see how that turns out . I'm pretty positve it would be cheaper than the japanese release.

JaxComet

Is there something wrong with this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1522593109

ipkevin

I cannot imagine that anyone who knows enough to reference 80s zombie movies and obscure Japanese b-flicks will not find at least SOME enjoyment in Versus. It's guns, zombies, wild camera work, wild characters, extremely stylized martial arts, hilarious posturing, and absolutely non-stop action.

The only problem may be that it just has TOO much action (never thought I'd say that). I watched it with a couple of friends who normally love this stuff and even they started to get bored with the action about halfway through. However, the previously available copy doesn't exactly have a picture that's easy on the eyes, so that may have contributed to their displeasure.

jtkv

actually, Versus has a high octane start, then a slow middle, then the ending picks up again...

That's prabably why you guys got bored half-way thru...
Or maybe the booze ran out and you guys stopped having fun?? :-)


J.T.

Tuan Jim

Yep, that would be a bootleg. The official Japanese release is 4/26.

from kfccinema.com:

"Versus DVD
From kss-movie.com
April 26th will be an important date for all of us. It will mark the official Japanese release of the now cult movie Versus. With a 4700yen (around 35US$) , the disc will include an Audio Commentary with the Director and staff, a 27 minutes documentary on the making of the film, a 7-minute Versus Side Story 'Nervous' preview and 4-minutes of Trailers. The big news here is that the official Versus web site is now announcing the movie to have ENGLISH SUB!!There is no word on whether the extra features will be subtitled, or on the discs technical specifications at this time."



Tuan Jim

JaxComet

Other than knowing the actual release date how can you tell? That auction looks pretty convincing.....

d2cheer

Believe me you don't want that version!!! The picture is horrible!!(I know I used to own it) Just be patient and wait for the official one. You can tell because it is NOT on DVD yet!

It is a professional boot that is all...

carnifern

Exactly as d2cheer said. Versus is not available on DVD yet. This bootleg DVD is VHS quality video with poor sound quality. It also has no chapters and no menu. Wait for hte official R2.

JaxComet

Will do....Thanks!

dyerjp

just preordered VERSUS and RED SHADOW from cdjapan, i can't wait for the end of april to come so that i can watch these two.

Venom

i have heard alot of good things about Versus and have been looking into getting it. however i don't have a region free player. from my understanding japan uses NTSC, so the only problem then is the regional coding? all this importing confuses the hell out of me.

Tuan Jim

Yep, your tv won't have any problems with Japanese DVDs, but all Japanese DVDs are R2. You will need a multiregion player. If you have a DVD-ROM though, depending on your software, it's pretty easy to hack the software.

Tuan Jim