Yongary, Monster From the Deep (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Aug 21, 2025
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Kim Ki-dukRelease Date(s)
1967 (August 26, 2025)Studio(s)
Keukdong Entertainment Company/Toei Company (Vinegar Syndrome)- Film/Program Grade: C+
- Video Grade: B+
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: A-
Review
When Toho released Gojira in 1954, what was unleashed on Japanese audiences by producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, writer/director Ishirō Honda, visual effects supervisor Eiji Tsuburaya, and co-screenwriters Takeo Murata & Shigeru Kayama couldn’t be contained. A wave of sequels and kaiju imitators followed, with rival studio Daiei launching a franchise of its own with Gamera (even Toei got in on the act, albeit much less successfully). It was inevitable that this kaiju wave would spill over outside of mainland Japan, from Gorgo in England to a variety of films in the United States (although to be fair, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms had already helped to kickstart the genre stateside in 1953). Like the telegraph before it, what the kaiju gods hath wrought ended up connecting the world in ways that no one could have anticipated.
The wave even reached South Korea in 1967 with their first internationally-recognized effects film Yongary, Monster from the Deep (aka Daegoesu Yonggari or Great Monster Yongary)—which is interesting, considering the uneasy postwar cultural relationship between the two countries. Yongary was co-produced by Toei, while technicians from both Toei and Daiei assisted with the effects work, so it was a co-operative effort during an era in which co-operation wasn’t particularly welcomed by either side. While the results didn’t exactly rival the best of Toho’s efforts, Yongary is still a well-crafted entry into the genre that blends the seriousness of the original Gojira with the family-friendly nature of Daiei’s Gamera and Toho’s later Shōwa era Godzilla sequels, forming something of an uneasy middle ground between the two. (After all, we’re talking about a monster who engages in a dance-off before dying by bleeding out through the anus, so... yeah.)
Yet despite the outside assistance, Yongary was still a Korean production through and through. Writer/director Kim Ki-duk and co-writer Seo Yun-sung clearly drew some inspiration from Gojira, even creating their own portmanteau monster name by combing the Korean word for dragon (yong) with that of another monster from Korean mythology, the Pulgasari—the latter of which was the subject of the first true Korean kaiju effort Bulgasari in 1962, but that film has been lost to time (a theme that we’ll return to in a moment). Their story also draws from the nuclear origins of Godzilla, but with an interesting twist. Yongary is awakened by an earthquake that results from nuclear testing in the Middle East, so there’s only an indirect connection between the monster and the use of atomic weaponry (which is probably intentional since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki helped to liberate Korea from the Japanese occupation).
While Yongary has its expected share of scientists, astronauts, military personnel, and civilian authority figures played by the likes of Oh Young-il, Nam Jeong-im, Kim Dong-won, and Kang Moon, much of the story focuses around a boy name Yoo Young (Icho in the English dub), played by Lee Kwang-ho. While his character is clearly inspired by Toshio (Kenny!!!) in Gamera, the Giant Monster, in practice he actually ended up presaging Ken in Godzilla vs. Hedorah. That’s because Icho doesn’t just share a personal connection to Yongary; he also becomes an important factor in discovering a way to deal with the monster. Child or not, he’s an active part of the mission to save the people of Korea from devastation, and he receives appropriate recognition for that fact at the end of the film. Despite the ignominious nature of the monster’s end (so to speak), death and destruction are generally kept at a distance in Yongary, and Icho is a key factor in maintaining that feeling of separation.
Make no mistake, however, Yongary offers plenty of tokusatsu style action. While the monster itself bears more than a passing resemblance to some of Gamera’s sillier Shōwa era opponents (which was perhaps inevitable since Gamera’s Keizo Murase helped to create the suit), the miniature work is pretty decent despite the shoestring budget, although they clearly couldn’t afford interiors for all of the buildings that are destroyed. Even the matte work is surprisingly good overall, which is something that the Shōwa era Godzilla films struggled to pull off (although there are a few clinkers along the way). The assistance of Japanese technicians like Murase was a key factor in making all of it work, and yet the Korean focus still shines through. Japanese co-production or not, it’s no accident that Yongary always seems to target Japanese-built Imperial structures like the Government-General Building...
While Yongary was distributed internationally by Toei (a fact that caused some confusion regarding which country had actually produced the film), American International Pictures handled it in North America. Yet they never distributed it theatrically, sending it straight to their television division instead, in dubbed and re-edited form. Unfortunately, that’s the only version that survives today. The original negatives and pre-print elements were lost, supposedly because Korean studio Keukdong Entertainment Company sent them overseas for the various international versions (although there’s some dispute about that fact). So, there’s no way to experience Yongary today as it was originally intended to be seen. Yet enough of the work of all the artists involved still shines through in AIP’s version, and it’s better to have an incomplete Yongary than none at all. Not even questionable dubbing can mask the full impact of what those who followed in Gojira’s shoes hath wrought.
Cinematographer Byeon In-jib shot Yongary: Monster from the Deep on 35mm film using Toeiscope anamorphic lenses, framed at 2.35:1 for its theatrical release. This version is based on a 4K scan of the English-language interpositive (which is the best remaining element that’s currently known to exist), graded for High Dynamic Range in Dolby Vision and HDR10. That means the grain is more prominent and the fine detail is somewhat limited, but this 4K master manages to wring as much out of the IP as is humanly possible. There are some minor density fluctuations here and there, but the only major flaws that are present were inherent to the original production (like the seams on the backdrop during the open shot in outer space). The HDR grade brings out the boldness in the colors and in the contrast range as well, making everything seem appropriately larger-than-life, but never to such an extent that it takes away from the naturally filmic appearance. No, it’s not as big of an upgrade for Yongary as the long-lost negative could have provided, but it’s a huge upgrade nonetheless.
Audio is offered in English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio, with optional English SDH subtitles. While it was clearly derived from the original optical tracks, it sounds relatively smooth and clean, albeit with some unavoidable clipping in the peaks. While I’m usually an original language purist, this isn’t really a bad dub at all. The voice acting is unremarkable, but AIP put some effort into matching the lip movements (even if it meant repeating lines of dialogue in order to cover them). The only minor flaw is some wow in the score by Jeon Jeong-geun at 66:46, but that was probably an issue with the elements that couldn’t be easily fixed.
Vinegar Syndrome’s 4K Ultra HD release of Yongary, Monster from the Deep is a two-disc set that includes a Blu-ray with a 1080p copy of the film. The insert is reversible, featuring new artwork by Matt Frank on one side and the original artwork on the other. Vinegar Syndrome is also offering a Limited Edition version featuring a spot gloss hard slipcase and slipcover combo designed by Frank. That version is available directly from their webstore and at a few select retailers, limited to 8000 units (there are still over 2000 left as of this writing). Both versions come with a foldout “anatomy of the monster” poster by Frank, similar to the one that they included with Gorgo. The following extras are included:
DISC ONE: UHD
- Audio Commentary with Steve Ryfle & Kim Song-Ho
- Audio Commentary with Samm Deighan
DISC TWO: BD
- Audio Commentary with Steve Ryfle & Kim Song-Ho
- Audio Commentary with Samm Deighan
- All That Remains of the Original Korean Cut of Yongary (Upscaled SD – 48:15)
- Interview with Keizo Murase (HD – 20:32)
- Yongary: The Birth of Korea’s Monster (HD – 19:18)
- Yongary: An Introduction (HD – 7:37)
- Image Gallery (HD – 1:00)
Vinegar Syndrome has included two different commentaries, one new, the other archival. The new one is with writer Samm Deighan, who puts Yongary into its historical context, including the confluence between Japanese and Korean films, especially the creative involvement of Toei (and the indirect involvement of personnel from Toho and Daiei). Deighan feels that there’s a direct connection between the nuclear fears of Godzilla and the environmental angle in Yongary. She offers some details about the making of the film, breaks down cast and crew, and examines the story on a thematic level. She also traces the evolution of the kaiju genre and the tonal shifts that led to more family-friendly fare like Son of Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Megalon, and Yongary.
The archival commentary pairs Steve Ryfle, co-author of Godzilla: The First 70 Years: The Official Illustrated History of the Japanese Productions, with film journalist and blogger Kim Song-ho (the latter appearing sporadically via pre-recorded audio clips). It was originally included with Kino Lorber’s 2016 Blu-ray release of Yongary. They mix practical information with their own personal experiences, delving into the objective minutiae regarding Yongary while sharing their own subjective feelings about the film. Like Deighan, they also explore the historical context, including the contrast between the South Korea as seen in the film and how it is today, as well as the complicated journey that the film has had from its original theatrical release to its various appearances on home video (at least up until 2016, anyway).
All That Remains of the Original Korean Cut of Yongary is 48 minutes worth of Daegoesu Yonggari in its original form, derived from the only remaining print fragments. It’s been sourced from a videotape held by the Korean Film Archive, as the print is no longer usable at this point. So, in addition to the abundant damage that was present on the film elements, it also suffers from combing and other analogue artifacts. But it’s a priceless record of how Yongary was intended to be seen, and it’s the only way to hear the voices of the original actors. It’s presented here upscaled to 1080p, with Korean 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master audio and removable English subtitles.
The interview with kaiju suitmaker Keizo Murase was conducted by Nicholas Driscoll at TohoKingdom.com, where it was originally published in text form in 2022. This is the first time that the actual video sessions have been offered anywhere. Murase opens by discussing his work on King Kong vs. Godzilla and the notorious goat-fur Kong suit before moving on to his work in Hong Kong on The Mighty Peking Man and Korea on Yongary. (He also worked on Daiei’s Gamera films, so he definitely got around.)
Yongary: The Birth of Korea’s Monster is a new exploration of Yongary’s place in the history of Korean film, featuring interviews with film historians Kim Hyun-jae, Hong Gi-hun, and Park Sang-kyu. At the time, Japanese films still weren’t always welcome in Korea, but Korean filmmakers were well aware of international trends like the success of the kaiju genre. That led to them experimenting with their own brand of kaiju. While these kinds of films were intended as popular entertainment, they also served a propaganda function for the Korean government. The Birth of Korea’s Monster also covers the release of Yongary and its legacy, including the tragic loss of the original film elements. (They still haven’t given up hope that the negative may turn up someday.)
Yongary: An Introduction is a new visual essay by Sean Rhodes, co-author of Japan’s Green Monsters: Environmental Commentary in Kaiju Cinema. (As a die-hard defender of Godzilla vs. Hedorah, that book sounds right up my alley.) Rhodes provides an overview of Yongary from its production to release, summarizing some of the information that’s contained in the other extras. As a result, it’s definitely the best place to start (it is an introduction, after all).
Considering that the only previously available extra for Yongary was the archival Kino Lorber commentary with Ryfle and Song-ho, this Vinegar Syndrome release is a major upgrade in terms of extras as well. It’s pretty much a mandatory purchase for any dedicate kaiju fan, and for those who may have dismissed Yongary as a cheap Korean knockoff, it’s a good education in the finer points of kaiju history. Godzilla may be hard to beat, while Gamera is made of meat, but Yongary is kind of sweet—and he’s even sweeter in 4K.
-Stephen Bjork
(You can follow Stephen on social media at these links: Twitter, Facebook, BlueSky, and Letterboxd).