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Patlabor: The Movie (1989)
Patlabor: The Movie (1989) poster
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3.7

Patlabor: The Movie (1989)

機動警察パトレイバー 劇場版

Action, Animation, Science Fiction, Mystery • 1h 40m

Overview

A mysterious suicide and a series of unmanned robot run-aways sparks off a Police investigation into the suspicious software on-board thousands of industrial robots around Tokyo.

Director: Mamoru Oshii

Best English-Friendly Release

2008 Japan Blu-ray (BCXA-0085): has English subtitles, better than 2015 Maiden Blu-ray which lacks the original mix

Best Video Release

2026 Bandai 4K Blu-ray, but completely DNR'd.

For grain, most release starting from 2007 Japan Bandai Blu-ray (BCXA-0003) are ok.

Best Audio Release

Bandai 4K Blu-ray? vs 2008 Japan Bandai Blu-ray (BCXA-0085): same video but includes Bandai English dub and original mix

Format

1080p Blu-ray

External Links

Length

100 mins

Type

Movie

Alternative Titles

Patlabor The Movie, Patlabor 1: The Movie

Last Updated

7 months ago

Contributors

Best English-Friendly Release

2008 Japan Blu-ray (BCXA-0085): has English subtitles, better than 2015 Maiden Blu-ray which lacks the original mix

Best Video Release

2026 Bandai 4K Blu-ray, but completely DNR'd.

For grain, most release starting from 2007 Japan Bandai Blu-ray (BCXA-0003) are ok.

Best Audio Release

Bandai 4K Blu-ray? vs 2008 Japan Bandai Blu-ray (BCXA-0085): same video but includes Bandai English dub and original mix

Format
1080p Blu-ray
Length
100 mins
Type
Movie
Alternative Titles
Patlabor The Movie, Patlabor 1: The Movie
Last Updated
7 months ago
Contributors

More from Mamoru Oshii

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Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray for the original Japanese audio with the best English subtitle translation

US Funimation Blu-ray for the Bandai dub
Manga Entertainment UK Blu-ray for the Manga Entertainment dub

Upcoming Release:

4K remastered US theatrical re-release in 2024 courtesy of GKIDS with either the Japanese audio with Disney's English subtitles or the English dub by Bandai

Not yet confirmed for a US home video release

Best Video:

Italy Dynit Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Japan "4K Remastered" Disney Blu-ray has the original 6.1 mix

Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray for the DTS:X remix

Funimation US Blu-ray for the Bandai dub

Manga Entertainment UK Blu-ray for the Manga Entertainment dub

Additional Info:

Italy Dynit Blu-ray has the best picture quality but has no English subtitles or original theatrical 6.1 mix.

All "4K Remastered" and 4K Blu-ray releases (including from Disney) are taken from a 35mm filmout rather than the original digital source, and then heavily DNR'd, destroying original detail and making lines smearier than before. The Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray is the least bad presentation of the 4K remaster, being encoded with a very healthy bitrate and HDR10+ metadata, and with a top-notch DTS:X remix, with the original 6.1 mix included on the pack-in "4K Remastered" Blu-ray.

The film has multiple English subtitle translations, and the Disney subtitles done by Linda Hoaglund and Judith Aley with Aura are often seen as the best translation, with these subtitles present on the Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray, making this the definitive option for viewers who want to watch the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

Best English-Friendly:

Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray for the original Japanese audio with the best English subtitle translation

US Funimation Blu-ray for the Bandai dub
Manga Entertainment UK Blu-ray for the Manga Entertainment dub

Upcoming Release:

4K remastered US theatrical re-release in 2024 courtesy of GKIDS with either the Japanese audio with Disney's English subtitles or the English dub by Bandai

Not yet confirmed for a US home video release

Best Video:

Italy Dynit Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Japan "4K Remastered" Disney Blu-ray has the original 6.1 mix

Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray for the DTS:X remix

Funimation US Blu-ray for the Bandai dub

Manga Entertainment UK Blu-ray for the Manga Entertainment dub

Additional Info:

Italy Dynit Blu-ray has the best picture quality but has no English subtitles or original theatrical 6.1 mix.

All "4K Remastered" and 4K Blu-ray releases (including from Disney) are taken from a 35mm filmout rather than the original digital source, and then heavily DNR'd, destroying original detail and making lines smearier than before. The Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray is the least bad presentation of the 4K remaster, being encoded with a very healthy bitrate and HDR10+ metadata, and with a top-notch DTS:X remix, with the original 6.1 mix included on the pack-in "4K Remastered" Blu-ray.

The film has multiple English subtitle translations, and the Disney subtitles done by Linda Hoaglund and Judith Aley with Aura are often seen as the best translation, with these subtitles present on the Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray, making this the definitive option for viewers who want to watch the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

Ghost in the Shell poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Bandai Japan 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

All the Anime FRA 4K Blu-ray | Caps comparison: Ghost in the Shell (1995) | Slowpoke Pics

Best Audio:

All the Anime FRA 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

The All the Anime FRA and the Lionsgate USA run to the same frame and come from the same source, while the Bandai JPN is a separate assembly, and these three discs do not share a master and are graded differently. The French and the Japanese hold the same hue throughout; the Lionsgate is shifted, and by different amounts from scene to scene. The Lionsgate is the only Dolby Vision Profile 7 FEL (when the All the Anime is Dolby Vision Profile 7 MEL and The Bandai  is only HDR10) and the extra coding precision is genuine, but it buys nothing here: the grain dithers the gradients on its own and none of the three discs bands.

What separates them is texture, and it is not close. The All the Anime FRA is very clearly superior to both others: far more fine detail, tighter edges with no sign of sharpening, and real gradation in the shadows where the other two simply go to black. It is a beautiful master, filmic and untouched. Both the US and the Japanese discs have had DNR applied: flat areas and edges are smoothed alike, so a great deal of the texture the French keeps is simply gone. The Lionsgate also falls apart on darker shots, and the Bandai is the softest of the three on top of a very conservative grade.
The French disc is the one to get, by a wide margin.
Caps comparison: Ghost in the Shell (1995) | Slowpoke Pics

Be warned that the All the Anime FRA is not English-friendly at all: it carries no English audio track and no English subtitles while being well served on the Japanese side, with the 6.1 mix from Ghost in the Shell 2.0 and the original 2.0 mix, both retaining the original 1995 end credits music, alongside the modern Dolby Atmos track.

Worth noting: the KSM GER release may carry the same master as the All the Anime FRA, but without a copy on hand I can neither confirm nor rule it out.

Best English-Friendly:

Bandai Japan 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

All the Anime FRA 4K Blu-ray | Caps comparison: Ghost in the Shell (1995) | Slowpoke Pics

Best Audio:

All the Anime FRA 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

The All the Anime FRA and the Lionsgate USA run to the same frame and come from the same source, while the Bandai JPN is a separate assembly, and these three discs do not share a master and are graded differently. The French and the Japanese hold the same hue throughout; the Lionsgate is shifted, and by different amounts from scene to scene. The Lionsgate is the only Dolby Vision Profile 7 FEL (when the All the Anime is Dolby Vision Profile 7 MEL and The Bandai  is only HDR10) and the extra coding precision is genuine, but it buys nothing here: the grain dithers the gradients on its own and none of the three discs bands.

What separates them is texture, and it is not close. The All the Anime FRA is very clearly superior to both others: far more fine detail, tighter edges with no sign of sharpening, and real gradation in the shadows where the other two simply go to black. It is a beautiful master, filmic and untouched. Both the US and the Japanese discs have had DNR applied: flat areas and edges are smoothed alike, so a great deal of the texture the French keeps is simply gone. The Lionsgate also falls apart on darker shots, and the Bandai is the softest of the three on top of a very conservative grade.
The French disc is the one to get, by a wide margin.
Caps comparison: Ghost in the Shell (1995) | Slowpoke Pics

Be warned that the All the Anime FRA is not English-friendly at all: it carries no English audio track and no English subtitles while being well served on the Japanese side, with the 6.1 mix from Ghost in the Shell 2.0 and the original 2.0 mix, both retaining the original 1995 end credits music, alongside the modern Dolby Atmos track.

Worth noting: the KSM GER release may carry the same master as the All the Anime FRA, but without a copy on hand I can neither confirm nor rule it out.

Angel's Egg poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Umbrella 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

US GKIDS 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Umbrella 4K Blu-ray see caps

Best Audio:

4K restoration includes a high-fidelity remix sourced from new transfers of original magnetic elements, with inconsequential content differences from the original mono mix. Umbrella 4K Blu-ray only includes a 5.1 mixdown of the remix, other discs have it in Dolby Atmos.

Umbrella 4K Blu-ray's 2.0 track is a stereo downmix. Older BDs and LDs have the original mono mix in varying quality, but are all inferior in fidelity to the new 5.1 remix. The digital track on the Bandai/Emotion Japan LaserDisc BELL-942 is the best of the bunch.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23714400&postcount=159

Angel's Egg poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Umbrella 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

US GKIDS 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Umbrella 4K Blu-ray see caps

Best Audio:

4K restoration includes a high-fidelity remix sourced from new transfers of original magnetic elements, with inconsequential content differences from the original mono mix. Umbrella 4K Blu-ray only includes a 5.1 mixdown of the remix, other discs have it in Dolby Atmos.

Umbrella 4K Blu-ray's 2.0 track is a stereo downmix. Older BDs and LDs have the original mono mix in varying quality, but are all inferior in fidelity to the new 5.1 remix. The digital track on the Bandai/Emotion Japan LaserDisc BELL-942 is the best of the bunch.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23714400&postcount=159

The Red Spectacles poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best Video:

2025 Japan 4K Blu-ray (crowdfunded project)

Best Video:

2025 Japan 4K Blu-ray (crowdfunded project)

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Dragon Quest: Your Story poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Netflix Streaming

Best Video:

Japan Toho Blu-ray

Caveat: Not English-friendly

Best Audio:

Japan Toho Blu-ray

Netflix Streaming for English dub

Best English-Friendly:

Netflix Streaming

Best Video:

Japan Toho Blu-ray

Caveat: Not English-friendly

Best Audio:

Japan Toho Blu-ray

Netflix Streaming for English dub

The Fast and the Furious poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray 25th Anniversary Edition (with Dolby Vision), comparsion

Best Audio:

Cinema DTS

Best English-Friendly:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray 25th Anniversary Edition (with Dolby Vision), comparsion

Best Audio:

Cinema DTS

Kiss of the Dragon poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Theatrical: France ESC Blu-ray or US Fox Blu-ray?


Uncut: any of the France DVDs

Best Video:

Theatrical: France ESC Blu-ray or US Fox Blu-ray?


Uncut: any of the France DVDs

Best Audio:

US Anchor Bay TrueHD 5.1

Germany DTS-HD 6.1 is inferior due to clipping.

Best English-Friendly:

Theatrical: France ESC Blu-ray or US Fox Blu-ray?


Uncut: any of the France DVDs

Best Video:

Theatrical: France ESC Blu-ray or US Fox Blu-ray?


Uncut: any of the France DVDs

Best Audio:

US Anchor Bay TrueHD 5.1

Germany DTS-HD 6.1 is inferior due to clipping.

Popeye poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

Popeye poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

United 93 poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

5.1 Mix: 2011 US Universal Blu-ray

United 93 poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

5.1 Mix: 2011 US Universal Blu-ray

The Towering Inferno poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

US Fox Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Fox Blu-ray > International Warner Bros

Best English-Friendly:

US Fox Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Fox Blu-ray > International Warner Bros

Predator poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Fox 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Fox 4K Blu-ray

Predator poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Fox 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Fox 4K Blu-ray

Beau Geste poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Artcraft Blu-ray

Best Video:

ArtcraftBlu-ray is a great new 4K restoration encoded by FiM and should be much superior to an older 2K restoration by Grapevine

Beau Geste poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Artcraft Blu-ray

Best Video:

ArtcraftBlu-ray is a great new 4K restoration encoded by FiM and should be much superior to an older 2K restoration by Grapevine

Troy poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray Both cuts are excellent in 4K. See caps

Additional Info:

For BD:

Troy poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray Both cuts are excellent in 4K. See caps

Additional Info:

For BD:

Fudoh: The New Generation poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Radiance 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Radiance 4K Blu-ray from nic:

Unadvertised HDR10 grade that looks better than the equivalent Blu-ray it's packaged with, grain rendered very clean even when it's heavy. FiM encode so surely it's better than the Media Blasters UHD, but there are still issues with frame stability, some shots have this jitter that kinda hurts to look at. Not a night and day upgrade over the Blu, but it's better and despite its issues, probably the best it'll ever be.

Best English-Friendly:

Radiance 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Radiance 4K Blu-ray from nic:

Unadvertised HDR10 grade that looks better than the equivalent Blu-ray it's packaged with, grain rendered very clean even when it's heavy. FiM encode so surely it's better than the Media Blasters UHD, but there are still issues with frame stability, some shots have this jitter that kinda hurts to look at. Not a night and day upgrade over the Blu, but it's better and despite its issues, probably the best it'll ever be.

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Patlabor: The Movie (1989) backdrop