6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Rock Dean and Dr. Andrea Romar travel up the Amazon River to find out why the plantation workers have left their work in panic, allegedly because of attacks from Curucu, a monster who is said to live up the river where no white man has ever been before...
Starring: John Bromfield, Beverly Garland, Tom Payne (I), Harvey Chalk, Larri ThomasHorror | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.00:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.00:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo verified
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
1956’s “Curucu, Beast of the Amazon” is generally considered a monster movie, produced during an era in Hollywood when such entertainment was happily devoured by young audiences. Unfortunately, the reality of the film isn’t quiet as enticing, with the creature feature elements of the screenplay quickly burned through to deal with a greater selling point in South American tourism, as the endeavor was shot in Brazil, even reminding viewers of such a creative get with an opening card. “Curucu” is more of a travelogue than a horror experience, and one that often plays like a slightly more aggressive version of the “Jungle Cruise” attraction at Disney Parks. Writer/director Curt Siodmak isn’t going for hospital corners with the effort, basically trying to make a weird adventure with exotic locations, adding as much excitement as a limited budget allows.
Apparently, "Curucu, Beast of the Amazon" has never been released on home video, with Vinegar Syndrome in an unusual position of offering a movie that made its last home presentation stop on television. The AVC encoded image (2.00:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a 2K scan of the 35mm dupe negative, and the results will surely please those who haven't seen the feature in some time. The refreshing of color is impressive, with rich hues throughout, doing very well with clothing and jungle greenery. Skin tones are appreciable, along with more vivid additions, such as makeup. Detail goes about as far as possible, providing some sense of bodily textures. Jungle tours are reasonably dimensional. Costuming is fibrous. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in decent condition, with some mild wear and tear.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix provides an aged understanding of dialogue exchanges, with some slight fuzziness at times, but the track always remains intelligible. Scoring handles with a bit more authority, selling big adventure and suspense sequences.
One likely comes to "Curucu" for scares, and that's not happening here. While the eponymous threat is exposed in the opening sequence, answers to multiple questions about the invader aren't satisfying, with the writing trying make more of a jungle survival film than a monster show. There's obviously disappointment when this reality sinks in, and there's not much to replace what's been lost, with the feature only offering excitement in small bits of Amazon luridness, not a steady understanding of an unreal threat. "Curucu, Beast of the Amazon" is perhaps good enough to enjoy in a Bad Movie Night manner, but those new to the effort should be aware that expectations for unreal carnage will not be met, as Siodmak has something less remarkable planned for the audience instead.
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