6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
In the last days of WWII, a Japanese platoon is attacked by headhunters while attempting to hide millions in gold. 36 years later, a grizzled guide is hired to lead an expedition to find it.
Starring: Stuart Whitman, Edmund Purdom, Woody Strode, Harold Sakata, Laura GemserHorror | 100% |
War | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
There are some films that come along in various home theater formats that may not have generated much interest either at the time of their initial theatrical release or frankly in intervening years, but when watched at least generate an audible wow when the cast credits are offered. Invaders of the Lost Gold may be a salient example, since I am not ashamed to admit I had never heard of this film before it turned up in my review queue, and yet when the film started and I saw some of the names in the opening moments I did in fact utter that palindromic expression of surprise. As if Stuart Whitman (Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines) and Edmund Purdom (The Egyptian) wouldn't be enough to spark any cult movie lover's interest, in the "wait, you also get. . ." category, Invaders of the Lost Gold also features Woody Strode (Sergeant Rutledge, The Ten Commandments), Harold Sakata (whose name may not ring bells until one interpolates "Odd Job" from Goldfinger between his first and last names), and Laura Gemser (Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals).
Invaders of the Lost Gold is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of this release doesn't get into the provenance of whatever element was utilized, and instead offers only a fairly generic statement that this is "now scanned in 2K for the first time ever". There are some rough moments here, including a pretty noticeably scratched and damaged opening credits sequence, but once the actual presentation kicks in, things improve markedly and a lot of this presentation pops rather well, offering substantial fine detail levels in at least close-ups in good lighting conditions. Occasionally grain can look slightly "smudged" or clumpy (see screenshot 16 for one example), but on the whole resolves naturally. The palette may be just slightly faded (especially in terms of some of the greens), but actually is rather nicely suffused for the most part. There are recurrent if minor signs of age related wear and tear.
Invaders of the Lost Gold features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono mix that offers capable support for the film's patently ridiculous dialogue, along with some occasionally kind of equally silly sound effects once the story gets into its main jungle setting. Francesco De Masi' score also reverberates clearly enough, and all spoken material is delivered without any major issues. Optional English subtitles are available.
If your first reaction to this film is Wow! as the credits unspool, it may morph ever so slightly into How? once things actually get underway, since director and co-writer Alan Birkinshaw doesn't seem to know how to properly shape the material or how to utilize a frankly peculiarly interesting blend of cast members. Even the use of what were evidently real locations in the Philippines isn't especially well handled, and I frankly laughed out loud at a couple of "jungle" scenes which looked like they could have been filmed at any nearby neighborhood park. Fans of the cast may want to check this out, but they're probably well advised to set their expectation bars as low as possible. Technical merits are generally solid if improvable, and the two supplements will probably be interesting to those who may be considering making a purchase.
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