4.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
A space capsule crash-lands on Earth, and the astronaut aboard disappears. Is there a connection between the missing man and the monster roaming the area?
Starring: Philip Morton, June Travis, George Perry, Lois Brooks, Rork StevensHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection.
Somewhat hilariously considering the geographical focus of this collection, I have previously disclosed that I discovered some time ago that
undeniably weird
Wisconsin is evidently
the presumed center of the universe. That is a conclusion I not so coincidentally came to after I married a woman from that state, but it's a
sentiment
which has
been regularly reinforced by a truly gobsmacking number of Wisconsin set films that have crossed my path in various ways in the time since I said
"I do". There have also been
an unusually high
number of
Wisconsin-centered or actually filmed titles that have as a matter of fact entered my queue to write about over the years, and though not
part of my
official
reviewing duties, two wildly
disparate films,
American Movie and Dr.
Bronner's
Magic Soapbox, actually have a more or less direct connection to the tiny town my wife grew up in, Menomonee Falls. As if to make the
circle complete, one of
American Movie's aspiring filmmakers shows up as a talking head in the documentary about Bill Rebane included in this set. That documentary
starts off with a kind of joke where a critic is asked to sum up the impact of "someone like Bill Rebane", to which the critic may understandably
respond, "Who is Bill Rebane?" For those who are either unacquainted with this kind of delirious "regional" filmmaker, or in fact for those who have
already fallen under the sway of "classics" (?) like Monster A Go-Go!, this new collection from Arrow provides a nice selection of Rebane's
work, with the typically broad and deep assortment of supplementary material that has become Arrow's stock in trade.
Monster A Go-Go! is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. The hardback book included with this limited edition contains both an initial overall disclaimer about video quality, along with subsequent detailed information on the transfer, as follows:
All the films included in this collection have been restored by Arrow Films from the best available materials. While every effort has been made to deliver the best possible presentations, the results inevitably vary according to the condition of the source materials, some of which were in poor shape.As can probably be gleaned pretty easily by cycling through the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, the source 16mm print element has definitely seen better days, and whatever restoration gauntlet it was put through has not been able to ameliorate let alone eliminate some pretty bad damage, including lots of rather large and long lasting scratches, nicks, dirt, emulsion bubbling, and other issues. There are also noticeable variances in clarity and detail which I have a hunch are at least somewhat attributable to the different production years. Contrast is also inconsistent, but generally fine and probably more solid than might be expected given the overall appearance of things.
We hope that this does not affect your enjoyment of the films.
Monster a Go-Go is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with mono audio. A 16mm print was scanned in 2K resolution at Company 3. The film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master and restored at R3Store Studios in London. The mono mix was remastered from the print's soundtrack at Deluxe Audio Services.
If you've ever seen Monster a Go-Go, you may recall that its audio has always been on the more than shoddy side, and this presentation's DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track can't really make things materially improved. There are still huge spikes in amplitude and clarity (some scenes sound positively muffled), but Rebane's narration comes through loudly and clearly. Optional English subtitles help to dispel any uncertainty about what's being said, though in a film this generally incomprehensible, maybe it's best not to understand what's being said.
Monster A Go-Go! and Invasion from Inner Earth share the same disc, which offers the following supplements:
- Twist Craze (HD; 8:49) is a 1961 documentary about the then au courant dance phenomenon.
- Dance Craze (HD; 14:41) is Rebane's 1962 follow up to Twist Craze.
- Kidnap Extortion (HD; 14:28) is a fictional short involving a bank robbery. This is billed as an "industrial", which may beg the question as to exactly what industry was being promoted.
Monster a Go-Go is one of those films that has to be seen to be believed, and even then some viewers may insist they've been slipped a potent hallucinogen and it was all just a mystifying trip. Arrow's release does what it can with substandard video and audio elements, and the supplementary package is very enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
The Alien Incident
1978
1984
1983
2021
They / Hell Fire
1974
1988
1966
1972
1958
Space Mission to the Lost Planet / Vampire Men of the Lost Planet
1970
1956
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1999
1957
1941
1961
1967
La nuit des traquées | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1980
1994
1958
1979