5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
A scientific expedition in Africa investigates wasps that have been exposed to radiation and mutated into giant, killing monsters.
Starring: Jim Davis (I), Robert Griffin, Joel Fluellen, Barbara Turner, Eduardo CiannelliSci-Fi | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1, 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
A friend who's a Downbeat award winning jazz guitarist once told me after I had heard him making countless phone calls to book himself on a quasi-national "tour", often getting either demurrals or outright rejections, "In jazz guitar playing, there's Pat Metheny, and then there's everyone else". Something at least somewhat similar might be said with regard to stop motion animation and Ray Harryhausen, since other than that legendary figure, my hunch is even many ardent film fans would be hard pressed to name another practitioner of this now basically moribund art. And yet, there were and actually continue to be others who have taken countless hours to provide just a second or two of fluid motion by moving maquettes a fraction of a fraction of an inch and then snapping a still photograph, as Laika Studios, located near my hometown of Portland, Oregon, admirably proves. While not a major part of Monster from Green Hell, no doubt due to funding priorities, stop motion shows up in this little remembered science fiction tinged outing from 1957 or 1958 (depending on which source is cited), though it was evidently actually filmed in 1956, according to the commentary by Stephen R. Bissette included on this disc as a supplement. As Bissette also gets into, there was a veritable glut of "giant insect" films that started appearing in the wake of Them!, which had come out in 1954, and Monster from Green Hell is perhaps consigned to "and the rest" territory in that weird little subgenre, if I may be permitted to mix media and reference the hilarious first season theme from Gilligan's Island, a series which featured only seven characters (aside from regular visitors), but which only managed to mention five of them for its debut year in its opening credits.
Monster from Green Hell is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Film Detective with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in either 1.85:1 or 1.33:1. I've included screenshots from both aspect ratios so that those interested can do a compare and contrast. There are pluses and minuses to each of them, though I found the 1.85:1 aspect ratio to be the more consistently pleasing of the two. The Film Detective tends not to include a wealth of technical information with their releases, and that's once again the case here, with only a generic "restored in a new 4K transfer" touted on the cover, though it's perhaps salient to note that commentator Stephen R. Bissette mentions Wade Williams in passing, and whatever source element was utilized may have come from Williams' private collection, as with some other releases from The Film Detective. In either aspect ratio there's manifest damage and age related wear and tear to report, and even a cursory parsing of screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review will show some pretty significant scratches in particular. That said, a lot of the transfer boasts very good detail levels and generally consistent contrast and black levels. There's an almost comical mismatch with the footage from Stanley and Livingstone in terms of clarity, detail, grain and contrast, but I suspect that's the way things always looked. The color footage is pretty problematic from a palette standpoint, as can probably be gleaned from the two screenshots I've included. There's a wash of almost rust brown-red during this sequence, which is perhaps appropriate given the fact it depicts a volcano erupting, but some more color correction might have been warranted. Aside and apart from fluctuations due to the use of the footage from Stanley and Livingstone, there's a naturally resolving grain field.
Monster from Green Hell features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track. There are some signs of age related wear and tear, including a bit of background noise and occasional pops, but the overall sound of the track is decently full bodied, offering good accounts of dialogue (such as it is), some goofy sound effects and another fun score from the venerable Albert Glasser. Optional English subtitles are available.
This is another cult release which has certain "meta" elements which may provide at least as much interest as the actual film. In that regard, all of the supplements on the disc and perhaps especially the insert booklet essay may provide some additional allure for the prospective consumer. Technical merits are decent if improvable, for those who may be considering making a purchase.
1976
1979
Roger Corman's Cult Classics
1978
1977
1958
1973
1986
2012
1951
1955
1954
1953
Scanners bonus feature
1969
1964
1955
2017
1956
2018
2+5: Missione Hydra
1966
2012