Return of the Ape Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Return of the Ape Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 30, 2018

Phil Rosen's "Return of the Ape Man" (1944) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. There are no supplemental features on the disc. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The man from another time

The great Bela Lugosi has major roles in William Beaudine’s The Ape Man (1943) and Phil Rosen’s The Return of the Ape Man (1944). However, he plays completely different characters and these films tell unique stories, so knowledge of the former is absolutely not required to enjoy the latter.

In Rosen’s film Lugosi is the deranged but very ambitious Prof. Dexter who has just accomplished something truly incredible. Together with his colleague, Prof. John Gilmore (John Carradine), Prof. Dexter has revived a man who has been frozen for months without any damage to his system. The man, a homeless drunkard, who has been secretly used as a guinea pig, casually walks out of Prof. Dexter’s office assuming that he has been unconscious only for a couple of hours. However, now Prof. Dexter plans an even more ambitious experiment -- he will go to Antarctica, find a perfectly preserved Neanderthal, and then replace his brain with that of a modern man. If successful, the experiment would allow Prof. Dexter to learn more about human evolution and possibly even predict significant future genetic mutations.

Prof. Dexter and his team quickly discover what they are looking for and soon after he begins thawing the big block of ice that has preserved the Neanderthal’s (George Zucco/Frank Moran) precious body. The man from another time eventually comes alive and Prof. Dexter begins searching for a donor that would supply his new brain, but a series of unexpected developments put his plan on hold.

The Return of the Ape Man is a B-film that appears to have been at least partially inspired by the popularity of Universal’s classic monster films. It attempts to imitate a lot of the good things that these genre films did, but while relying on a substantially smaller budget and average at best script. So in it there is certainly a good dose of the exotic atmosphere that the majority of the monster films are liked for, but at the same time it is virtually impossible to ignore the many limitations of the production.

The main message that the film delivers while chronicling Prof. Dexter’s downfall is that scientists without morals can be every bit as dangerous as the violent crazies that are placed behind bars. It is difficult not to agree with it because an ‘ambitious scientist’ that is willing to ignore the Hippocratic Oath and kill while pursuing a lofty goal isn’t any different than the brainwashed fanatic that would commit a crime in the name of a dubious dream. Realistically, the only thing that separates the two is the ‘noble’ pretext that they would use to justify their dangerous actions.

Lugosi is quite entertaining as Prof. Dexter. Once it becomes clear that he is absolutely determined to complete his experiment there are a number of close-ups where he has that unhinged look on his face that makes it painfully obvious why he appeared in so many genre films. Zucco and Moran’s reincarnations, however, are a bit weak. In the second act, instead of looking scary the ape man reminds of one of those big and hairy troublemakers that frequently pop up in Charlie Chaplin’s early comedies.

Return of the Ape Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Phil Rosen's Return of the Ape Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

Everything that I see tells me that the film was transferred in high-definition not too long ago (a few years ago is a possibility). Basically, there are no traces of the type of limitations that very old masters from the DVD era routinely exhibit. However, there are some sporadic source limitations that occasionally affect density and fluidity; there are even a few shaky transitions. What this means is that there are sporadic segments where you will likely notice that the image does not have the evenness that elaborate restorations of older films can ensure. On the other hand, even with these source limitations the film still has a pleasing organic appearance, and the reason for it is the lack of compromising digital work. So, while the end result may not be optimal, the slightly dated organic appearance is undoubtedly preferable over the 'repolished' masters that sometimes emerge for these types of older films. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Return of the Ape Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Clarity and even stability are good. Also, there are no distortions or basic audio dropouts to report. However, some sporadic unevenness is present, which means that a fully remastered audio will almost definitely produce a better overall balance. Still, your viewing experience will not be affected.

Return of the Ape Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this release.

Return of the Ape Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For a lot of folks the main attraction in Phil Rosen's Return of the Ape Man will probably be the presence of Bela Lugosi, and rightfully so because it is his character that gives it its identity. The plot is quite simple, but with these types of early genre films this is hardly surprising. Olive Films' recent release is sourced from a nice remaster, though in an ideal world the film most certainly should look better in high-definition. RECOMMENDED.