6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
Crazy old Professor Gangreen has developed a way to make tomatoes look human for a second invasion.
Starring: George Clooney, Anthony Starke, John Astin, Karen M. Waldron, Steve LundquistHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Maybe those wacky macrobiotic diet folks are on to something. As someone who has spent most of my life as a vegetarian, but who doesn’t hesitate to scoff at the “silliness” of vegans, Paleo aficionados, and other niche dietary tribes, I’ve never quite understood the odd specificity of some of the macrobiotic “no no” foods, which include proscriptions against so-called nightshades, a category which itself includes tomatoes. Of course, prescient Darwinists may want to argue to that it’s probably better to eat a tomato than to have a tomato eat you, at least if one takes the decidedly whimsical horrors of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes into account. This ultra low budget comedy debuted in 1978 to largely withering reviews but substantial enough box office to foster several sequels, of which 1988’s Return of the Killer Tomatoes was the first. Much like the sequel’s release date itself, Return of the Killer Tomatoes picks up a decade after the events of the first film, though there are truly only tangential connections between the first film’s (non tomato) characters and this aggregation. Return of the Killer Tomatoes has a requisite “mad scientist”, Professor Mortimer Gangreen (John Astin), a typically crazy inventor who is obsessed with letting tomatoes do their worst. In the wake of the horrors unleashed in the first film, tomatoes have been outlawed, and part of this film’s humor is derived from the “contraband” element that has now ensued. While somewhat different in how it “arranges” its set ups and subsequent punchlines, the overall anarchic tone of Return of the Killer Tomatoes is at least somewhat reminiscent of the Zucker Brothers’ iconic films (like Airplane! ), at least insofar as the film’s relentless silliness attempts to skewer just about everything that wanders into the frame at any given moment. (The commentary on this disc has director John De Bello mentioning how the first film may have had a bit of a hard time initially finding its audience because it pre-dated Airplane! and other similarly ridiculous parodies.)
Return of the Killer Tomatoes is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The typically informative insert booklet details the provenance of the transfer, stating that it was culled from a 2K scan of a 35mm interpositive. Quite a bit of the transfer looks very good, especially when the film ventures out of doors into brightly lit environments (see screenshot 4). In moments like these, the palette breathes commendably, densities are substantial, and grain resolves naturally. Unfortunately, there's quite a bit of inconsistency on display throughout this video presentation, with a number of moments where grain clumps pretty badly (see several screenshots, including numbers 10, 12 and 17). The cross-hatched appearance significantly impacts detail levels, and several sequences therefore have a much softer, even fuzzier, appearance than the better moments. The palette also tends to suffer at times as well, with a slightly bluish-purple tint emerging at times, something that tends to be especially noticeable in flesh tones. There is occasional image instability on display, with transitory wobble, but my hunch is that anomaly will probably bother videophiles less than the grain resolution and color variances. Everything is watchable here, and it needs to be understood that this was an ultra low budget film to begin with, but there is room for improvement nonetheless.
Return of the Killer Tomatoes features a lively if narrow LPCM 2.0 mono track, one that provides capable support for some of the goofy musical elements, as well as dialogue and equally silly sound effects. Fidelity is fine, if unremarkable, with no damage of any import to warrant concern.
Return of the Killer Tomatoes spawned a cottage industry of multimedia tie-ins, including a cartoon series and a videogame. In some ways, it's the most "cogent" (no, I can't believe I'm using that term to describe this franchise) of the Killer Tomatoes films, but that's not to suggest that it's a comedic masterpiece. The humor is hit or miss, and a certain amount of patience must be afforded the film. Still, for those with that requisite tolerance, there's a kind of ebullient spirit here that can't be denied. Video quality is kind of spotty, but audio is decent and the supplementary package enjoyable. With caveats noted, and especially for those who (like I do) tend to make fun of followers of macrobiotics, Return of the Killer Tomatoes comes Recommended.
2010
1988
Slugs, muerte viscosa
1988
1978
1985
2019
2010
1957
2012
2011
1964
2013
2011
1998
The Horror Star
1983
1965
1971
1986
Hatchet IV
2017
1977