Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		1.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.0

The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 22, 2023

Mill Creek has released the 1959 film 'The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock' to Blu-ray. This is the film's Blu-ray debut in the U.S. This Mill Creek version is currently only available in a four film, two-disc collection alongside '20 Million Miles to Earth' (with which this film shares a disc), 'Creature with the Atmo Brain,' and 'It Came from Beneath the Sea').

Lou Costello plays Artie Pinsetter, a would-be inventor who needs to create something in a hurry when his girlfriend is mysteriously turned into a giantess. This wacky spoof of 'Attack of the 50 Foot Woman' and other sci-fi 'growth' epics of that era is skillfully helmed by veteran actor/director Sidney Miller ('Babes In Arms').

This is a silly film, but it's charmingly enthusiastic as well. The visuals don't hold up, but it's less about how the film looks -- even if the dynamic contrast between the characters' sizes is key to the film -- and more about character engagement, interaction, and response. The acting is solid enough in a hammy, tongue-in-cheek sort of way, with enough humor and just a little bit of heart to find a semblance of balance in the material. Notable is that this Costello’s first solo film without Abbot, and it was his only; he would pass away from a heart attack only several months after filming, which delayed the film’s release until August 1959.

The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unfortunately, the transfer's qualities are evident right out of the gate during the opening title sequence. The compression issues are horrific; digital blocks literally swirl and swim all over the screen. Print wear and tear and various splotches and speckles are in evidence and in abundance. These characteristics carry over to the rest of the film as well. The image takes on many of the same characteristics as Creature with the Atom Brain: the aforementioned severe compression issues and print deterioration are obvious signs, but the image also suffers from some jagged edges, though such are infrequent in comparison. No, the big issues here are the compression and source flaws. Overall, it's is not as bad as Creature, but it's close. Detail here is a little bit better and more stable. Faces and clothes still retain some semblance of definition and detail, also evident in the lab in the opening minutes, for example, where the odds and ends of scientific gear enjoy adequate clarity and visibility. Certainly, the nature of the film and its VXF shots are rendered rather poorly at the source, which carries over the Blu-ray. The grayscale is satisfactory, offering nothing memorable for black depth or white pop (which is actually very flat). The midrange offers enough separation to satisfy, but there is hardly any finesse at work. The image is certainly very problematic, and even the most forgiving fans will be left dismayed at the quality.

The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mill Creek presents The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack which is decidedly not larger than life, but it gets the job done. The presentation is satisfactory, offering stable center-imaged dialogue which is also clear enough. The track of course offers no real sense of envelopment with the lack of surround channels, but front-end stretch pleases well enough despite the lack of real vigor and spread; the film's sound design is simply not purposed to dazzle and delight but rather offer the film's core audio with enough definition and crude spatial awareness to satisfy. Clarity to music and effects are wanting in terms of modern audio expectations but are perfectly satisfying within context.

The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As it ships in the Sci-Fi Vault four-film collection, one extra is included with this release of The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock: an Audio Commentary Track with The Monster Party Podcast: Larry Strothe, Matt Weinhold, Shawn Sheridan, and James Gonis. The track is well versed with plenty of good, grounded historical detail leading the charge, but there are also some moments of levity as well; fans of the film, or the podcast, will find it a very good listen and superior to the more standard cast-and/or-crew commentaries.

The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

With a title like The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock and Lou Costello in the lead, it's pretty easy to predict what the film will offer both in terms of narrative and the stylistic approach to that narrative. This is lighthearted and oftentimes downright silly fun, well worth the time investment for a "brain off" nostalgic throwback into simpler cinema times. Mill Creek's Blu-ray looks awful, sounds OK, and includes a great commentary track. It's nice to have on Blu-ray, but was even a mediocre transfer too much to ask?