NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Shout! Factory bring Hammer Studio's The Vengeance of She to a new Blu-ray edition. It's on a dual-layered disc in 1080P with a max'ed out bitrate. It can look a shade inconsistent with softness as well as some more impressive detail in close-ups exporting bright rich colors. The film has majority exterior shots, with locations in Monaco and Spain, and they can seem to vary in terms of sharpness. It is in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and is cited as being a 'New 2K Scan Of The Original Film Elements'. I imagine this is very similar to how the original film looked - not stellar put very watchable with attractive scenery.... and, of course, Miss Berova. 

The restored audio is transferred in a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 channel track (24-bit) and there are some effects that come through with depth. The score is by Mario Nascimbene (The Vikings, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, The Barefoot Contessa, Barabbas, A Farewell to Arms, Love in the City) and it is pleasing with a few saxophone solos, but I was not a fan of the repetitious use of the quasi-theme "Who is She?" with the lounge-like male vocals. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray.

Shout! Factory add a new enthusiastic audio commentary by 'The Monster Party' Podcast hosts Matt Weinhold, Shawn Sheridan, Larry Strothe, and James Gonis who both share some details of the film and the stars as well as fun-loving amusement. I appreciated the serious side a bit more but I think it had a decent balance once the film got going. Excellent and entertaining. There are also new interviews with assistant Director Terence Clegg (2:35), Visual Effects Artist Joy Cuff (8:02), And clapper/loader Trevor Coop (5:42) who share their memories of working for Hammer and on the production of The Vengeance of She. Tacked on is another 25-minute World Of Hammer episode - this one entitled Lands Before Time plus a theatrical trailer, TV Spots and an extensive gallery.

The Vengeance of She is a sequel to Hammer's 1965 She with Ursula Andress. Since they couldn't get her - they cast the sexy look-alike, Olinka Berova. But there is a shift of the character to some degree and it doesn't have the same tone - certainly nothing like the posters suggest - and it is generally a notch below its predecessor. But there are things to appreciate including the recognizable Edward Judd (First Men in the Moon, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, Island of Terror) and Hammer regular André Morell. The Blu-ray transfer is pleasing and there are extras including a fun commentary, new interviews and nice packaging. Hammer fans who can never get enough... go for it.

Gary Tooze