|
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
|
|
Special Effects Collection [Blu-ray]
The Son of Kong (1933) Mighty Joe Young (1940)
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) Them! (1954)
| 4 Landmark Monster Classics, NEW TO
Blu-ray, in One Collection! SON OF KONG: The filmmakers who created King Kong kept the excitement going in this sequel featuring Kong's son, a 12-footer with a winning personality and awesome strength. MIGHTY JOE YOUNG: The team behind King Kong reunited to deliver tongue-in-cheek jokes and a smaller simian...but Oscar®-winning effects that were just as Kong-sized. THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS: Spawning an era of atomic-age creature features, this screen adaptation of Ray Bradbury's work features Ray Harryhausen's first time wielding total control over special effects. THEM!: A landmark movie about giant radiation-mutated ants with Oscar®-nominated effects and an epic struggle in the drains beneath Los Angeles, Them! only gets better with age.
NOTE (from the Press Release): The Special Effects Collection includes
four memorable films; Son of Kong, Mighty Joe Young,
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, and Them! Stop-motion
pioneer Willis O'Brien oversaw special effects on Son of Kong
and Mighty Joe Young with Ray Harryhausen serving in a junior
capacity. Harryhausen, who adapted O'Brien's techniques and was the
lead on The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, went on to develop and
create a form of stop-motion model animation eventually known as
Dynamation. Harryhausen's amazing body of work continues to inspire
many of today's special effects wizards. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
|
Distribution |
Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
|
|
Subtitles |
English, Spanish, French, None |
|
|
Features |
Release Information:
|
|
Blu-ray Package
 |
| Comments: |
NOTE: These Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Things seemed to be going well. I saw an unnatural green interior in Son of Kong near beginning (see sample) but settles down to be rich with textures. The technical transfers are strong (1080P) with high bitrates. Mighty Joe Young looks exceptional. The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms is dark and a shade green, but still pleasing. Then we came upon the most important title in this set - Them! It looks very different. I had heard Them! was going to be widescreen (theatrically shown at 1.75:1 and the BD is 1.78:1 - that's not the issue!) but looking at it - it appears to be horizontally stretched to me. Unnaturally so. It's dark - green leaning and looks muddy, dark, flat, cropped and very poor on my system. I much prefer the DVD. I think this is an error. And the best title of the collection to boot. I don't want a debate about it being widescreen Yes, it should be widescreen - I just think the image quality is... compromised. The color title is missing most of the vibrant blue, too (see sample below). The SD Them! exhibits much more depth. The set has 4, Region FREE, Blu-ray discs (3 single-layered with Mighty Joe Young being dual-layered.) each offers optional English, French or Spanish subtitles and a Spanish DUB (Dolby) but the English language tracks are DTS-HD Master 1.0 channel mono. Extras are Harryhausen-leaning (hooray) but there aren't a lot (a few featurettes, that I enjoyed) including the repeated commentary by Terry Moore, Harryhausen and Ken Ralston on Mighty Joe Young - which looks the best of the 4 films. I'd welcome some input on Warner's HD Them! - because for me this is a big disappointment. Anyone? (Tweet Us!) |
Sample Menus
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
 |
|
Hoping to immediately cash in on its blockbuster hit King Kong (1933). RKO Radio commissioned producers Willis O'Brien and Ernest B. Schoedsack to hastily slap together a sequel. Son of Kong begins where King Kong left off, with foolhardy entrepreneur Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) facing hundreds of thousands dollars in lawsuits from the damages inflicted by the mighty Kong on the city of New York (remember?) Denham's partner Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher) suggests that they escape to Malaya, where they make the acquaintance of Hilda (Helen Mack), the daughter of drink-besotted circus-owner Peterson (Clarence Wilson). When her father is killed in a fire caused by Norwegian sea captain Helstrom (John Marston), Hilda is comforted by Denham, who has taken a liking to the unfortunate girl. It turns out that Helstrom was the sailor who sold Denham the map to Skull Island, where King Kong once ruled unchecked. Hoping to escape prosecution for the fatal fire, Hellstrom claims that there's a fabulous treasure buried somewhere on Skull Island and offers to lead Denham and Englehorn back to the Pacific flyspeck. With no place else to go, Hilda stows away on Englehorn's boat and joins the expedition. After an unpleasant confrontation with the natives whom Kong trampled and chewed up in the earlier film, Denham and Hilda explore another part of the Island -- and there they find Little Kong, a 12-foot-high white gorilla who is as lovable as his "old man" was nasty. As the treacherous Hellstrom meets his doom elsewhere on the island, cute Little Kong protects his new friends Denham and Hilda from a variety of marauding dinosaurs, ultimately sacrificing his own life to save the human hero and heroine from a native war party. Largely played for laughs (at one point Little Kong makes an "Oy vey" gesture, as the soundtrack plays a snatch of a Jewish dance!), Son of Kong is nowhere near the classic stature of its illustrious predecessor. On the other hand, the stop-motion photography is quite impressive, at times even better than the animation seen in the original King Kong.
|
Posters
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Box Cover |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Distribution |
Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
|
| Bitrate: |
|
| Son of Kong | |
|
Runtime: |
1:09:31.500 |
|
Disc Size: |
19,398,905,019 bytes |
|
Feature Size: |
18,749,417,472 bytes |
|
Video Bitrate: |
32.84 Mbps - 1.33:1 |
|
Chapters: |
22 |
|
Audio: |
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1042 kbps 1.0 /
48 kHz / 1042 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768
kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB |
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
 |
Early scene is greenish
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
(aka 'Mr. Joseph Young of Africa')
Directed by
Ernest B. Schoedsack
USA 1949
|
He may only come up to King Kong 's shin, but Joe makes up in heart what he lacks in size. This sweet tale of a girl and her pet/best friend, an African gorilla with the soul of a kitten, pulls on a different set of heartstrings than the giant ape classic. Robert Armstrong practically repeats his role from King Kong as a Broadway producer who lures Jill Young (Terry Moore) and Joe, an ape she raised from baby (a splendidly realized stop-motion character created by Willis O'Brien, the creator behind Kong), to New York as the star attraction at his new nightclub. Caged in a cramped basement holding cell, the unhappy Joe finally goes berserk after a trio of drunks ply him with alcohol, and the city rules him a menace. In a desperate attempt to save Joe from execution, Jill rounds up her friends and confidants (including beefy love interest Ben Johnson) for a jailbreak. This human-scale drama is more subdued than its inspiration, but the nightclub rampage remains a terrifying scene in its mad destruction; and the climax, involving a raging fire at an orphanage (have these filmmakers no shame?!), still impresses. |
Posters
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Theatrical Release: July 27th, 1949
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Warner - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
** NOTE: The blue cover King Kong 3-Disc Special Edition DVD set contains King Kong / Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young **
|
|
Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
|
Distribution |
Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
|
| Distribution | Warner Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC | Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
| Runtime | 1:33:39 | 1:33:48.831 |
| Video |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.72 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 30,017,530,992 bytes Feature: 26,945,169,408 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.84 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
|
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
| Bitrate: |
|
|
| Bitrate: Blu-ray |
|
|
| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 1.0) |
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1047 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1047 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)
DUB: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB |
| Subtitles | English, Spanish, French, None | English, Spanish, French, None |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Warner Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details:
• Commentary
by Ray Harryhausen, Terry Moore and Ken Ralston |
Release Information: Studio: Warner 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 30,017,530,992 bytes Feature: 26,945,169,408 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.84 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• Commentary by Terry Moore and special
effects veterans Ray Harryhausen and Ken
Ralston Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters: 26 |
| Comments: |
NOTE: Comments on the Blu-ray are at the top of the review (under the package photo.)
ON THE DVD: What a fabulous
image, since it is a much newer film it is far superior to
Kong
in terms of sharpness and contrast.
It looks
exceptionally good in all areas. Harryhausen has really come into
his own in these releases and comes across very well indeed in both the
commentary and the featurettes. If this had come out by itself I would
vote on it for DVD of the Year - a personal favorite film!
Aside from some very minor damage marks this has no flaws at all.
My suggestion, unless you are dead set against the bigger ape film then buy the blue-cover edition with this, King Kong and Son of Kong for a little in excess of $10 more than this... or you may buy them separately quite reasonably. |
out
of
DVD Menus
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
Screen Captures
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
** NOTE: The blue cover King Kong 3-Disc Special Edition DVD set contains King Kong / Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young **
|
|
Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
|
Distribution |
Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
|
 |
|
A longtime "dream" project of production designer-turned-director Eugene Lourie, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms sees the titular beast unleashed on the world via nuclear testing. Making its way from the Arctic Circle, the monster-a carnivorous "rhedosaurus"-begins advancing towards New York. It stomps its way around Wall Street, pausing to have a policeman for lunch. By the time it has reached Coney Island, the rhedosaurus is more of a danger than ever because of the deadly bacteria it carries within its system. It's up to researcher Paul Christian and sharpshooter Lee Van Cleef to try to liquidate the beast with a grenade chock full of radioactive isotopes. Beast From 20,000 Fathoms represented effects artist Ray Harryhausen's first solo effort, after assisting Willis O'Brien on Mighty Joe Young (1949)
|
Posters
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Box Cover |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Distribution |
Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
|
| Bitrate: |
|
|
Runtime: |
1:19:44.446 |
|
Disc Size: |
23,543,756,949 bytes |
|
Feature Size: |
21,313,026,048 bytes |
|
Video Bitrate: |
31.91 Mbps - 1.33:1 |
|
Audio: |
DTS-HD Master Audio
English 1041 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz /
1041 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 /
48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio
French 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192
kbps / DN -4dB |
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Title (above) 1) Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
(aka 'Them')
Directed by
Gordon Douglas
USA 1954
|
By far the best of the '50s cycle of 'creature features', Them! and its story of a nest of giant radioactive ants (the result of an atomic test in the New Mexico desert) retains a good part of its power today. All the prime ingredients of the total mobilisation movie are here: massed darkened troops move through the eerie storm drains of Los Angeles, biblical prophecy is intermixed with gloomy speculation about the effect of radioactivity. Almost semi-documentary in approach, the formula is handled with more subtlety than usual, and the special effects are frequently superb. |
Posters
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Theatrical Release: June 17th, 1954
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC vs. Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC LEFT2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT |
| Box Covers |
Also offered, very reasonably with - The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms / Them! (Double Feature) (1953) at Amazon HERE (Thanks Hans!) |
|
| Distribution | Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC | Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
|
Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
|
Distribution |
Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
|
| Runtime | 1:32:21 | 1:32:32.505 |
| Video |
1.33:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.31 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1.78:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 22,598,919,488 bytes Feature: 21,719,826,432 bytes Video Bitrate: 27.93 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
|
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
| Bitrate: |
|
|
| Bitrate: Blu-ray |
|
|
| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 1.0) |
DTS-HD
Master Audio English 1041 kbps
1.0 / 48 kHz / 1041 kbps /
24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB |
| Subtitles | English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, None | English, French, Spanish, none |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Warner Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details:
• Who's
Who (listing of characters) |
Release Information: Studio: Warner 1.78:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 22,598,919,488 bytes Feature: 21,719,826,432 bytes Video Bitrate: 27.93 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
Featurette:
Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters: 30 |
| Comments: |
NOTE: Comments on the
Blu-ray
are at the top of the review
(under the package photo.)
ON THE DVD: The Warner image is
surprisingly very strong - compounded by the fact that it is only
single-layered! I don't see excessive manipulation and the
picture quality is very
clean. Contrast and detail are well above average. No complaints at all
with the visual aspect of the DVD. NOTE: The title (lone) is in color -
bright red and blue - and the film was intended for both a color release
and in 3-D - but neither came to fruition.
Warner have coded this
for regions 1 thru 4 with subtitle options in Spanish, French,
Portuguese, Japanese or English. The audio is a clean original mono
track. Snapper-cased package is now available as a Keep Case and, although a little hard to navigate, I
LOVE the tabloid menu screens (see below).
Extras are more-or-less sparse with some text
screens, short outtakes and a fairly long trailer.
THEM! is one of
the most recognizable 'creature features' from the 50's. Certainly
quintessential in this, more innocent, vintage sci-fi genre which
continues to be a favorite of mine.
On a late Friday
night, crackle-up a big tub of popcorn with plenty of butter and double
feature pair
THEM!
with any of a host of seminal cold-war-drive-in specials available on
DVD (or Blu-ray for some) - like 20 Million Miles to Earth,
Tarantula,
The Deadly Mantis,
This Island Earth,
Earth vs. The Flying Saucers or
The Incredible Shrinking Man to name a few. Personally speaking
that is what I believe a home theatre is all about. NOTE: I continue to
reserve rainy Sunday afternoons for Harryhausen gems like
Jason and the Argonauts,
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad or
Mysterious Island (when is this one coming to Blu-ray?)
THEM! on DVD is whole-heartedly
recommended for helping keep alive the essence of cinema at one of its
most nostalgically innocent eras - also captured with pinpoint precision
by Joe Dante's Matinee from 1993.
|
DVD Menus
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
Screen Captures
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
|
1) Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC TOP 2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
 |
 |
| Box Covers |
Also offered, very reasonably with - The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms / Them! (Double Feature) (1953) at Amazon HERE (Thanks Hans!) |
|
| Distribution | Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC | Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
|
Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
Search DVDBeaver
|
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
|
Gary Tooze
|
|
Thank You!
