If you're a Ray Harryhausen fan you couldn't be more happy to see his films on Blu-ray. This boxed set offers four early movies. Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, It Came From Beneath The Sea, and 20 Million Miles To Earth give you the option of watching the films in black and white or restored color. Although I liked watching the colorized versions I still preferred the original black and white. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is in color only.Picture quality was a major step up from the dvd versions but we're talking about 50 year old movies so don't expect pristine transfers. What really jumps out at you are the remixed high definition soundtracks. They sounded amazing. You really get a feel for the sound when watching the Sinbad movies' beginning credits.
Extras are very good with some new documentaries. All in all it's definitely worth it if you're a Harryhausen fan. Even if you're not there's something magical watching the stop motion animation from the master of the science. These movies should start a new generation of fans. I can't wait for the rest of Ray's movies to be released on Blu-ray. Enjoy!
While it never makes the Top 10 list of 50's sci-fi flicks, I think it belongs there, alongside the original The War of the Worlds (Special Collector's Edition), Forbidden Planet [Blu-ray], and This Island Earth. There were other alien invasion films during the decade, but none deliver the goods like Earth vs. The Flying Saucers. And it's not just because of the master animator's incredible effects work. The story, though certainly dated, holds up well for what it is. A jaded viewer will spot the cliches: Studly scientist (Hugh Marlowe) in love with the General's daugher (Joan Taylor), a military that is actually competent and helpful, and so on. But to my mind, these are things to cherish about the film rather than being deficits.
To be fair to the whole box set, ALL the movies here are great in their own way. THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD is certainly the best of Harryhausen's trilogy of film featuring the adventure-loving sailor. 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH features one of his earliest beloved creatures, the Ymir, and uses Italian scenery to great effect (in an interview included on the disc, Harryhausen admits he chiefly accepted the job to get a free trip to Rome!). IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA is probably the least-known film, but holds its own against the onslaught of giant-creature flicks of the time.
OK, if you're a fan, you may know all of this already. So what about the Blu-ray discs, you say? I own all the films on DVD (including TWO previous releases of Earth vs. The Flying Saucers...hey, I told you upfront I love that movie!), including the Legend Films colorized versions of Earth and 20 Million Miles. And I can tell you that the improved resolution is noticeable but may NOT be enough for casual fans to upgrade. As someone else noted, these films are pretty old. And there's only so much you can do with them. If by chance you don't have the DVD's, then certainly you should go straight for the Blu-ray's. Note that each film has a wealth of supplemental materials, but these are all holdovers from the most recent DVD releases. So the only real reason to upgrade is if you already know you love these movies, and want to see them in the highest possible resolution.
Like I said, I'm a fan. So it was worth it to me. I've been watching these movies for almost 40 years, from staying up to watch "All Nite Movies" on a local channel, to currently enjoying them in true 1080p definition on a 52" HDTV. It's truly a movie-lovers dream come true. Now, we just need the rest of the Harryhausen catalog released.If you are a Classic Sci-Fi fan, this collection is a must! Having owned the DVD versions(which were also very good), these BR transfers are a tremendous upgrade in video and audio performance. The included colorized versions are also terrific! Along with nice packaging and a decent price, this a no brainer! Highly recommended!4 classic Harryhausen flicks: 'Earth vs. the Flying Saucers', 'It Came from Beneath the Sea', '7th Voyage of Sinbad' AND '20 Million Miles to Earth' what?! Sony should have included 'Mysterious Island' I'm sure fans like myself have already bought '20 Million Miles to Earth' (the inclusion of this still baffles me) I'm still purchasing this box set, but... Sony seems to have slipped a cog here.Well, I was certainly suprised to see a Blu-ray disc set of 4 Ray Harryhausen films. And what a set. If only more films were released like this we all would be happy little campers. 3 of the 4 films are in glorious black & white. The 4th one is in color. The 3 black & white films also come in a colorized version that fit the time period of these films. Watching the colorized version reminds me of watching the films back in the 70's on TV. While I usually can't stand colorization, the technique used for the 3 film seems to work. I also think that young children, and adults well over 30 years old will be the only ones who really enjoy this box set. If you grew up watching these films on TV, then you must get them. Sometimes there is something to be said for nostalgia.
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