Customer Reviews

The Beast (Two-Disc Special Extended Version)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Wow, waited a long time for this one, and finally it is here. This is the complete unedited Mini-Series that was first broadcast on NBC. Time to get rid of the short VHS and previous DVD releases as this one is the real deal. If you bought the first DVD release I'm sure you found out it was severely edited, missing about 64 previous minutes from the original mini-series. Rejoice it is all restored here in a very nice package for a very good price. This is one of the classic rubber monster flicks of the late 1990's and is terrific fun to watch, just buy it.

This release is not an official version by Universal, but under licence to a company that release rare titles called TIMELESS MEDIA GROUP. Originally they released the edit version of this 2 part mini-series of the `The Beast' . Now here is the uncut version.

Universal originally released the 2 Disc Laserdisc (2hrs 56mins Complete 2 part mini-series Uncut version) commercially in the US in 1996.

What I like about this production are the unique cast, the familiar faces; Look out for two former Australian's Soap `Home & Away' stars Les Hill and Andrew Hill (The two young divers). The drama in between especially the relationships and the blend of mild terror of the deep make this production enjoyable. The special effects are pretty impressive. The giant squid, I thought was really realistic and terrifying especially when it opens it's beak.

This was a made for TV Drama based on the book by Peter Benchley.
It was first shown on TV, Christmas 1996 here in the UK over two nights.

Now for the 2 DVD Discs itself. Firstly this was digitally recorded, both picture and stereo sound. I have the uncut version on Laserdisc released by Universal back in 1996, and as far as I can see no scenes are missing in this 2008 release. It is UNCUT. In comparison the picture quality is better than the laserdisc and is DVD quality. The original broadcast of `The Beast' was in stereo as well as the video (Edit) and Laserdiscs releases. For some reason this 2 Disc set has a mono-mix sound. Why?? If you are not bothered about the sound, this is still and enjoyable watch considering the low cost of this DVD set. It has a good menu system on both discs, but is bare bones, with no extras whatsoever. The DVD cover is quite nice, though the back cover is similar to the earlier edit version DVD release. It also come in an outer cardboard sleeve.

Fans and people who like this TV production have been waiting for this uncut version to surface on DVD for a long time and will no doubt welcome this release.

Perhaps Universal or this `TIMELESS MEDIA GROUP' may release the original stereo version with extras on the discs in the future. But it is great to see this fantastic TV mini-series on DVD.

I really loved this movie in its original TV mini series form which was played in two days when it was first shown on TV. This dvd shows that is it 120 mins, which means it is the direct transfer from the vhs version and has some really good scenes cut out of it. Like when William Petersen's character Whip Dalton gets drunk. They also cut out most of the relationship between Whip Dalton and Lt. Kathryn Marcus played by Karen Sillas which added to the story to make it well rounded. Thus, my rating of 3 stars instead of 5 stars. It is more choppy and you can see something is missing from the story.

**** To Those who distrabute and own the rights to the movie please release the UNCUT version for those of us who enjoy a well rounded story. ****

Thank you. I hope this review helps.

I bought this DVD with thoughts of receiving a full uncut version of the original movie and was very disappointed to get a movie that was cut. I didn't think they would have downsized it as all my other movie purchases were completely intact. DO NOT BUY this version if you were expecting the entire movie. I wished I would have known it before I purchased it.

Be sure to understand that many of the reviews are critical only of the edited version. Amazon unfortunately put all the reviews at both DVD locations. My review is for the two disc uncut version. Most reviewers will tell you this is a good movie based on a Peter Benchly book and to buy the extended version. William Petersen, Karen Silas, Missy Crider, along with the rest the cast do a fine job and the production values are pretty good. This may not be as exciting as Jaws, but at a slower pace it will draw you in and keep you on the edge of your seat. I give it three and a half stars since it definitely beats out Creature and Eye of the Beast or the sequels after Jaws II. Good quality two disc set with extras with plenty of replayability. If you enjoyed this, catch Jaws (30th Anniversary Edition).

CA Luster

To be frank, I've been waiting years for 'The Beast' to be released in its entirety on DVD. We've seen condensed released before, yes. This. however, is nothing like the releases seen before. It releases the mini-series on two discs, Parts I and II appropriately, as it was initially aired. Some of the creature effects may be a touch cheesy at times (the tentacles whipping aimlessly across the Seafox comes to mind), but at other times it is horrifyingly convincing.

In my mind, the creature effects team did a staggering job bringing Architeuthis dux to terrifyingly convincing life. In particular, the juvenile A.dux was rendered with an obvious eye to biological realism. Perhaps the proportions are thrown into ranges we've never confirmed for this species, but with that in mind, we have no measure of the exact size for this species being that man is incapable of probing the ocean depths wholly. Steve Alten addresses this well in his novel "Primal Waters" when he deems man the master of all earth's domains but one - the deepest regions of the ocean, which remains as alien to us, in many ways, as the far reaches of space.

Also, for those unfamiliar with marine life, one shouldn't be too quick to denigrate the behavioral interpretation of A.dux in this mini-series. It hearkens well to Benchley's novel, which was based on the premise questioning "what if the giant squid were simply a much larger equivalent to the Humboldt squid," which as many who are familiar with the species know, are often thought to be more vicious than sharks when caught, cornered, or for that matter, hunting. The voracity of the Humboldt is what inspired this take on the Giant Squid, and is what led literary critics to originally deem the creature in the book as making "the shark in jaws look like a goldfish." The squid's intelligence, viciousness, and perhaps even vengefulness are rendered well in the mini-series, as one watches the billowing mantle soar across screen with the massive tentacles and whips snaking behind (again, immense credit to the creature effects team for making the animal so convincing). All together, the story is solid, the effects for a mid-90s mini-series are good, the creature (again) magnificent, and the acting excellent (with the GLARING exception of the soap-opera-like daughter of Whip Dalton and her peers). For fans of Benchley or creature films, I can't recommend this highly enough.

MGM did a great job on "Creature" which I just purchased. I will wait and buy "Beast" when a decent production is released on DVD. This won't see any of my dollars.

The Beast is a fun movie. It has a great monster movie story line and plenty of action. William Petersen is amazing as always and brings a great quality to the role of Whip Dalton. His performance is the shining star of the film. I waited a long time for the full, extended release to come out on DVD, but it was well worth the wait.

Basically they took the standard-def master from the 2-DVD set and put it on a Blu-Ray disc. THIS IS NOT IN HIGH DEF! It's the same as the DVD, same quality transfer and sound. If you don't own the DVD it's not a terrible buy at $10, and at least you don't have to change the discs out, but it's not in HD.

I first saw this film on the sci-fi channel and i was pleasentley suprised with the content. and now that there is a three hour extended version i could not be happier. a immidiate pre-order.