Customer Reviews

The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen: Legendary Science Fiction Series (It Came from Beneath the Sea / Earth vs. the Flying Saucers / 20 Million Miles to Earth / Mysterious Island / H.G. Wells' First Men in the Moon)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

These films,were in fact filmed in either 1,85 or 1,66,both Widescreen for the cinemas.
Being a Projectionist working in the 50's I can vouch that these films were all presented in Widescreen.
So as one reviewer puts it,these are not fake Widescreen'but are being presented as they were originally filmed.
Had to clear that up.

I have every Ray Harryhausen film on VHS...now I am near completion of the DVD versions. Here is a man who did not
need computer graphics to achieve his incredible goals of
excellent special effects. He was able to entwine fact and fiction in scenes you have to see many times to appreciate
the pain staking stop motion (I've read 8 hours for just a few moments on film)that is presented. This SCI FI set is a very good indication of his genius. The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms was his first screen credit. The last known film I have is Clash of the Titans. If you want to enjoy old movies that deliver great
special effect punch...get The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen
They are a credit to his profession.

I saw these films on those rainy Saturday afternoon movie presentations on tv during the 60's & 70's when I was growing up on a farm in central Texas. I liked em then and I still like em in spite of all the cgi efx we now enjoy on film. There was something special about these movies that you just have to experience to appreciate. Like OZ and King Kong- the old efx are sometimes the best.

Although I am a fan of all the films in this collection, and the quality of reproduction is good, I wound-up trading away three of these five films in anger! "It Came from Beneath the Sea", "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers," and "Mysterious Island" (none of which were originally filmed in a widescreen process) are all presented in a FAKE "widescreen" which does nothing more than essentially cut-off the tops and bottoms of the films as originally presented. Thus--watching them is like watching the originals through a mail-slot! As a purist, I consider this to be sacrilege, and my purchase of this collection essentially a complete waste of money! (Fortunately--though wearing out--I still have my VHS copies of these films, which are much closer to the original film ratio.)

Anyone who buys this particular collection and can't believe that three of the films are in B&W cannot possibly consider themselves Harryhausen fans when its clear that colorized versions are available seperately in single form, and the two originally shown in color are included as is. Besides, I prefer the original forms much like I choose to watch Beast from 20,000 Fathoms in original B&W only. I do not need to see another greenish monster. So, I am getting this set with no preconcieved ideas that these are digital colorized enhanced remasters, but the original films that made Harryhausen great!

Growing up I lived for these types of movies. I was lucky enough to get to see Harryhausen's Jason and the Argonauts, 7'th Voyage of Sinbad and Golden Voyage of Sinbad on the big screen and was transfixed. I saw all the movies in this set on t.v. but it is wonderful to have them uncut and widescreen here. They look just as great as when they were first released and are still as much fun. My personal faves are It Came from Beneath the Sea (who cares if the octopus is missing a few tentacles?), 20 Million Miles to Earth and Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers. The keep case is terrific as well. A definite must for fans of classic stop-motion.

These films are great examples of stop motion art. It is incredible that there are some people who dare to say that they are not good because they are in black and white. Come on, the only thing you are showing is your very very poor knowledge of cinema and your poor development of esthetic appreciation.

In the mid-'50s, Columbia released a trio of nifty black-and-white "monster" movies: It Came from Beneath the Sea, Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers and 20 Million Miles to Earth. Aimed squarely at the youth market, each of these films run less than an hour and a half, and are brave and spunky as they feature a human race that always survives and is better as a result of the battles with the monsters. Most importantly, each has spectacular special effects by the master, Ray Harryhausen. In the years before computer-generated graphics, monsters were either created by very sophisticated cartoons, or, in the case of Harryhausen, a technique called "stop action," in which models would be shot a frame at a time; natural movement was suggested by moving the figures slowly, frame by frame. This was time-consuming, painstaking arduous, and for non-fans, pretty cheesy. But the cheesiness is, in a way, more than half the fun. Populated by such grade B through Z performers as Hugh Marlowe, Faith Domergue and William Hopper, these movies are a comfy as a pair of old slippers and a well-worn robe. These quick morality tales are a hoot and holler; a campy, yet and faintly embarrassing, art form that demands the cliché "so bad that they're good."

The name says it all! It is hard to pick a favorite out of these five DVD'S!!! For the time, without CGI, it was diffuclt to shoot these films. Monsters coming from space. Monsters coming from the under the sea floor. Flying Saucers attacking Earth. 20 Million Miles to Earth. The displays of the creatures of Mysterious Island. H.G. Wells' First Men in the Moon, I saw this in a theater in Nashville,TN.
I highly reccomend this set for Sci-Fi Fans & B-Movie Fans alike!

These are the films that you loved as you were growing up. They are just as good now 50+ years later.