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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
3 stars ... and an asterisk, December 13, 1999
This review is from: The Giant Gila Monster / The Killer Shrews (DVD)
I give this DVD release three stars, but I need to explain its positive and negative points for you to understand it (hence the asterisk). The good points: 1. The price is unbeatable. 2. You get TWO movies for that price. 3. The movies REALLY aren't all that bad. Ignore for a moment the mediocre acting, the corniness and the poor special effects, and THE KILLER SHREWS has at its heart a terrifying siege while THE GIANT GILA MONSTER has some genuinely well-drawn characters and a surprisingly decent script. The bad points: 1. Yes, the transfer is sub-par. A lot of pixelation, especially during bright flashes in darkness (like the lightning strikes during the hurricane in THE KILLER SHREWS). 2. Two chapter stops per film, and one of each is the beginning. 3. Few 'extras' per se, but some interesting trivia bits on difficult-to-read text screens. Now that you know all that, take into consideration the fact that most VHS copies are recorded in EP, and this DVD (despite its below-average quality) is miles ahead of those VHS tapes... and the price is probably better, too. So, overall, I think it's worth it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Consider Gila Monster a free extra, January 25, 2001
This review is from: The Giant Gila Monster / The Killer Shrews (DVD)
I bought this DVD specifically for "The Killer Shrews". If you like Ed Wood, this movie should appeal to you. The Shrews are a low budget special affect-but the story still works. This is the only role I've seen Ken Curtis in, other than Festus on Gunsmoke. In a way, this movie is a precursor to "Night of the Living Dead"-a group of people are isolated at a house surrounded by killer shrews instead of Zombies--and being on an Island, they need to find a way to escape to the safety of a boat. The first copy I purchased of this DVD was defective, but the replacement I received plays fine. I would recommend the version with a red cover showing a gila monsters claw picking up a jalopy ---I tried the other version on 3 different DVD players, and was unable to play it successfully on any of them. "The Giant Gila Monster" is ok-but I wouldn't have purchased this DVD just for that movie--it's not all that interesting.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Terrible quality, January 20, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Giant Gila Monster / The Killer Shrews (DVD)
Out of the many, many DVDs in my collection, this one I can honestly say is the worst in technical quality I have ever seen. To begin, my high-end player was unable to understand the pitiful menu, rendering it utterly useless. Not that you really need it. There are really only 2 chapter stops per film. Did they actually think we would forget this? Also, I was unable to access the "bonus" features other than Diamond's promotional screen (like I will ever buy another disc from them again!) Want to skip ahead to your favorite scenes? Good luck! My player stopped the disc when I tried to navigate through one of the chapters! Whew! Also, there were a lot of annoying pauses all throughout GILA MONSTER. Never have I placed such an inept disc in my player. After this experience, I probably never will again...unless I want a headache! Why does this disc get one star? Well, if for no other reason than the fact you are getting these two wonderfully campy films on one disc. I just wished the geniuses who authored this disc had put for a little more effort. In this case, you certainly GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
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