Customer Reviews

The Classic Sci-fi Ultimate Collection (Tarantula / The Mole People / The Incredible Shrinking Man / The Monolith Monsters / Monster on the Campus)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been searching for each of these films individually for years, and to have them all at once is quite overwhelming. They are schlocky and tacky with bad acting...everything I expect from the genre, and I love it all. Love 'em or hate 'em, the video transfer of each film is crystal clear, and every aficianado of the 50's horror genre must have this in the collection. If you like this stuff, rejoice. If you don't, stay away, and don't criticize me because I do!

This marvelous set of cheesy and classic sci-fi/horror films is a great one stop shop for fans of 50's monster movies. The best film here is "The Incredible Shrinking Man" based on Richard Matheson's novel. With a screenplay by Matheson (that was revised with a rewritten script by Richard Alan Simmons a writer for "Columbo" that changed the ending and that until recently Matheson hated). Is this set worth getting just for that film? Heck yeah. The transfer looks extremely good, with a crisp, sharp picture. We get the original theatrical trailer as well (which was narrated by Orson Welles). "TISM" is in its original widescreen format.

The other films vary from good to cheesy fun. "Tarantula" is one of the better giant insects on the loose movies (it followed in the wake of the classic "Them!"). "The Monolith Monsters" is also quite good and was based on a story that Jack Arnold ("The Incredible Shrinking Man") came up with. He didn't direct it as he had already left the studio but it's got solid performances all around and some imaginative touches. It's probably the third best sci-fi film (outside of "Shrinking Man" and "It Came From Outer Space" which has been released to DVD but not in its original 3-D incarnation)to come from Universal during the 50's.

"Monster on the Campus" and "The Mole People" are two entertaining bits of schlock. The former featuring John Agar (also in "Tarantula)and the latter featuring Arthur Franz (best known for "The Atomic Submarine" and "Invaders from Mars" as well as his numerous TV appearences). Both look quite good and are presented in their full screen presentation which, if I'm not mistaken, is the way they originally were released. We get theatrical trailers for the films as well.

The only thing that's missing is a critical appreciation for "Shrinking Man". It would have been nice to have a commentary track from Richard Matheson or a film historian. The same could be said for the better flicks here but for the price it's hard to argue.

I was flabbergasted to see that this set included one of the greatest Scifi films of all time: THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN!! All these films are entertaining, including the MOLE PEOPLE (which starred the actor who played Beaver Cleaver's father) and the others. However, the clincher is THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, one of the most profound and powerful scifi films ever made (it does NOT have a happy ending, however profound it may be in the "cosmic sense"). Just go out and buy this one. Its worth every penny!!!

Great set this - but the people selling this secondhand are just trying to rip you off! This set is being reissued in May (and it's packaged with all the films from Volume 2). So don't pay over a hundred dollars here - wait a couple months and buy BOTH sets for $30 or so.

For whatever reason, the only place to purchase this is at Best Buy, which must have made a deal with Universal to be the exclusive seller. Private Amazon sellers are apparently trying to cash in on this fact by buying these collections from Best Buy and then selling them for ten bucks or more than the sale price on Amazon.

With that said, five of Universal's science fiction classics are finally available on DVD. The transfers to DVD are outstanding. These films never looked better. All of the films are full screen with the exception of "The Incredible Shrinking Man," which is in anamorphic widescreen 16x9 format. It looks great when played in a progressive scan DVD player on a HD television. The other films look great, too, only they're in full screen format. It's hard to say which of these films I like better. For anyone who grew up in the 1970s, these films will bring back a lot of memories.

The reason for not giving the collection five stars is because Universal didn't go through the trouble of adding chapter selections. One could skip through scenes on each film, but there's no actual chapter selection section. The only extras are trailers for each film.

The transfers of the 5 movies found here are worth every penny! We grew up watching these on Philadelphia's channel 17 with show host Dr. Shock and the Creature Double Features back in the mid 70's. The pictures were always so dark and grainy, WELL NOT ANYMORE FOLKS! Universal has done an Amazing job on the picture clean-up and sound restoration! Bright and crystal clear along with wonderful sound! Also a very nice fold out DVD holder! The theatrical trailers were transferred in their original release condition which will allow you to compare how good of a job was done on the restoring of the movies to DVD! Don't wait to long in purchasing your set at a cheap price, they have already disappeared off of store shelves in our area!

Had I not been rummaging through obscure Amazon.com DVD releases I would have never known about this set unless I stumbled upon it in Best Buy one day. That is if it was still in stock. Why Universal made this a "Best Buy Exclusive only" I don't know. The other reviews were extremely helpful in pointing that out. These five b&w 50's gems may not be "classics" exactly but they are relics of a blissful bygone era when monster movies were fun. And 50's sci-fi vet Jack ("Creature from the Black Lagoon") Arnold directed three of them. I am delighted with this purchase. The prints are great as others have said but also the selection of films are above par. They're not the shlocky ultra-cheap flicks that were also making the rounds in the 50's but the reasonably intelligent better-than-average ones. Universal has done a good job here. I'm hoping for a Volume 2 of these goodies. Enjoy.

This set is fantastic. Some others are carping about the "treatment" of these movies, but I think the treatment is just fine.

I've now watched all five movies. The print quality is unbelievably good for such old (50+ years) B-grade, SF films that were considered quite disposable at the time. Sound quality is also excellent. Only Shrinking Man is widescreen; the others are fullscreen. Sure it would've been better to have them all widescreen. It would've been great if they were free too, or all came with a Rolls Royce.

My ratings for the movies:

INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN: 5 STARS. Other reviewers have written extensively about this masterpiece. This is not just a great 1950s movie, or a great SF movie; it's a great movie, period. There isn't a shot out of place or a poorly-written scene. Tons of perfect details go into it. (Check out the shrinking man's clothes as he is reduced to child-size; he starts wearing kid's clothes, including sneakers.) The scene with the spider is of course nerve-wracking, but the scene I'd forgotten about was the one with the mouse trap (man trap?). Nail biting...and ultimately, heartbreaking. If you've never seen it, get this collection for this movie alone.

MONOLITH MONSTERS: 4 STARS. A little slow, but the unique nature of the menace gets big points from me. A meteor lands in the desert, and starts growing upon contact with water. Human beings who touch it are turned into stone. Very creepy scenes involving a little girl, and surprisingly good effects. How scary can big crystals be, you ask? Well, pretty creepy actually. This one really benefits from a clear soundtrack as the overgrown rocks tumble and shatter only to regrow. A pleasant surprise.

THE MOLE PEOPLE: 4 STARS. Another pleasant surprise. John Agar, who I adore, goes underground with another heroic American (yay!) and craven Frenchman (boo!) and discovers an underground civilization. Or two. At times it feels a lot like a lost episode of Star Trek, but some money and thought went into the sets and costunes, and Agar plays the silliness with gusto, as he always did. I'd never seen this before and found it better than I had expected.

TARANTULA: 4 STARS. I must admit, this was SLIGHTLY disappointing for me. I remember this from 1970s Saturday afternoon TV, and it wasn't as good as I remembered. Still very fun, with John Agar again and a lab fill with overgrown creepies, one of which is the big spider who goes galloping off thruogh the desert. But as far as actual mayhem goes, there's relatively little. It DOES have that scene where the guys are trying to get the car started, as the tarantula comes closer...and closer...and closer...

MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS: 3 AND A HALF STARS. The weakest of the bunch, admittedly, but this is still a fun ride. Anything with a giant dragonfly and monster-inducing coelocanth is okay by me. Basically a retelling of the Jeckyll and Hyde story with a "modern" scientific veneer, it's unintentially funny in spots and in others, surprisingly, still pretty effective. (An early death is quite chilling.) There are also cringe-inducing exchanges of dialogue: DONALD: "Do you know anything about paleontology?" MOLLY: "I know very attractive men study it." Uggghhh!

So all in all, a fantastic collection, great quality, and a terrific price. You can watch a different movie every night for 5 nights. What's not to love? 5+ stars for the overall quality of the set brings up an overall 5-star rating.

This is one of the best Sci-Fi sets I have ever seen! Five classic movies that I was waiting to see released on DVD and suddenly I got them all in one amazing collection!
Now a second set is coming with five more classics from the Atomic Age! First is THE DEADLY MANTIS featuring special effects by Willis (KING KONG) O'Brien. Second is LAND UNKNOWN which features Jock Mahoney in a journey to a lost world beneath the Artic ice. Third is CULT OF THE COBRA, the story of a group of GI's whoe are cursed after they are caught sneaking into a private, oriental ceremony. Marshal Thompson and Faith Domergue star. The fourth is THE LEECH WOMAN featuring Gloria (I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE) Talbot and Grant (THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN) Williams. This is an entertaining flick with one major drawback, Gloria Talbot gets croaked by the Leech Lady! Oh, boy, you're gonna get your woman! The fifth is DR. CYCLOPS which stars Albert Decker as a looney scientist who shrinks a handful of people and then cruely dominates them until...well, it isn't hard to figure out what the little folks have got on their minds!
This set sounds like another winner, though it's not as impressive as the first one. Still, this set adds five more titles to my collection that I have been waiting for.
Now, how about the remaining flicks on my want list. I wanted to put up a list on Amazon but they won't let me list items that they don't have for sale so I thought I'd list them in this review. Here goes:
ONE MILLION B. C. (Thirties Caveman classic with Victor Mature)
WHEN DINOISAURS RULED THE EARTH (Jim Danforth animation & Victori Vetri)
CALTIKI, THE IMMORTAL MONSTER (Lighting/ Mario Bava & a BLOB-like monster)
GOG (Sci-Fi gem from Ivan Tors which stars Richard Egan)
WORLD WITHOUT END (Excellent movie with Rod Taylor & Hugh Marlow)
IT CONQUERORED THE WORLD(Corman classic with Peter Graves & Lee Van Cleef)
COSMIC MONSTERS (stars Forrest Tucker & a lotta giant insects)
THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN (A Burt I. Gordon classic that belongs on DVD!)
THE CYCLOPS (Unofficial sequel to the Colossal Man flicks/ Gloria Talbot)
I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF (Herman Cohen classic with Michael Landon)
I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN (Another Cohen Classic starring Gary Conway)
INVASION OF THE SAUCER-MEN (What's keepin' this one from DVD!?!)
HAND OF DOOM (A wacky but fun John Agar romp!)
FROM HELL IT CAME (Where's the killer tree when ya need him? Not on DVD!)
MONSTER FROM PIEDRAS BLANCAS(A Creature wanna-be who carries human heads!)
THE UNDEAD (Another Roger Corman classic featuring Allison Hayes)
NOT OF THIS EARTH(Another Corman classic with Paul Birch& Beverly Garland)
AROUND THE WORLD UNDER THE SEA(Adventure w/ Lloyd Bridges & Shirley Eaton)
BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN (T. Rex, Guy Madison & Patricia Medina)
DAMNATION ALLEY (Another Adventure Sci-Fi that should be on DVD!)
THE THING THAT COULDN'T DIE (Good but weird fifties horror movie)
COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK (A strange little "giant robot" movie)
BRAIN EATERS (a dark, documentary style sci-fi movie)
HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS (Lee, Cushing, Price, & Carradine!!!)
Here's two more that I've never seen but I will if they come out on DVD!
MAGNETIC MONSTERS ( I think it's another Ivan Tors Production)
CURUCU, BEAST OF THE AMAZON (Beverly Garland and, I think John Bromfield)
C'mon Universal, MGM, Warner Bros. and the rest. Let's get these movies out on DVD as soon as possible! How 'bout it?

Two or three of these movies are truly classics, and overall the collection is worth every bit of the fifteen or twenty dollars it originally sold for.

Unfortunately, every time a DVD goes 'out of print' for a few months, slime-ball scalpers show up on Amazon trying to sell it at five or ten times it's original price.

Take a lesson from the "This Island Earth" DVD, that I can remember seeing scalped for 180 dollars or more when it went out of production a few years back, but which is now 'back in print' and available on Amazon everyday for less than 12 dollars.

So I will be looking forward to seeing this DVD collection back in production, both so I can buy another set (I gave the original away as a Christmas present for a friend), and so I can have the satisfaction of watching all the greedy scalpers who were holding out for that big payoff see the value of their stock drop to next to nothing (Gee, maybe if you had been willing to accept only a 300% markup you might have sold at a nice profit, but now, toooo bad!!!)

I can highly recommend this set, but NOT at scalper prices. My advise is to just wait until the set is available again through Amazon at the normal price. This set will probably be back, and if not the individual movies are bound to be released again (perhaps this time with extras).