Ray Harryhausen Collectible DVD Gift Set (Earth vs. The
Flying Saucers/It Came From Beneath
The Sea/20 Million Miles To Earth)
+ Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (Sony
DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: A+ Films: A
Sometimes
an exciting re-release gives us a chance to revisit classic films we've already
explored here at FulvueDrive-In.com, and the release of the Ray Harryhausen Collectible DVD Gift Set
provides us an excellent opportunity to once again highlight three wonderful
films brought to life by one of Hollywood's special effects pioneers. The three films included in this box are Earth vs. the Flying
Saucers, It Came From Beneath the
Sea, and 20
Million Miles to Earth. If you
follow the following links, you'll see our previous coverage on these amazing
films:
Earth vs. The Flying Saucers/It Came From Beneath The Sea
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6546/Earth+Vs.+The+Flying+Saucers/It
20 Million Miles To Earth
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5766/20+Million+Miles+To+Earth
Blu-ray editions of all four films
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7654/Ray+Harryhausen+Collection+(Sony
This
boxed set packages these previously released classics with an amazing cold-cast
statue of Ymir, the creature from 20
Million Miles to Earth. This
incredible collector's piece stands over seven inches tall and looks amazing
beside the computer or in a glass case.
Fans who missed the digitally re-mastered versions of these films when they
were first released singly might find it interesting to know that each film is
presented in its original black and white, and in a newly colorized version. Fans of colorization will appreciate the time
and care taken with these films, but one cannot deny that they are still best
enjoyed in their original black and white formats.
Overall the set will make an amazing holiday gift for anyone who loves the
fantasy and fiction genres, and appreciates Mr. Harryhausen's unique role in
shaping them.
Another recent Harryhausen release is The
7th Voyage of Sinbad. This was the
first of Harryhausen's three Sinbad films (the other two being The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger). This version of Sinbad (played by the
painfully Caucasian Kerwin Matthews) battles some of Harryhausen's most
enduring Dynamation monsters. The horned
Cyclops, giant roc, and even a fire-breathing dragon all menace Sinbad and his
crew. In a precursor to his more
ambitious fight scene in Jason and the
Argonauts, special effects wizard Harryhausen conjures a single animated
skeleton to battle Sinbad. In Argonauts, he would test himself to a
greater degree by having Jason battle a half-dozen of the amazing animated
creatures.
Processed in gorgeous Technicolor, 7th
Voyage also features Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono sound that delivers every
creature's cry with gut-wrenching audio clarity. The film also features a bevy of extras
including audio commentaries, interviews with Mr. Harryhausen, photo galleries,
several documentary features, and much more. As one might expect from the oldest of the
three Sinbad films, 7th Voyage is a
bit more rooted in classic Hollywood than its two sister movies. This disc would make an excellent introduction
for anyone new to the work of Mr. Harryhausen, or to the swashbuckling sub-genre
of fantasy that Sinbad inhabits.
- Scott R. Pyle
