5 comments about Frankenstein (75th Anniversary Edition) (Universal Legacy Series).

1. Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931)
   
   The first is still the beat in the case of the many film adaptations of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus. James Whale's 1931 classic has it all: a fantastic script, top-notch effects for its day, atmosphere in spades, a superlative stable of acting talent, and a director who was willing to take some risks. The result was a blockbuster, pulling in twelve million during the Depression (on a budget of less than $300,000, no less), and a film that has stood the test of time admirably.
   
   What is there to say that hasn't already been said? Seventy-six years after the film's initial release, thankfully restored (as much as possible) to the original state it was in despite the work of film censors in 1938, it's just as good as it was back in the day. Why? Because it's not just a horror film. There's a lot more going on here, and Whale coaxed every subtext out of the material he could. The idea that the monster could be the tragic hero, which became so prevalent in monster movies soon after, was adopted and nurtured by Whale and screenwriter Peggy Webling (one assumes that most adapters of the time would go with a straight good guy/bad guy approach), and it's done with flair. There are very few humans of any merit to be found here, and those who have any seem to come to bad ends relatively quickly (inadvertently, as in the film's most famous scene, or no); we're left with nothing but Boris Karloff and his neck electrodes to latch onto. And we do. Still wonderful after all these years. ****



2. This is the first universal Frankenstein movie released in 1931 and was directed by James Whale, the movie is a horror classic while not scary it still is a gothic horror masterpiece. Borris Karloff does a great job of portraying the monster even though it does look cliched cause of the constant parodies and cartoons you have to realise that this film was the first to have the monster appear this way with the electrical bolts on his neck.
   
   The monster while being a vicious creature also has a more kinder and gentler side to him but as soon as he sees other people's reaction to him he acts violently. Frankenstein is not as accurate as the book by Mary Shelly but it could be argued that it improves on the idea, some moments were left and some parts were changed like how Frankenstein's assistant Igor (he's called Fritz in this film) played by Dwight Frye seemed more evil and is shown to be tormenting the monster until he finally breaks free.
   
   Colin Clive brilliantly plays Dr. Henry Frankenstein and his lines were great and memorable especially when he starts screaming "IT'S ALIIIIIVE!!!". The film also has fantastic sets and the acting was quite good O.K. some of it was a bit laughable and over the top but then again what do you expect from a film done in the 30's?. Overall I would say that Frankenstein is a classic that should be watched by all horror fans, enjoy.........



3. Classic story of the mad scientist and the monster that stole his last name.
   Bela Lugosi turned this role down because it contained no lines. Lucky for Karloff, who beautifully conveyed the part with an engaging sensitivity while maintaining an ultimate level of mystery. The creature's silence only adds to the horror of what man is capable of.
   The two scenes forever emblazoned in the annals of monster movies--the "It's alive!" and the girl by the lake--are unequaled. They truly stand out as the essence of classic spook cinema.
   The most famous horror film of all time. A must see.



4. Frankenstein
   
   
   I picked up Frankenstein 75th Anniversary edition and watched it avidly. Here we have the complete film. I did not know until recently that the film was edited and had remained edited for many years. When the Doctor cries out that he knows what it feels like to be God, the Christians cut that out. And the scene when the Monster throws the girl in the lake, that was cut out as too ghastly. "Saw" is worse but I digress.
   
   I don't want to criticize an icon of the film industry, but how did the villager know that his girl was murdered? They don't actually show him discovering the body and as far as I can see, the Monster threw her in without any damage.
   
   Keeping the Monster mute was a great idea, as you got the concept of savagery and brutality in him - cold and calculating from the criminal brain that was stolen by Fritz. Why is it that the label on the jar clearly said "criminal brain", yet the Doctor did not read the label??
   
   Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein parodies this film which is also recommended (Mel mixed Bride of Frankenstein in there, too, but I digress). Young Frankenstein
   
   This is a two DVD set. The one with the specials is almost identical to the Dracula 75th anniversary edition, except there is a great collage of the Frankenstein film with posters and stills.
   
   Hey, well worth the cost to pick this up. Even David J. Skal was good in his historic perspective in The Frankenstein Files. A short film made by Carle Lemmle himself called `Boo" makes fun of his own creation.
   
   A complete synopsis of all Karloff and Lugosi films is also mixed in.
   
   Suggest:
   
   Frankenstein - The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / Bride of / Son of / Ghost of / House of)
   The Bela Lugosi Collection (Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Black Cat / The Raven / The Invisible Ray / Black Friday)



5. i mean come on now, this is the second set that has arrived fallen apart,,,the book edition, in this and Dracula were unglued!Wow, i mean if it isn't the fiasco of the loose flippers in the Legacy set , its this mess.Karloff and Lugosi deserve better than the treatment they get from Universal, who seem only interested in making a quick buck!Universal sucks so bad it isn't even funny, the only reason i buy these is to show my loyalty to Karloff and Lugosi and the like and to honor them, not Universal dvds, what utter and complete garbage they produce!

5 comments about The X-Files: The Complete Collector's Edition.

1. This box set is very well put together. Everything from the beautiful packaging to the easy to sort through seasons. The flip top cover magnetically locks in place and hides a small drawer at the bottom of the box containing the paperwork extras like the movie poster, mini comic book and episode guide book.
   
   Although I felt like they should have included the brief Lone Gunmen series to make it truly the "complete collector's edition." Of course with the new movie it should be the nearly complete collectors edition. Maybe the new movie will fit in the drawer?
   
   My only real compliant on the packaging is it is a bit too tall for some DVD storage shelves. I ended up having to put mine on a book shelf.



2. During its run on TV, I was recommended by a friend to watch it...unfortunately I watched the scariest episode with the in-breed family and the terror the episode caused me with associated nightmares(even though I knew it was only a tv show), made me not watch another episode. Anyway, now that I am out of graduate school and have had time to watch shows, reruns in particular, I have found that the X-Files is one classy show and that the episode mentioned above was a rarity (thank God for it still scares me). I purchased this set after watching about a season of reruns for I knew it appealed to my sci-fi and action escapism needs. I am sooooo happy with this set and its associated items, especially the listing of shows which has helped me find my favorites fast. I watched the entire set in about a week or so - religiously obviously! And now with the new movie out, I am about to rewatch the series again. Even with the DVD set, I still catch episodes on SciFi or TNT channels when I can. Too much fun. This set is appealing in every way and for those that enjoy this genre, it is a purchase that highly recommended by me and many others. Definitely a classic show that will last many decades to come.



3. This is a must have for any X-phile. If your heart is telling you to buy it, do it. All nine seasons and the movie. And every featurette you could hope for. It's all here. If you have a craving for any episode, and time of the day, you've got it. What could be better than that?
   
   What they say about the box is true - it was broken when it was delivered. But that wasn't Amazon's fault. The DVDs are just too heavy for the box to hold. I just ripped out the inner pannel and it works fine now.
   
   It's a bit pricey. But if you love this show... and if you do, you know what I mean... you'll want to own it. It beats all my old VHS tapes.



4. The X Files Collection is a worthy hobby and next to Star Trek is certainly one of largest of the television series DVD collections, running an extra two seasons longer than the maximum seven season Star Trek series. Although The X Files is not the longest running television media franchise, it can boast being one of the longest running SF series airing for nine seasons between 1993 and 2002. At around 1100 minutes per box, you are looking at approx. 9 boxes with 165 hours of viewing. That is nearly 1 full week of non-stop X Files. Very few DVD series can come even remotely close to that. Get going collecting right now and you could build up the series collection in no time. By the end you will have a television paranormal anthology that defines the word awe. This is the kind of item that requires 1 hour a day of your time over the course of a year. The X Files creator Chris Carter nails a powerful television series premise, setting up a fringe paranormal bureau of investigation that is at odds with its own department, the government, the military and just about everyone else, with the immortal tagline "The truth is out there". Fox "Spooky" Mulder (David Duchovny) is the workaholic basement-dwelling good-looking nerd with a heart of gold and a mind for the criminal macabre, all things supernatural and who runs the X Files department. He is teamed with Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), the rational doctor turned FBI agent who is asked to write reports on the X Files cases by her cynical boss. Most episodes play along with the theme of Mulder witnessing a paranormal event while Dana gradually arrives on the scene only after it is over, missing it all, or discovering something odd at best. This kind of regular plot occurrence bonds the characters and is what makes The X Files so enjoyable. The inside DVD case is nothing special and even has some failings with some editions coming with a seventh bonus disc that is just sitting in a slot in a piece of card and falls out easily, bouncing around the box. However not all boxes have this bonus seventh disc item. The more important six discs with episodes are firmly in place in a plastic flip case inside a thick season box that slides into a wider cardboard presentation holder for the shelf and looks quite good. Although the inside is slightly flimsy, these DVDs are presented on the cheap and so economically The X Files seasons are sound value for money but the presentation is nothing to brag about and when we get around to seeing what is on the discs we will not be so blown away either. There are 4 episodes per disc, and 6 discs in total for a grand total of 24 episodes. Some discs have a few deleted scenes... and that is about it. On the episode discs there are sometimes commentaries and not much in the way of bonus material for most seasons except for some international clips with Mulder and Scully speaking in Japanese for a scene. Other seasons have more bonus material. The actual presentation is not short of shoddy work. They could have at least provided us with the X Files remastered in 5:1 Dolby Digital but have instead just presented the series as it was aired in 2:1 surround. Again, everything here is on the cheap... but it is still the X Files. The transfer quality however is very good for most of it. Since the show was shot in full frame, these dimensions are retained. It is not until season 5 that the X Files go Widescreen 1.78:1
   
   Season 1:
   (*****/5)
   The Paranormal Anthology of a Lifetime starts right here
   The X Files: Season one, delivers as a fine example of how such a simple premise can land like a bombshell on the international television scene. There are no real cheap budget restrictions evident either, as what is on display is mostly quality acting and storytelling using natural American environments. Most of the characters in the X Files series are found in the pilot episode `pilot' on disc 1, however Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) doesn't show up until near the end half of the Season in episode 20 - `Tooms'. Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin) does not appear in the Pilot show, but is in the first episode. `The Lone Gumen' John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard 'Ringo' Langly (Dean Haglund) appear in episode 16 - `EBE'. The Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis) makes quite a few appearances. The series gels from the word go with some enthralling SF thought and implementation. Not since Star Trek had the world seen a series like it before. Apart from a lot of episodes borrowing from films like `Wolften' and `The Thing' the X Files was doing wholly new stuff that even movies like `Good Will Hunting' have borrowed from. Season one of the X Files is mostly about alien abductions, government conspiracies, shape shifters, wild men, poltergeists, artificial intelligence, body snatching parasites, the face on Mars, UFO crashes, eugenics, psychics, hermaphrodites, possession, aging, faith healing, werewolves, alien insects, alien bacteria, reincarnation and alien DNA. Although many of shows might not be completely logically and even have some serious plot holes, the general weirdness going on still makes the show one of the best ever. `EBE' is the most popular show in Season One, next to the cliff-hanger last episode `The Erlenmeyer Flask'. `Fallen Angel' is a classic UFO crash X Files episode, `Shapes' is scary and `Darkness Falls' is a great original alien story. The bottom line for The X Files: season one is that it is a classic. It is not necessarily the most conspiracy orientated X Files season because it covers a lot of paranormal ground. The real bonus is seeing Mulder and Scully looking really young.
   
   Season 2:
   (*****/5)
   The Critically Acclaimed Season II
   Although X Files: Season one landed like a bombshell on the international television scene, it was Season two that sent it flying up the rankings with Mulder and Scully on every magazine cover from the bottom to the top shelf. Season two kicks off from the cliff-hanger ending of Season one where the X Files has been shutdown, Mulder and Scully have been reassigned to separate bureau departments and Deep throat has been murdered. Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) is in from the start, this time with a more active role in the field along with the Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis) and `The Lone Gumen' John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard 'Ringo' Langly (Dean Haglund), who are all reoccurring characters from Season one. Deep Throat has been replaced by a new Deep Throat character, the mysterious Mr X (Steven Williams) and Mulder has been teamed up with a new agent named Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) who may be working for the Cigarette-Smoking Man. There are also more revelations about Mulder's missing sister and some strange history about his dad. So the season starts very differently, upping the paranoia levels with a stronger focus on government conspiracy and developing this theme throughout most of the episodes. There is also much more hard-hitting action and gets very violent in parts with Scully even getting beaten-up badly in most episodes. Season one was more about delivering individual episodes covering a broad general range of paranormal topics whereas Season two links more episodes together by homing in on a unified underlying cause that the government is trying to protect. Still though there is plenty of room for the separate paranormal episodes that are just as good as the unified ones (known as "the mythology" or "mytharc" episodes). Season two has a greater mix with much more original ideas than Season one did. It also boasts a lot of recognizable supporting actors you have seen in the movies. Season two of the X Files is mostly about - SETI projects and the Wow Signal, mutants, toxins, military experiments, sleep deprivation, alien abductions, vampires, NDEs (near death experiences), ancient life forms, alien human hybridization, ghosts, fetishes, the devil, Wicca, voodoo, alien bounty hunters, alien abduction of animals, rapid aging, circus freaks, demonic possession, viruses, dark matter and cannibalism. In Season two the episodes are more logical than Season one, less general weirdness, and more explanation, but still has some rough edges, and questionable moves by the main characters at times, but that is only cribbing. `The Anasazi' is the most popular show in Season Two and also the cliff-hanger last episode, but `Duane Barry' `Ascension' and `One Breath' are all classic episodes about Scully's abduction. `The Host' is a great monster story and `The Calusari' is very freaky. `Our Town' is downright horrific. In fact `The Calusari' caused the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) to give the whole Season box an 18 certificate (strictly for adults only) because of scenes involving children committing murder (the BBFC has banned these types of films before, so the UK was lucky to even get the 18 cert). The episode also had strong themes of child murder and violence towards children. There are a number of episodes that contain totally gross content that is hard to stomach. `3' could be the worst X-File episode of all time. It really stands out as a poor episode among the rest. The bottom line for The X Files: season two is that it is widely considered by fans to be the best season of them all. The last episode is a great way to finish off the season with lots of revelations and some more exposure of what the truth might be. There are quite a few `to be continued' double episodes in this season also. This season has 25 episodes!, the most any X Files season has to offer but as a note, watch out for the last episode "The Anasazi" which may not be on the last episode disc but is on the seventh bonus disc (the only episode on that disc)!
   
   Season 3:
   (*****/5)
   Alien Black Oil
   X Files: Season two, widely considered the best X Files season by fans, sent the show flying up the rankings with the season finishing in a cliff-hanger `to be continued' ending with the possibility that Mulder had been blown up by the Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis). The first episode of X Files season three is also another `to be continued' which in the second episode results with Mulder and Scully back as a team with an X Files mandate directly instigated by Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner (Mitch Pileggi). `The Lone Gumen' John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard 'Ringo' Langly (Dean Haglund), the mysterious Mr X (Steven Williams) are also back. The Well-Manicured Man (John Neville from "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen") is introduced. Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) also makes a return. Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin) appears in a dream sequence and in a special effect. A lot of characters in the previous seasons episodes almost make surprise apperances towards the end. Between Season Two and the start of Season Three there is a whopping three-part X Files episode. The X Files is firmly reinstated at the FBI. The Cigarette-Smoking Man is having a hard time pleasing his bosses. There is lots of double-crossing. There is more history and revelation about Mulder's dad. However instead of making every other episode conspiracy orientated, Season Three decides to bulk the conspiracy right at the start and middle, with a little at the end for a low-intensity cliff-hanger, but leaves room for lots of sequential individual episodes with some that may actually be better than the mythology episodes, which is a change from Season Two that has better mythology ones. Season Three is less violent than Season Two and the hard-hitting action has been toned down (Scully doesn't get beaten-up as much this time). Season Three writers go back across the same grounds as Season One covering a broad general range of paranormal topics. Still though there is plenty of room for dealing with the unified underlying causes that the government is trying to protect and there is a greater revelation about a `date' for a threat that faces the Earth. Season Three also boasts a lot of recognizable supporting actors you have seen in the movies. It has also redone the opening theme. Season three of the X Files is mostly about - Majestic 12, human experiments, lightening, clairvoyance, reincarnation, fat-sucking vampires, phantom limbs, empathy, alien autopsies, stigmata, alien robots, astrology, gargoyles, alien black oil, willpower, shaman, organ theft, eye witness testimony, succubus, lake monsters, mind control and colonization. In Season three the episodes are much more logical, with very few episodes going for general weirdness, with more explanation and hardly any rough edges, with the characters doing more believable things. `Piper Maru' is the most popular show in Season Three because it contains our first images of the mysterious Alien Black Oil that became synonymous with the X Files. However the individual shows `Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose' about psychics, `Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'' about eye-witness testimony are great episodes and very memorable. So are `Quagmire' about lake monsters, `The Walk' about astral projecting serial killers, the `Nisei' about alien autopsies and the `Grotesque' about demons is scary. `Talitha Cumiare', the low-intensity cliff-hanger episode is an interesting mythology episode. Although not as gross as Season Two, all of the episodes are highly enjoyable. There are a lot more murder orientated stories so it feels a little bit like the other `Millennium' series that X Files creator Chris Carter produced. The X Files: Season Two it is widely considered by fans to be the best season of them all but Season Three can hold its own. There are quite a few `to be continued' double or triple episodes in this season.
   
   Season 4
   (*****/5)
   Alien colonization or lies?
   X Files: Season four follows in the steps of Season three, produces a virtually unstoppable series of great episodes, now that it has been firmly established as mainstream TV series viewing, finished with the `to be continued ending' of Mulder getting caught between a shape-shifter alien and a miracle-working alien battling it out, revealed that there is a possibility that the truth he is searching for has something to do with hegemony and the alien colonization of planet Earth. The Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis) is back along with Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner (Mitch Pileggi). The mysterious Mr X (Steven Williams) is here, but also introduces us to the new mystery deep throat type contact, Marita Covarrubias (Laurie Holden). Back are `The Lone Gumen' John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard 'Ringo' Langly (Dean Haglund). The Well-Manicured Man (John Neville from "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen") is here. Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) has a surprise. Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin) even turns up again even though he has been dead for over three seasons. The X Files season four goes for the formula of giving us the conclusion to the previous season's cliffhanger but immediately spins right back into the individual episodes about various supernatural things that is more like season one, however this only lasts for half the season and the remaining half has some of the best X Files the series has had to offer so far. There is more mythology however there is lots of revelation to suggest that the X Files is being misled to believe that Aliens exist. This season also boasts a lot of recognizable supporting actors you have seen in the movies. Season four of the X Files is mostly about - alien colonization, inbreeding, mutant albinos, past lives, demonic surgery, the cigarette smoking man's past, serial killers, deadly cargo, El Chupacabra, Jewish mysticism, deadly tattoos, resurrection, dying, stealth assassins, UFO crashes, time travel, reproducing shape shifters, Skinner's crime, mind control and aliens in the ice. Episodes ``Tempus Fugit' Unrequited', `Tunguska', `Synchrony' stand out the most but the best episode is Skinner's cover-up of a crime in the episode `Zero Sum'. Ending sets the scene for Season five.
   
   Season 5
   (*****/5)
   The Critically Acclaimed Season V (This season goes Widescreen)
   X Files: Season five follows in the steps of Season two, produces a virtually unstoppable series of great episodes, now that it has been firmly established as mainstream TV series viewing. Although the `to be continued ending' of Season four is not the best beginnings to a season, and the first few episodes are a bit dodgy, this is all forgiven when the screenwriters decide to go back and follow in the steps of Season 2's acclaim. There is a crazy role reversal. Mulder believes that the hegemony and the alien colonization of planet Earth is a con to detract from what is simply a series of government experiments on the citizens of planet Earth and the alien agenda just subterfuge. Scully however is absolutely convinced that Mulder was right all long and so takes the lead role as the paranormal investigator while Mulder turns sceptic. This character switch works wonders and kudos to the screenwriters for doing it. The Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis) is dead as is Mr X (Steven Williams), however packs of Morleys turn up from time to time. Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) is more aware that something paranormal is going on and even sides with Scully when Mulder lambastes both for being delusional. Marita Covarrubias (Laurie Holden) has a secret. `The Lone Gumen' John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard 'Ringo' Langly (Dean Haglund) are back and even have their own private episode of how they came to be together. The Well-Manicured Man (John Neville from "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen") is back and Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) has another surprise in store. Deep Throat (Jerry Hardin) is gone, long since dead, however Section Chief Scott Blevins (Charles Cioffi) from Season 1 (and a bit of Season 4) is back for a very important double episode. There is also the introduction of Special Agent Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens) who also plays a significant role. Robert Modell (Robert Wisden) from Season Two's Pusher is back.
   
   The X Files season five is some of the best X Files to date. More mythology and more major revelations, means that you will be hooked from disc 2 onwards, right to the staggering finale. There are also a few supporting actors you have seen in movies. And yes, thankfully after 3 seasons of Scully's overrun cancer suffering, this is about to come to an end. Season five of the X Files is mostly about - pre-X files back stories, Scully's cancer, mothman, mystery offspring, Frankenstein, Modell the pusher, psychotherapy, witchcraft, AI, vampires, extraterrestrial wars, hoasting alien experiments, blind psychics, Angels and Demons, government toxins, monsters and ESP. Episodes "Kitsunegari", "Kill Switch", "Bad Blood" and "All Souls" stand out as great non-conspiracy episodes, but the final episode is one of the best mythology episodes to date. The best episode is "Folie À Deux" which has a terrific monster story and some really mad special effects for a television episode. Season 5 is all top stuff.
   
   NOTE: Remember before moving onto Season 6, you are supposed to watch X Files the movie first (sold separately to the box set).
   
   Season 6:
   (*****/5)
   Picking up where the Movie left off... and this season has Bruce Campbell!
   X Files: Season six has Mulder reconstructing a private X Files after the destruction of his affairs at the end of Season five. This is very much a mythological alien invasion packed season. Mulder is back and believing that the hegemony and the alien colonization of planet Earth is not a con but a real threat and no longer sees it as just being a government propaganda vehicle. Scully is back to her critical ways. The Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis) shows up again. Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) is here for more of his director of FBI lecturing the bizarre duo. `The Lone Gumen' John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard 'Ringo' Langly (Dean Haglund) are back. Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) makes a return. Special Agent Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens) has more screentime who alongside Agent Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers) have been assigned the X Files which they ignore and censor. Apart from the main theme of an alien conspiracy the single episodes stand out as some of the funniest of the X Files seasons. Season six of the X Files is mostly about - Alien hegemony, sonic death, time travel, altered states, demons, weather, ghosts, photography, poisons, astral projections, leviathans, killer dogs, fantasies, the lone gunmen, baseball playing aliens, hallucinogens and alien artefacts. The episodes are so good it is hard to pick out the best of the lot. The episode "Rain Man" is absolutely hilarious. "Terms of Endearment" features Bruce Campbell who is excellent in everything and it is a pity they didn't keep his character on for more. "Tithonus", about a crime scene photographer, is quite creepy. "SR 819" is like the movie DOA featuring Skinner dying from a mystery illness. "Arcadia" is about a strict neighbourhood that hides a secret monstrosity. "Agua Mala" is one of the best monster hunting episodes to date. "The Unnatural" is the classic episode where a baseball player is really an alien. Season 6 is worth every penny. If you thought the X Files couldn't get better then this one puts the X back in the files.
   
   Season 7:
   (*****/5)
   The Mulder Abduction (where David Duchovny leaves the show)
   X Files: Season seven is full of Special Agent Mulder but effectively he leaves the X Files at the end of this season only to make guest star appearances in the next two seasons, so this is the last season to see Mulder full-time. Season seven begins with Mulder facing a problem of an extraterrestrial telepathy that threatens his life. Scully is off trying to discover the meaning of life in terms of new facts that have presented themselves in religion and biology. A whole pile of questions concerning the alien agenda are answered in the first few episodes and what happened to Mulder's sister. The Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis) is back along with Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner (Mitch Pileggi). `The Lone Gumen' John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard 'Ringo' Langly (Dean Haglund) make a few shows. Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea) makes a return. Special Agent Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens) is dead as is Agent Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers). Season six of the X Files is mostly about - Alien hegemony, telepathy, mutants, luck, Millennium's Frank Black, speed, demons, magicians, Christian snake handling, Mulder's sister, reality TV, computer games, celtic voodoo, a cure for cancer, wild women, love, Hollywood, tobacoo, fighting, genies and Mulder's abduction. This Season changes to try and provide a new type of humour halfway through and so the style varies along with the X files / Cops hybrid show and the mixing in of Millennium (You may want to see all of Millennium before you watch this Season as it ended before Season 7). Season 7 has a lot to offer. Of course it really all hinges on the two episodes `Closer' about Mulder's Sister and Mulder's finale in `Requiem'. Season 7 is probably the oddest of the traditional Seasons (1-7) because of the pace changes and David Duchovny resigning himself for only guest star roles in the last two Seasons (apparently he wanted to do other things like film). It is sad to think that this is the end to Spooky and we have enjoyed being with him now for a run of 7 Seasons which lasted 7 years.
   
   Note: effectively this season is the end of the X Files for many fans. Duchovny is practically gone and the producers reduce Scully's role. Instead they try to lead the show with Dogget and Reyes who appear in Season 8 and 9 which happen to be also the worst seasons of the X Files. There are only a handful of good episodes (could even fit on 2 discs) and Season 9 doesn't even contain a deserved wrap up of the traditional Mulder/Scully storyline and even ends with a cliff-hanger. The much tooted `the truth' double episode ending in Season 9 doesn't contain anything new you haven't learned already. You may just as well stop here.
   
   Season 8:
   (***/5)
   They are replacing Mulder and Scully with Dogget and Reyes,
   X Files: Season eight is the one where Mulder leaves the show (in order to pursue a career in film) only to appear part time. You may even be in for Mulder's death. The show begins with a brand new introductory credit sequence which actually looks very good and there are two versions, one containing Mulder leading and one without Mulder with Scully leading. This way you know if Mulder will make an appearance or not. The new agent Dogget (Robert Patrick) is set to replace Mulder as Scully's partner. The Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis) is gone from the show. Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) has more of a lead role. `The Lone Gumen' John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard 'Ringo' Langly (Dean Haglund) are back as is Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea). Special Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) is also a brand new addition. FBI Deputy Director Alvin Kersh (James Pickens Jr.) is really playing the bad guy this season along with the new mysterious insider Knowle Rohrer (Adam Baldwin).
   
   Season eight of the X Files is mostly about - Agent Dogget, Gibson Praise, time travel, monster bats, religious cults, ghosts, drugs, alien pregnancy, x-ray vision, metal man, pain, Indian mystics, viruses, Mulder, alien black oil, Doggett's son, alien colonisation, mutants and Scully's child. Dogget is essentially the new sceptic so he and Scully have a lot of fun in the single episodes. Also thankfully Season eight completely omits the slapstick humour change that Season seven tried out towards the end.
   
   The major problem however is not with this season but what the producers are hiding from us. You don't see this until season nine. Essentially Special Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) is here to replace Scully. Yeah the producers are going to be moving in the direction of Special Agent Monica Reyes and Agent Dogget leading the X Files for Season nine and possibly more. However Season nine killed the X Files. It is easy to give this series 4 to 5 stars without knowing what the producers are planning (I originally gave it 5) but when you know the truth! you can easily dock down. So Mulder essentially did leave the show in season 7 and Scully is leading for the time being but doing bit parts in season nine
   
   Season 9:
   (*/5)
   Deceptive and misleading train wreck with little Scully and practically zero Mulder
   X Files: Season 9 is a problem. The way to solve this problem is easy. Stop with Season 7. If you enjoy watching good TV seasons then stop at 7. If you are an X Files fan and want to complete things then fine but you know what is happening and if not here goes. Duchovny has left the show but appears for only a few episodes between Seasons 8 and 9 and when he does turn up it's not worth it. Now we know that Dogget is the Mulder replacement, but what Season 8 didn't tell you was that Reyes was the Scully replacement. So Season 9 is mostly Dogget and Reyes investigating something. The stories are all mostly terrible and a chore to sit through. It is like the writers and producers have lost all heart. In fact X Files Season 8 should never have been called the X Files. A better title for this would be Dogget and Reyes Season 2.
   
   The show develops the new introductory credit sequence. There are a few versions, one containing Mulder leading and one without Mulder with Scully leading. Some have Skinner, others don't. It is mostly Scully, Dogget and Reyes but looks can be deceiving... and they are because Scully is in like 5% of the show if she is in the credits.
   
   So Agent Dogget (Robert Patrick) replaces Mulder. Special Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) practically replaces Scully. Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) leaves his lead role from Season 8 and virtually vanishes from this Season. `The Lone Gumen' John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Richard 'Ringo' Langly (Dean Haglund) are back for one or two episodes. FBI Deputy Director Alvin Kersh (James Pickens Jr.) isn't really heard of. Knowle Rohrer (Adam Baldwin) has a episode or two but make no mistake about it, this is all Dogget and Reyes.
   
   Season 9 of the X Files is mostly about - water, satanic murders, skinning, serial killers, flies, Mexico, looking for Mulder, more serial killers, crashed saucers, kid's imaginations, near death experiences, numerology, the Lone Gunmen, profiling, disfigurement, psychokinesis and finally... the truth .
   
   Season 9 is bad. I cannot see how anyone who has sat through the amazing stories that were Seasons 1 to 7 could like, let alone recommend, it. What is there good to say about it? Duchovny was the X Files. They don't even try to tie loose ends up. Even the double episode `The truth' doesn't reveal anything you haven't already heard before and ends in a cliff-hanger that has never been answered and probably never will. The producers are trying to sell us a different show under the banner of the X Files and didn't even have the courtesy to give us a decent Mulder/Scully ending. To top it off the episodes are a slog to get through and lots of them will insult your intelligence. This isn't just a bad season of the X Files... this is a catastrophe that many wish they never sat through, including me. It may well be the worst TV season for any series that I own. I think anyone who throws out boxes 8 and 9 from their X Files collection is rightly justified in doing so.
   
   However the traditional X Files seasons 1 to 7 are excellent shows and is one of the reasons why the X Files manages to get into the Top 10 TV series of all time. Having this collection is worth every penny and you will watch it over and over again. It is an amazing journey and one well worth taking.
   
   Pros:
   - One of the best TV series of all time.
   - Huge story arcs throughout the seasons.
   - The dialogue and classic Mulder one-liners.
   - Repeated viewing
   
   Cons:
   - You might be able to get Seasons 1 - 7 cheaper than the whole collection boxed.
   - No remastering.
   - Seasons 8 and 9 are terrible.



5. I was in college when this series was concluding. I was very involved in HS and college, in student life, and always had meetings during the timeslot of the X-Files. But a HUGE fan, of the paranormal, I started watching season 1 with my fiance, back in 1999 when we met. We didn't get very far (probably into season 2), but recently we viewed all of the seasons and just finished. This is one of the best, most clever and humorous shows I've ever seen. The transfer leaves much to be desired, especially the earlier seasons. I enjoyed the earlier seasons more, before Mulder left, but I must say that seasons 8 and 9 grew on me, as I continued enjoying the story arc. The episodes introduce interesting phenomena, and interweave the mystery of the UFO phenomena, with wit and edginess. If you've never seen the seasons, it's never too late. It's a great blend of scientific explanation unexplained occurrences, that leave you wondering and guessing. Magnificent show, not to be missed by anyone interested in UFO's, the paranormal, and the unexplained. I was fortunate to have watched the entire set in a few months time, to not lose any continuity. Awesome show!

2 comments about Time After Time.

1. This 1979 movie is a real gem--it has something for every taste--thriller--science fiction--murder mystery--romance--a little comedy--victorian London--modern-day San Francisco (well, 1979). Excellent casting, great performances by all involved--attention to historical detail. My review is based on the Sept. 2, 2008 DVD edition.
   
   The transfer to DVD is quite impressive--in particular for a relatively old film and for one that was not considered to be remastered. Its anamorphic widescreen transfer to DVD looks as good as most new films in my collection--almost as good as my HD DVDs. Great colors, sharp, clean picture, and excellent sound. The image has been enhanced for 16x9 aspect ratio, large screen, high-defintion TVs, so the image fills the entire screen. I have not seen any previous DVD edition of this movie, so I cannot comment on any possible upgrade in this latest, 2008 transfer.
   
   This is the type of movie you will watch again and again, so it is a worthwhile addition to your DVD collection. Highly recommended!



2. Well it has been many years since I saw this film but I loved it every time I saw it. Pretty sure I caught it on the big screen and then later on HBO or TV and maybe even rented once or twice. Now I'm going to buy this DVD and enjoy it many more times. Like the other person says, great acting, and story. Keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way. Just get this film and you will enjoy it.

5 comments about Sleeper.

1. Woody Allen wakes up after being frozen for 200 years into a world that only exists in a comic's mind. This is perhaps the best of Mr. Allen's work.



2. Sleeper is one of Woody Allen's funniest movies of all time. He plays Miles Monroe, a clarinet player and proprietor of the Happy Carrot Health Food Store who dies during minor surgery at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City. Criogenically frozen, he is later brought back by a group of radicals determined that he help them overthrow the oppressive government of the future in 2073.
   
   Woody Allen mines comedy gold from every possible complication, and he is a wonder to behold as he experiences the Orgasmatron -- the future's new replacement for actual sex. Of course, the people of this future Allen has created are as ignorant as a box of rocks, and he is able to con them with ease. Part of their ignorance of history is because so much was lost during the war "when a man named Albert Shanker got hold of a nuclear device." (A comment that made New York City audiences howl with laughter!)
   
   Diane Keaton is wonderful, as always, as the love interest on the run with Miles. "Where's the wine? Where's the seasoning?" is one of the classic lines of the film.
   
   Sleeper is an outrageously funny film!



3. Woody Allen is Miles Monroe, owner of a health food store, frozen 200 years after entering the hospital for a routine operation. He awakens in a brave new world and must overthrow the repressive government. He is hilarious as he is in all his early films. His comedy derives from a willingness to laugh at himself. He defines comedy as "tragedy plus time." Woody was the Graucho Marx of his era. Comedy being relative, different generations laugh at different things. Would today's audiences laugh at the robot bit? Diane Keaton became his counterpart.



4. Sleeper has some great one-liners as well as some hilarious scenes. The revival of Mr. Monroe in a post-apocalyptic world is definitely one of Woody Allen's best!



5. For social commentary movies, this is a classic. Was this Sienfeld before Seinfeld? Self absorbed people being self absorbed...

5 comments about Jason X (New Line Platinum Series).

1. The jason movies were not good they just sucked. A mask killer stalking people and killing them for no aparient reason but this movie was garbage, but when jason turned half silver that looked hot but the rest sucked.



2. I saw this movie for the first time after it hit VHS. It blew me away. I knew I could expect a high body count, but I was unprepared for the rather (accidentally) ingenious methods Jason used to dispatch the latest bunch of victims. Impaling one of the soldiers on a drillbit was inspired. I think that's the first time Jason ever screwed someone, in ANY sense of the phrase. And this movie also marks the first time he took out an entire city in one stroke. I won't say anything more about that; it has to be seen to be believed. One last thing: It's about time he got a new look. The moldering-corpse motif was getting old. All in all, this had everything you could expect in a Friday the 13th movie, and if you're a fan, it won't disappoint. This is a must-watch for horror fans in general and Jason fans in particular.



3. (I'm pretending that this takes place after FREDDY VS. JASON) Years after Jason won the battle with Freddy, he is caught by the Government. He is about to be frozen, then some stupid Government people come and want to take Jason away for more research. Jason is finally frozen after Rowan shoots him into cryonic chamber. Jason stabs her, freezing her as well. 445 years later, Jason and Rowan are found and taken to a spacecraft with some students aboard. Rowan is helped, and Jason wakes himself up. Soon, a bloody massacre happens. The ships soldiers try to stop him, but they can't. Later, an android named Kay-Em 14 is uploaded and kills Jason. Then, Jason is upgraded by the nanotechnology. Jason looks awesome when this happens!!! One of the students tries to distract Jason by using a simulation of Crystal Lake, but Jason soon realizes, it's a fake. It's an awesome horror/sci fi film and an awesome Jason film. If you love Jason and sci fi movies, you'll love JASON X!!!



4. The fan in me loved Jason X, but the critic in me hated. First let's start with the fan part. The film has nudity, great one liners and good death scenes that one would expect from a Friday film. Now the critic in me knows that h can pull a better film out of his a*s. The movie is horribly edited, the dialouge is horrible and the acting is very tepid. There's also no back story what so ever which would have been nice to see.See this one only if you're a serious Friday fan.



5. Jason X was just bad, it made absolutly no sense. I mean Jason in space? How retarted do film makers think we are? The only good scene was when Jason was in that virtual reality world of Crystal Lake and was killing those 2 girls by beating one of em' with the other trapped in the sleeping bag, other than that, this movie sucked.

5 comments about Countess Dracula / The Vampire Lovers.

1. Break out the popcorn, turn down the lights and you will enjoy such thrills and frights! Better than standard fare with righteous femme fatales. VAMPYRES! Four stars 'cause you get two equally succoming split tail flicks. Better than Hammer any day.



2. I loved the Hammer films and these two are very good. With the beautiful Ingrid Pitt staring in both you get quite an eye full, if you know what I mean.
   Countess Dracula is based on the true story of Countess Bathory who slaughtered countless young virgin girls in the vain belief that their blood would keep her young forever.
   The Vampire Lovers is based on the short story "Camilla" by leFanu and is the better of the two movies. Camilla is a female vampire and she is looking for some young women to keep her blood fix going. Add in the great Peter Cushing and you have one fine movie. Great hammer fun.



3. Countess Dracula is one of the best Hammer productions, with good production design, decent costumes, and a fine musical score. The film is loosely based on the life of Elizabeth Bathory who was a real Hungarian countess in late 16th and early 17th centuries. According to history, the countess and a few of her servants murdered several hundred girls, but using blood to retain youth is just a fairy tale. They were ultimately caught and the servants tried and executed; however, the countess was not tried but kept in prison until her death.



4. This double feature from MGM has two classic horror films from Hammer Production. Both star the beautiful, voluptuous Ingrid Pitt ("The House that Dripped Blood") who delivers great performances in her roles as evil women. These beautifully photographed gothic films boast high body counts and a great deal of suspense and terror.
   
   Everyone wants to stay young and beautiful. In "Countess Dracula," the wealthy widow Countess Elizabeth is no exception. She discovers that smearing her body with virgin blood rejuvenates her, but only temporarily. She must kill and kill again. Her depravity knows no bounds as she strives to obtain her desires. She is one of the most evil, selfish women I've watched on film.
   
   The legend of Carmilla Karnstein is given new blood in Hammer's "The Vampire Lovers." The beautiful bisexual vampire Carmilla uses a host of false identities as she ingratiates herself into wealthy families. A reign of terror begins as she kills their daughters, their servants, nearby villagers, and anyone who discovers her secret. Oddly enough, this vampire can appear during daylight hours. Carmilla reminded me of Akasha in Anne Rice's "Queen of the Damned." Carmilla's saga continues in "Lust for a Vampire" and "Twins of Evil," both produced by Hammer.
   
   This DVD double feature is a must have for fans of Hammer films, gothic horror, and vampire tales. It is a great introduction to film star Ingrid Pitt and to the legend of Carmilla Karnstein.



5. MGM'S midnight double feature Countess Dracula / The Vampire Lovers is a great pair of vampire films! Good price also.

5 comments about The Stand.

1. the case is broken (very broken)... and I know it didn't happen in the mail... if you don't care to check and you don't care about the product your shipping out... then how would you expect the customer to think you care about them?



2. This book needed the 6 hours of movie. It was very long and complicated of a story. To do anything less than a mini-series would have been rediculous. This is so well casted and written, I have watched it many times! Gary Sinise is perfect!



3. I eagerly anticipated seeing this movie, but missed out when it appeared on TV. After finally getting to see it, I was in awe. Gary Sinise did a grand job as Stu Redman. The other actors followed close behind. Though long, the movie kept me interested. I have watched it several times.



4. Of course there had to be modifications to the lengthy story when it was adapted for the screen, and mostly they work for the movie - I wouldn't have combined the characters of Rita and Nadine, but that didn't mess up the flow of the story. The casting, however ranged from brilliant (Gary Sinise as Stu Redman, Miguel Ferrer as Lloyd Henreid, Rob Lowe as Nick Andros, and Bill Fagerbakke as Tom Cullen) to disastrous (Molly Ringwald as Frannie? Are you kidding me? How she ever became a professional actor is beyond me and she was not at all equipped to play the role of Frannie Goldsmith. She was stilted and unnatural - and Laura San Giacomo as Nadine - not only is she not beautiful, she played the character as if she was insane, not conflicted and ultimately repentant, which is what I got from the novel) I completely disagree with the reviewers that thought the movie was amateurish - it was well done, and the story was complete. I don't like horror movies in general because they are too graphic for me, but this movie, although I wouldn't let my 7 year-old watch it, gets the point across about the horrible effects of the disease and the violence of the Dark Man and his followers without being too gory. I would recommend this movie.



5. alright the acting is subpar, (it was a made for tv mini series), The Stand still remains one of my most favorite Stephen King movie adaptions ever. It kept to the basic outline of the book, but it's impossible to take everything from King's epic novel.

5 comments about The Tingler.

1. The classic movies are some of the best! I really enjoy any work by Vincent Price!



2. William Castle is known as one of the best movie showmen in history. "The Tingler" is a great example of how Castle took a mediocre film and made it a classic.
   
   "The Tingler" is a creature which feeds on fear. That's it. That's the basis of the whole film. And Vincent Price is always great in a film with a scary theme. Even in this one, which features acting that's not always great and a monster which is just plain... well... silly .... at times, Price carries off his role. It's not his fault the monster looks like some sort of half baked centipede or something.
   
   What makes this 40th Anniversary edition so fun are the add ons, features that show just how good Castle was at promoting movies.
   
   When "The Tingler" hit theaters, in a classic Castle move, seats were wired with buzzers that went off to scare patrons. And everyone was urged to scream as loud as possible to kill "The Tingler."
   
   This film is not Oscar caliber, but it's darned good fun. Get the kids together, bring out some popcorn and give it a whirl. But don't forget to scream!



3. The Tingler is usually considered by both critics and fans alike to be Castle's finest hour, and it's easy to see why. The Tingler is everything a good schlocky spook show should be. Price is a coroner who does research on the side involving fear and what causes us to freeze and go rigid when frightened. He refers to this force as The Tingler, and discovers that it may be an actual, physical being. He goes through numerous experiments in his attempts to learn more about The Tingler, and isn't above some pretty unorthodox methods. He threatens to shoot his unfaithful wife to try and get her to the peak of fear, he trips on LSD(which he gets via prescription. LSD was actually used for medicinal purposes at this time) to spook himself, and finally gets a stroke of luck when he meets a deaf mute. You see, The Tingler's effects are broken if you scream, because screaming breaks the tension. But a deaf mute can't scream!!! This enables Price to obtain his own Tingler which looks like a big rubber lobster/centipede hybrid. It turns out to be indestructible and too hard to handle(like The Black Crows), and gives Price a wake up call about delving into such matters. Then the Tingler gets loose and runs amok in a movie theater. Sound like fun? It is. The science is completely absurd, but when has that ever been a problem? Price seems to really be enjoying himself and as usual turns in a great performance, especially in his tripping scene. A classic for a good reason.



4. If you're a fan of the campy Vincent Price horror genre, you will love "The Tingler". The idea here is that the tingling feeling we get when we are scared is not adrenalin after all, it is really a lobster growing on our backbones. The creature is called, surprisingly enough, the Tingler. The Tingler would continue to grow until it killed us, except for the fact that it dies (and apaprently also disappears) when it hears a scream. Pathologist Price is on the hunt to be the first to capture this creature (and with no regard for the safety of anyone). Some of the characters in this film are stranger than the Tingler - especially the owner of the movie house and his wife. Might be a little necrophilia going on here behind the curtain. Price's cheating wife is also a jewel - I'll bet you can't guess what happens to her... There is also an interesting gimmick with the film's original release, one that is fully explained in the DVD, but unfortunately not one we can share with the theatre-going audience. This is one you'll watch more than once.



5. This movie terrorized me as a child of eight. In fact, it terrorized me so much that I watched it five times as it played at the local theater of my small town. I screamed my little head off--even when there was nothing to really scream about. It is a great horror film in black and white and only the BLOOD is in red--what a technical feat in 1957-1958! It had already played in the larger cities and those of us in small bergs had to wait and wait and wait and wait and wait and wait for it to get to our town. I stood in a long line to get tickets that first day as it played, a matinee. A whole row of girlie gigglers, we peeked between our fingers at scene after bloody scene, screaming and screaming.
   Now the movie could be considerd schlock. But it is schlock at its best. If you want to have a scream--and a laugh, pick it up in time for Halloween. Vincent Price doing some of his best work--but the Tingler is a real scene-stealer.

5 comments about The Invincible Iron Man.

1. My brother summed it up best when he said, "it's a "streamline" origin story."
   
   And he was right.
   
   Coupled with the fact that the release of this animated film (1-23-07) can only help the upcoming feature-length film Iron Man (set to be released on May 30, 2008), This animated Invincible Iron Man DVD release is sure to get new fans interested and educated as to the origins of Tony Stark and his Iron Man alter ego.
   
   However, longtime "shell head" fans may not be open to this interpretation of their tin hero and would most likely be abhorrently disappointed with the incorporation of James "Rhodey" Rhodes (voiced superbly by Rodney Saulsberry) into Tony Stark's figurative transformation into Iron Man (voiced by Marc Worden who is no stranger to the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man with 2006's Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers II under his belt.), The Mandarin's power rings (or lack of), and the disgusting convenience and progression of the Mark01 armor as well as Tony's other proverbial "toys for the big boys."
   
   Overall, it was entertaining--despite the potential gaff in interpreting the Chinese "demon elementals" as Western elements (air, earth, fire, and water instead of earth, fire, metal, water, and wood), I have nothing but praise for the voice actors as I believe Gwendoline Yeo (voiced Li Mei), Fred Tatasciore (The Mandarin), John McCook (Howard Stark), Elisa Gabrielli (Virginia 'Pepper' Pots) and the aforementioned Saulsberry and Worde played their roles to the hilt.



2. Billionaire playboy Tony Stark is critically injured and taken prisoner by a Chinese cult determined to reverse his unearthing of an ancient city prophesied to bring about the return of the dreaded Mandarin. With the help of his best friend, Rhodey, his damaged heart is made functional again, so to speak, and he creates a suit of armor that is a technological wonder. Later, pursued by the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for selling weapons to the Chinese radicals, he secretly becomes the superhero Iron Man in order to stop the rise of Mandarin by destroying his four elemental demons before they can retrieve the five rings that will make him whole again. But Tony is also fighting to help a confused young woman named Li Mei who is caught up in the struggle.
   
   From Marvel Comics and Lionsgate, "The Invincible Iron Man" is another direct-to-DVD film in Marvel's new line of animated features, this one conveniently preceding a new live-action film starring Robert Downey, Jr. which comes out tomorrow (as I write this review). Both Marvel and DC have gotten into the direct-to-video animated features arena, and for many fans of their classic characters this is a great thing. Of course, modernizing these beloved characters and stories and recreating them a bit for a new, wider audience doesn't sit too well with some of the diehard comic fans (who should really watch Mark Hamill's "Comic Book: The Movie" if they haven't already) that are set in their ways about how they feel these characters must be portrayed. To a certain degree, this is understandable, but then you have the folks who gripe about every little change and update. Anyway, another problem had, particularly with animated features here in the States, is this desire to cater to a more adult audience, but at the same time, the notion that animated features must be targeted to kids too (Fact is, here in the States there are still a lot of dummies who think that if it's animated or comic book related, it should be totally aimed at kids and adults should have no interest in it). There is a difficulty in figuring out how to make something that is in that middle area for action and violence oriented subject matter, largely because kid material nowadays is expected to be so unthreatening and cheeseball. And this film, like so many other American animated features meant to be edgy the way so much Anime is, suffers from that problem a bit. Though the plot has some adult angles to it (which sometimes feel rather forced), the whole "get the rings before the bad guys do" has a sort of kiddie Anime feel to it (even though I admit they do that sort of thing on Smallville all the time), and the lack of explanation of Tony Stark's anti-gun attitude gives the impression that he just feels that way because he's a "good guy", and good guys have to be anti-gun. It's also a bit convenient that Tony has been developing his Iron Man project for years before the real "origin" in this film. Elements like this do make one feel they are watching a film aimed at kids. But then you have implied sex and a hostage being shot in the head in the same film, so it's all rather unbalanced. It seems the filmmakers wanted this movie to be for young adults, so I just wish they'd worked on the story and writing a bit more to be more consistent with that idea. I also was bothered that a lot of this film's take on Stark gives me various Batman flashbacks, including boardroom scenes that feel they are right out of "Batman Begins" (my favorite superhero movie, by the way). Still, overall, this is a decent superhero film. I don't think folks who are new to the story of Iron Man will have much to complain about except that maybe it drags a bit. In other words, there could/should be a lot more Iron Man action. It's a bit slow to get going and the characters could be a bit less wooden. To me, DC still holds the crown when it comes to animation, and they have since the fantastic Batman the Animated Series of the '90's. As for the animation of "The Invincible Iron Man," it has good moments and bad moments, but the integration of CGI is excellent and used on just the right things (I've long wanted to see some Star Wars animated films with a 2D/CGI mix along these lines, and we sorta got that with the Clone Wars, though I was more interested in post-Jedi stuff, but now they are going to go entirely with goofy looking CGI). I thought the music here was pretty good most of the time, as was the voice acting, but the characters could have been more likable and the plot a bit more involving and less condescending. It was pretty good nevertheless, but I have a feeling the bigscreen, live-action film is going to be much better. This is one worth owning if you are an animation, superhero, or Iron Man fanatic, but it's not likely to blow you away, and clearly many comic fans had a problem with the villain, Mandarin, only appearing for the final battle and only in a spirit form inhabiting one of the characters.
   
   The DVD is decent in the extras department, by the way. It gives us the Origin of Iron Man featurette (which is a making-of program), a great informational gallery of Iron Man's various suits of armor, a concept art show, and a pretty cool alternate opening sequence. There is also quite a lengthy look at the opening of the new "Doctor Strange" animated feature. If you like this one, you'll surely want to pick up Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers 2, plus that new Doctor Strange flick, which I haven't seen but looks to have even better visuals than the previous titles. I also highly recommend Superman: Doomsday and Justice League: The New Frontier, not to mention the upcoming Batman: Gotham Knight (though be forewarned, that one is real Anime).



3. Don't get confused, this is an anamated cartoon and not the new movie. If you read and liked the paper comic, this movie has much of the same feel and flavor of the comic book. The story does not match the comic book story line, and if you can take the new story as it comes, then it is a great time. I also recoment the Dr. Strange movie that Marvel put out in the same time frame.



4. I bought this movie with the anticiaption of getting my kid into Iron Man with the new movie out on the big screen. I was disappointed with the cartoon due to 90% of the movie is build up and only the last 10% is Iron Man fighting and action that a young kid could follow. This movie appears to appeal to an older generation or maybe even some older kids into comic books, not good for little kids.



5. I'm only familiar with Iron Man through older cartoons & the recent movie. I don't care (I never care) about a script "being true" to its origins. I judge a script on its own merit, regardless of how many literary liberties it takes.
   
   That being said, this was disappointing. The Invincible Iron Man purports to tell the story of the origins of Tony Stark and Iron Man and his first adventure, much like the movie. It doesn't - it almost completely skips over any setup, any character development, any comic relief, and jumps straight into the his first "adventure".
   
   This adventure, also, was problematic. Dragons, warriors, non-corporeal beings...not very compelling, and a complete mismatch stylistically with the rest of the film.
   
   Additionally, there was way too much romance, too much drama, and not nearly enough action. I thought the major advantage of making an animation movie was that the action sequences are more affordable. Why, on earth, would so much of the film be devoted to boring dialog?
   
   It did have some good qualities. The few action sequence were fun. The animation was good, decent production value. But overall, unless you're a huge fan who must see every Iron Man installment, I'd say skip this one.

5 comments about Westworld.

1. I loved this movie, and when I saw it was available, bought it. My husband who never saw it loved it too. It's a classic!!!



2. Yul Brynner is relentless as the western gunshooter robot gone out of control. Great sci-fi type movie for all ages.



3. I remember being taken to this picture at least 3 times when I was younger, and after last night's viewing, I asked my parents "Why?".
   Yul is kinda going through the motions of hiss "Magnificent Seven" routine, James is kinda annoying, and Richard is really the wrong actor to hold this snore-fest together. Now if the dad from "Eight is Enough" was cast as lead, instead of the dufus minor role he had, then I could see the humor come to life, and maybe keep me awake long enough to care till the end, but it doesn't happen that way, and boy-oh-boy, is this movie SLOW!!
   Be warned.



4. This is a nifty little thriller. I enjoy it every time I see it. But, how come no Special Edition DVD? Richard Benjamin, James Brolin and Michael Crichton are all still alive and kicking. I'd love to hear what they have to say about the making of and all that. How about it?



5. This is a cult classic starring a legendary actor, Yul Brynner. Inspite of the lack of today's modern special effects, this movie still takes you on a thrill-ride. You feel like you're being chased. Yeah, it's old school but it works.