Creature From the Black Lagoon (Limited Edition Steel Book) [Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray] [1954] [Region Free]

Creature from the Black Lagoon will always be a classic , Revenge is actually really laughable and very predictable, cheesy with bad acting and really corny lines from Agar.All films are widescreen 1.85:1. Not convinced if this is the correct ratio for both Creature and Revenge as some scenes are very good and others look zoomed in or cropped, just not sharp.Maybe 1.33 is the original aspect ratio of the first 2 films, not sure.The surprise here is the last outing The Creature Walks Among Us , which is actually pretty good and the best transfer to Blu Ray , it’s outstanding , the aspect ratio looks correct for this film as well.

It’s such a well known image, the gillman creature carrying the brunette in white swimming costume away, but although I’m nearly 60 I’ve only just seen the movie. Really enjoyed it.The storyline creaks in places, there’s some unfortunate typical 50’s characterisation of ‘South American natives’ at the start, and it’s hard to imagine that when it first came out it had an ‘X’ certificate in the U.K., but it’s beautifully shot in sharp black and white and the Florida coastal inlets do a good job of pretending to be the mysterious Amazon.Fans of vintage technology will enjoy seeing early scuba gear & spear guns, state of the art at the time - no buoyancy control in those days. Julia Adams as marine biologist Kay Lawrence is brainy & beautiful (where did she get all those changes of clean, pressed, clothes from?), and 50s sci-fi stalwart Richard Carlson as David Reed does a nice job of portraying pity for the creature, trying to stop Richard Denning’s character Mark Williams hunting & killing it. Good supporting cast, and a suitably open ending to allow for the inevitable sequels.The movie is obviously the inspiration for Guillermo del Toro’s wonderful “The Shape of Water” (2017) that allows us to explore how the next chapter of how the story could have unfolded in another universe :)

Having purchased over 2 years Ago, i haven't noticed a review pointing out- that the cover stating 'Includes Both 3D & 2D versions' led me to believe there was a 'Flat' version & a version that would only require a pair of paper red & blue lense 3-D glasses ,so I found my Spex inside the cover of an old Cramps lp,pressed play 3D option &....found out that i actually required 'A Full HD 3D TV, Compatible 3D glasses, a Blu-Ray 3Dtm or PS3,and a High Speed HDMI cable' ........oh well.So let's get into the blu-Ray disc( Universal 2014- 60th anniversary edition)1080hi/def widescreen 1.85...Audio in Dts-HD & mono 2,0 for English language & surround mono 2.0 for French,Italian ,German & Spanish .Theres subtitles in all the languages mentioned and Danish,Finnish,Norwegian &Swedish .The image is generally fine..just a slight bit of grain but no real damage to the print. ....So I assume we all know what the film is about & the reasons it's outlasted so many of the other 'Creature Features' from the 50s & early 60s ...So what really stands out in one of the better genre films is it's excellent extras...Starting with a commentary from film Historian Tom Weaver who does an excellent job getting so much relevant info into the brief 79 mins that the film runs for .'Back to the Black Lagoon' (40 mins) introduced by David Skal is from 2000 & greatly benefits from having lead actress,the charming and helpful Julia Adams, Ben Chapman & Ricou Browning (who played the 'creature' )and others involved giving their input & making sure those who deserved credit got it.The 'productions photographs' section is a Joy - running for over 11mins (with music & sound effects)) it features 100s of images- Posters,Stills, on set pics, Promo Shots ,Cinema openings etc...There's Trailers for 'All 3 films' In the series (4 for 'black lagoon', 1 each for 'Revenge of the Creature' & 'Creature walks amongst us'...)A rather unnessary '100 years of Universal :the lot'(9 mins) is a Universal tribute to the 'Universal Backlot'...umm maybe a mini doc about Black Lagoon director Jack Arnold who also did 'the Incredible Shrinking man' & other entertaining but thoughtful films that still have a following now ....Screenplay by Harry Essex& Arthur Ross....79mins ..Black& White .certificate PG.And Blu-ray has a pleasing cover image ,