Plot: What’s it about?
On this double feature disc, you’ll find two classic monster films that might take some by surprise. For one, there’s far more emphasis in these two films on the character element rather than the monsters themselves. Your mileage may vary, but neither film is something I’ll return to any time soon. Still, purists will likely want to have them in their collection, and they certainly both offer a unique take on their respective subjects.
In The Revenge of Frankenstein we begin with the Doctor being sentenced to death, but he escapes only to carry out his work. Those hoping for a more familiar or even conventional story of Frankenstein will most likely be bored and disappointed at this take of the character. Much of what I was expecting to see here was strangely missing. We’ve had many versions of this story, even some more recently, but this is one of the less interesting ones I’ve seen. We see some of the science behind the madness as there’s dealings of brain transplants, but mostly this is a talky affair that leaves much of the monster off screen. The acting here is more than adequate, but outside of that, this film did very little for me. The pacing is more than a little sluggish, and I found myself anxious to fast forward, but that would be cheating.
The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb is by far the superior film in this set. I might be a little biased since I always found mummies to be interesting. The film begins in Egypt in 1900 where we see archeologists discover a mummy. The mummy is to be returned to London for display, but obviously that would be too easy, things don’t go as planned. Instead, the mummy awakens and intends to seek revenge on those who disturbed it. Now, it does take a good while to get to the mummy, but when we finally do, the film works quite well. The mummy really does look creepy at times. More so than most of the CGI flicks we’ve seen in recent years. This film is also better paced than Frankenstein in this set. The acting is also strong here. It is a bit slow in the first half, but gets better as it progresses.
Video: How’s it look?
Unfortunately, both films in this set really show their age. Both films are housed on a single disc, but the quality at times isn’t even up to DVD standards. There’s a good bit of grain and print flaws to be seen, but they’re both at least passable some of the time. Both transfers do leave a bit to be desired, but I suppose they could’ve also been worse. We get two AVC encoded images with 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 ratios.
Audio: How’s it sound?
We get Dolby 2.0 tracks for films that at least get the job done. The vocals are clear and strong, but don’t expect to be overly involved with either track. I suppose they at least sound the best they ever will, so that might be enough for some. As long as your expectations are in check, you should be fine with these tracks.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Zilch. Nada. Other than the menu where you can select which film, there’s nothing here.
The Bottom Line
While I did get some enjoyment from the Mummy film found in this set, neither film is essential viewing for anyone outside of purists. The quality of each film also leaves a lot to be desired, and the lack of extras makes this an even harder sell. Only recommended for collectors. All other should skip it.
