Classics done right
The three sets that released on the first of September were as follows: Horror, Murder Mystery and Sci-Fi. Each one contains four full-length films on set of two DVDs. Each side contains one of the more classic films. Here is a set breakdown for each genre:
Horror
– Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
– Freaks
– The Haunting
– House of Wax
Murder Mysteries
– The Postman Always Rings Twice
– The Big Sleep
– “dial M for Murder”
– The Maltese Falcon
Sci-Fi
– Soylent Green
– The Time Machine
– 2001: A Space Odyssey
– Forbidden Planet
Here’s the thing, all of these movies are ‘true’ classics. You’re not simply getting one good film and a few other ‘okay’ films. You’re getting four solid films for basically the price of one. The first two collections listed above are mostly true classics in every sense of the word. The Vincent Price classic House of Wax is still creepy as hell, even in its old age. What makes it even better is how well it’s presented. Sure it’s not HD, but for a film that is nearly half a century old, you can’t argue with results.
My favorite of the three, of course, is the sci-fi series. Having a collection that contains Soylent Green (one of the best, most emotional disturbing movies about the future of the planet), The Time Machine (so much better than Guy Pearce’s), 2001: A Space Odyssey (it’s classic because it’s the only movie I’ve fallen asleep in three times) and of course the Leslie Nielsen classic Forbidden Planet (before he was funny). Having all four of these films together in one set is a gem. It’s probably one of my favorite DVDs for 2009.
With all of these movies packed into two discs, some things were sacrificed. You get basic menus with basic features. For example, in 2001: A Space Odyssey you get commentary and a trailer. Soylent Green gives you a bit more with commentary, a couple of featurettes, but nothing like you could get with a two-disc stand alone of the film. You’re sacrificing some goodies, but at the same time you’re getting some really classic films.