Rating: Summary: Re-animated my faith in quality DVD's!!! Review: What can be said of "Re-Animator" that hasn't been said before? As horror movies go, it is a true classic, and a landmark in innovative effects even with budget restraints. So, before I delve into the film itself, let me first start with the DVD:This is not the first edition of this movie availible for purchase from Elite Entertainment. However, it is vastly superior to their previous version, which was, in itself, a triumph. "Re-Animator" has been labeled as a "Millenium Edition" from Elite, which, for DVD fans, is very good news indeed. Although Elite possesses (no pun intended) a fairly small library of titles, the releases from the studio have been impressive enough to rival even the cult-movie megapower that has become Anchor Bay. Elite has brought the world the finest version of George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" to ever hit shelves, as well as a version of "The Evil Dead" that, had it not been for the release of the "Book of the Dead" earlier last year, may have (and some would claim still is) just been THE definitive version of that movie. Yet if these releases are just the icing on the cake (which they are), then "Re-Animator" is the candle on top. Boasting FOUR audio setups (including DTS 5.1 surround) and not one, but TWO commentaries(the second of which is highly entertaining and informative), as well as THX digital transfer, this movie could easily stand on it's own. But that just wouldn't have been good enough, would it? No, not for a "Millenium" release... So a second disk is included, and it holds some of the most interesting and informative supplements that I've ever seen. While I won't get into too much detail, let me just say that the extended and deleted scenes alone are worth the cost of the DVD. But there is sooooooo much more, most notably, an interview with Stuart Gordon, three multi-angle story boards, and some hilarious TV spots. And I've only mentioned less than a fourth of all this disk has to offer! Now that I've clarified just how credible the DVD is, let me briefly discuss the movie. The plot concerns a struggling medical student and his desire to create a serum that can ressurect dead tissue. His misadventures get him in a heap of trouble that eventually leads up to a violent finale where the dead are "re-animated" and wage a war against the living in a hospital morgue. This movie is not for all tastes. It is filled with over-the-top gore and gratuitous sexuality, you've most likely never heard of the majority of the actors, the movie was made on an obviously limited budget, and it was Brian Yuzna's directorial debut. Now, replace some of the words I just said and you have the synopsis for just about every 80's B-horror movie ever made. But where these movies failed, "Re-Animator" succeeds by having an extremely dedicated team of people devoted to the movie's well-bieng, a fantastic script by Dennis Paoli, and a sense of style that was lacking in so many films before the birth of "Re-Animator" and after it's eventual sucession into cult movie history. This is horror cinema at it's best. A great movie and a fantastic DVD? What more could one want? Highly recommended.
Rating: Summary: Worth seeing for the commentary alone Review: Okay, I see lots of reviews that talk about the film itself and don't dwell much on special features. Here, I'll try to get into the reason for buying a special edition and you can read other reviews if you want to know about the story. Re-Animator (The Millennium Edition) brings an old favourite back to life (no pun intended). The picture and sound quality are so good, it's almost as if the movie was re-made using today's technology. I always liked this quirky little movie ever since I saw it on video in 1985-86, but I had assumed it had gone the way of so many '80s low budget gems. So I was pleasantly surprised to see it recently on DVD and in a remastered edition. The film is still a classic cult film, having lost none of its wit and charm (if one can say that a gory horror fest can be 'charming'), but the thing I'm happiest about is the cast commentary, which, although not overly informative (there's a director commentary and numerous video interviews that go deeper into movie facts), is nevertheless very entertaining. The actors obviously had a lot of fun making the movie, and they clearly have a lot of fun watching it together. Some moments during the cast commentary are truly a Mystery Science Theater 3000 kibbitz-fest, and so really we get two movies in one - the original version and a goofy MST3K-style review, but with the insights and rememberances of those who helped make the film. There are lots of extended scenes and one deleted scene that was too hot for the censor (Barbara Crampton - yeah, baby! Yeah!) Added to this, lots of audio choices make this a great buy for those with hi-fi bells and whistles. Also, a set of still photos and video interviews that put other special edition efforts to shame. All in all, I think this is a fantastic effort, far better than many remastered editions on DVD. The team that remastered this one obviously did their job with care and reverence for this cult classic. Certainly this 're-animated' Re-Animator (okay, sorry, I meant that pun) is well worth the price of admission.
Rating: Summary: Unbelievably Goofy. Review: I was expecting something totally different than this. All this film contains are talking heads a lot of crazy people yelling and some bad acting. I mean I wasn't expecting much from this in the first place, but still I was disappointed to even get less than I was expecting. I wish that only the good films would get the 2-disc treatment and not stupid cult films that I could have made in my basement. I can't wait to see what the sequels have in store for me, I guess you'll be seeing another review from me on those too (Hint: probably not a positive one). If you liked this then see the Howling movies, you'll be happy.
Rating: Summary: Syringes of Mysterious Luminous Fluid Review: Herbert West's medical methods might be less than ethical yet his discovery of a formula designed to 're-animate' dead body parts has been his life's work. Medical school has not treated him well but West has a determination to prove himself capable of playing God...at any cost.
Rating: Summary: not what I expected, but still worth watching! Review: If you've read Lovecraft's Re-Animator and are looking for the film to be terrifying like the story, you might be a little let down at first by this movie. I bought the Millenium Ed DVD because the video stores in my town didn't carry the movie, popped it in my DVD player late last night hopin for a good scare. While that didn't happen I still like this movie just because it's so outrageous. Some of the best parts were West's 'cat dead, details later' line and when Dr. Hill's bloody mess of a head gets thrown clear out of the operating room, splatters against the wall, and that security guard is just like 'what the __!' I haven't looked at the second disk yet so I can't say anything about it, but as far as the movie goes it's great for what it is, but reconsider renting it if you're looking for a 'real' horror show. This is more a comedy/gross out movie.
Rating: Summary: RE-ANIMATOR Review: OH YES THIS DVD IS THAT GOOD IN DTS & THX A TWO DISC SET WITH NEW INTERVIEWS & 16 EXTEDED SCENES & DELETED SCENES BUY THIS NOW
Rating: Summary: Ahhhhhhh, Mr. West Review: This is it folks, the one and only Re-Animator dvd that you should ever own, the Millennium edition. When I first placed this wonder in my DVD player my expectations were high and after watching the first 5 mins my expectations were more then satisfied, they were no where near the quality of this DVD. The picture quality is fantastic, with clean, crisp images and the colour tones are absolutely incredible (in 16x9 anamorphic YES!!!). You would think that this movie was only recently filmed and on a budget 30 times more then what Re-Animator cost. Then there is the audio, two surround options Dobly 5.1 and DTS 5.1 and the original mono mix for the real Re-Animator buffs. The two surround sound options are incredible with good use of the back speakers for music and sound effects (especially in the rufus re-animated scene). The audio is clean and clear and the seperate speakers are easily to hear. Also, the music only option is available so you can listen to the fantastic Pyscho influenced score comming out of all 5.1 speakers. PLUS, there are two full running commentaries from 1) Stuart Gordon and 2) Brian Yuzna, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Robert Sampson and Bruce Abbott which is a riot. The animated menus are wonderfully macarbe with all the glowing green that you could possibly put on one screen at a time. The second DVD is jammed packed with extras including deleted scenes (all in 16x9 anamorphic), interviews with Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna, Richard Band and Anthony Timpone and interactive story boards and a picture gallery AND even a music discussion with Richard Band AND a deleted scene. I can tell that a lot of time and effort and money went in to this edition and it is a must for anyone who loves this movie or just loves horror movies. Get it now and dig that cool flurescent green DVD case!! (One thing I forgot to put in my review was the fact that this movie has no region coding so anyone in the world can enjoy Re-Animator without having to worry about region codes! Bravo Elite!!)
Rating: Summary: GOOD GORY FUN........... Review: this horror classic gets the treatment it deserves,this dvds jam packed with goodies,from two different comentary tracks,tons on interviews,its all good,buy it if you like real gory horror
Rating: Summary: Horror Classic Only So-So Review: Evil Dead II has spoiled me forever. The horror in this is a bit over the top, the special effects are, well, effective when they aren't a little funny (okay, so the cat was really scary when I was a kid, but less than compelling as an adult), and the acting is, well, bad. A low-budget classic? Yes. A must-see of cult cinema. Of course! A film you must own so you can watch it again and again? No. Catch it at a party, a midnight movie, with a bunch of friends at midnight before you start a really creepy movie like The Thing or even The House on Haunted Hill, but I wouldn't bother to buy it.
Rating: Summary: "I didn't kill him, I reanimated him" Review: If you like The Night of the Living Dead Trilogy and the Evil Dead trilogy you'll love this. It's got everything to satisfy your demented little and desturbing urges, including, a guy orally rapeing a college student with his decapitated head, a big naked zombie knocking down doors and intestines that leap out and strangle a guy. On top of this, a really good storyline, which is both disturbingly funny and scary and some great dialouge and qoutes. I give it four decapitations, a disembowelment. (five disembowlements is the best).
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