Rating: 
Summary: Why is everyone in a fuss?
Review: I got my box set yesterday and it came in perfect condition. Not one disc scratched. I wonder what's going on.
Anyway, this disc is recommended to ANYONE that has a love for old, classic monster movies, 14 films, some are true classics of cinema, others are just plain fun, but all of them are entertaining. The DVD's also include great documentaries on the making of each of the original monster films, audio commentaries, photo galleries, trailers and more. I have to admit, I would prefer it if each film had it's own dvd, but I guess I can't complain much. The 3 busts are also very well made.
This is a home run, hopefully there will be box sets for THe Invisible Man, The Mummy and The Creature from the Black Lagoon in the near future. And if they bring busts, that's a plus, too.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad Disk
Review: I have read some of the reviews that complain about the quality and sound of the disks but the biggest problem I am having is trying to get a replacement for the second Frankenstein disk. That disk was loose in the case and was badly scratched.I received the original disks on May 6 and Amazon said the replacement will be delivered on the 12th. By the 14th and still no disks I contacted Amazon. They said the set was in short supply and would ship the replacement between May 25 and June 2.
I wanted to just return the Frankenstein set but they said no you have to send the whole thing back. I wonder what my odds are to get all 6 disks in good condition? Overall I think this set is a good value but the problem with scratched disks and the long delays in getting a replacement makes me wonder.
Rating:
Summary: Please Everyone Be Quiet!!!
Review: This set is $55.99. Yes, that's right, $55.99 for 14 movies and 3 wonderful busts. Instead of enjoying these classic movies, no one has anything better to do than complain. For anyone who just enjoys watching an old time monster movie, this set is perfect for you. You can watch the whole chronology of the big three unfold and not miss a beat. I was a business major, so perhaps my "untrained eye" is not picking up what say, a film major would pick up. But let's keep in mind these films are anywhere from 59-73 years old! We should be grateful we have them at all... So, instead of complaining about compression and the like, let's revel in it's intended purpose: to give us an appreciation of an awesome genre. If your disc is scratched, another great thing about this set is that the sets are each individually found in the box in the same manner as they are for sale per unit. Say you have a scratch on a Frankenstein disc... keep the 3 busts, the display box, the Dracula set, and the Wolf Man set... just exchange the Frankenstein set and you're good to go. Really not that difficult folks! Let's enjoy this wonderful set instead of whining!
Rating: 
Summary: Not Remastered, Just Scratched
Review: After I placed an order with Amazon, I read the reviews here. I saw a flood of complaints that the discs were loose in the case, and cancelled the order in time. Then I went to the store and bought it, so that I would have a chance to tilt the box and see if any discs were loose. Well, a number of boxes had this problem, but I managed to find one that had all of the DVDs properly held in place.
When I got home, however, I found to my dismay that the 2nd disc of Frankenstein, though perfectly-seated, had a huge scuff that went almost all the way across the disc!
I got a replacement, and there are still some small scratches/nicks that have not affected disc play so far. However, the bonus Frankenstein disc is being damaged when I remove it from the case. They have done something wrong, because I have to pry it HARD to get it loose, so much that I have to BEND the disc somewhat every time I remove it. You know that this is not good for a DVD. The problem is NOT the case...I put a different (kung fu) disc in the same holder, and it removes easily.
As to quality, the Dracula print (the only one I've watched all the way through so far) is extremely lacking. The sound is so faint that you have to really crank up the volume to hear it. Even then, I found myself going back and turning on the subtitles to catch parts of conversations. The picture quality is muddy, not sharp, only slightly better than I would expect from a public domain or Madacy copy. Unfortunately, you can't get a refund on DVDs you don't like, so I am stuck. I will be looking on eBay for the 2000 Classic Monster Collection DVD set, which by all accounts is a better presentation of these classic films than what we have here. Normally, new editions are supposed to improve on their predecessors, but this set is a giant step backwards. You have been warned.
Rating:
Summary: .The Monster Legacy DVD Gift Set
Review: This is by far, the best available offering of the classic movies, Frankenstein, Dracula and The WolfMan. I have been collecting Horror genre stuff for a long time (Not as long as "Uncle Forry". This is a must buy for the serious collector. The busts are "out of this world"
Rating:
Summary: Made for Serious & Quality Collectors
Review: This is a gorgeous dvd gift set for true collectors! Besides those three gothic monster legacy DVDs (you may find my reviews on each DVD separately), this gift set includes three exclusive museum quality collectible busts featuring authentic portraits of Frankenstien, Dracula, and The Wolf Man. Each unique collectible is hand-cast in heavy weight polystone and hand-painted to the highest standard from the award-winning Sideshow Collectibles Creative Team (www.sideshowcollectibles.com). You will be amazed the professional details and perfect paint jobs done on these exclusive busts. They're definitely not toys but for serious quality collectors. If you're one of the classic monsters fans, this is a no doubt irresistible gift set you should own.
Rating:
Summary: Awful Quality Control
Review: I wish I had read the reviews here before I purchased this collection. Everything they said is true: the quality is poor. When it arrived, several discs were loose, and all were scratched to the point of being unplayable. Thinking it was just a bad set, I returned it to Amazon and received my replacement set. It was just as bad. All but one disc damaged and unplayable. There is no excuse for quality control this poor by Universal, or Amazon, or whoever is at fault. I suggest that before you buy a set, try it out in the store.
Rating:
Summary: The Monster Legacy....and Shipping
Review: Well, first off I just wanted to say that I love any of these old movies from Universal, but anyway. The Monster Legacy Collection, I think was a really great Idea, Yet now we get to the packaging. When I recieved my "Box" i thought oh wow this is going to be fun to open but when i opened it, i thought i heard a loose disc. And it was a loose disc yet from one my favorites, "Dracula" I was pretty pissed off but any way Buy This Collection it does pay off these movies are great and this is a great colection to own
Rating: 
Summary: DVD's are fine/Where is the Mummy?
Review: I have had this set for close to a week now and after reading some of the reviews, I wanted to check out several of the films before submitting my comments. I haven't seen the initial DVD releases of these movies, so this may be a case of "what I don't know doesn't hurt me" so to speak, but I think the visual and audio quality are fine (yes even with Dracula). They are definitely at least as good (and probably better) when comparing them to what was/is presented on cable television and I have never had any complaints when watching and listening to these films through that medium (no, I did not have a crappy television set). Many of these movies are after all, almost three generations removed from us. Speaking of generations past, one reviewer was dissappointed that Dracula's groans were not to be heard. I have mixed feelings on that. I do realize this would have provided a slight enhancement to the film to have them included for their dramatic impact, but then another part of me is glad that the film is presented in a form as close as possible to the way that audiences had viewed it back in 1931. With that in mind (and as a minor point) I would have preferred that Universal did not include their color opening that precedes each film. Just the original airplane around the globe or what have you (depending on the year) would have done just nicely. As far as physical damage to the DVD's themselves, I was one of the fortunate ones to not have this happen to me. From what I have seen, they all play fine (which is unusual for me because I often have bad luck with DVD purchases). I had to take back The Planet of the Apes The Evolution Set twice because one of the discs would not play properly. I want to thank one of the reviewers for his advice to gently scratch the protruding plastic from the trays that hold the DVD's. They are definitely an accident waiting to happen and are one of the reasons why I gave the set a 4 and not a 5.
The primary reason that I can't give a perfect rating is the exclusion of The Mummy. I know of course that this set has been released as a tie in to Van Helsing but that is still no reason whatsoever to not include the five films of The Mummy series. Unlike a comment from another reviewer, it is the big four, not the big three. Assuming that The Mummy series will eventually be released as a future installment to The Legacy Collection then I will stick with my rating of 4, but if it turns out that Universal never releases them as part of the set then I will have to revise that to a 3, due to the collection being permanently incomplete. While the Invisible Man series could and probably should be included in the future, those movies are in the horror genre based on how they are perceived in a figurative sense. Literally speaking, it is really science fiction. As for The Creature From the Black Lagoon, although it is from a different era, that series should also be included as a supplementary addition. To give it justice however, Universal must offer it in 3-D (including a set of blue and red 3-D glasses) so that the series can be enjoyed as it was when audiences had originally seen it in theatres.
Another reviewer wondered why the trailer for The Wolf Man was not included and I was wondering about that as well. I know it does exist however, as I have see it on a VHS cassette called (on the box) Wolfman a Cinematic Scrapbook and (on screen) called The Wolfman Chronicles put out by Rhino Video. For this copy at least, it is a little rough in shape. It may be that there is no better print in existence or possibly that it is a case of Universal no longer owning the rights to it and not bothering to reacquire them.
Rating:
Summary: At Least the Movies are on DVD!
Review: You can imagine how scared I was to open up my monster collection after hearing all these stories about the disc being scared and ruined due to bad packening. But I opened and they were all FINE, I just wanted to report one success story in that department. The DVDs disc were perfect.However, I owned the last DVD released of Dracula and there IS a difference in audio. I had to turn the volume all the way up so that I could hear the new score, that wasn't a problem on the last DVD. However the Dracula print seemed the same as the last one, no difference there. Overall, I'm just happy to have all these great movies on DVD, finally! Hopefully Universal will release all the other classic horror films on DVD soon (ex: The Raven, The Black Cat, etc.)!!!
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