Special Effects Collection (BD) [Blu-ray]

Watched 3 out of 4 of these films now -- all via a fine JVC projector on a ten foot screen, and wow! I could not be more pleased. They look better seen this way than they likely did to most viewers in first run theaters back when they were new. Just gorgeous."Them" especially stood out. The rich blacks were carefully calibrated to keep shadow detail, the whites to do likewise but -- especially in the daylight desert scenes -- to glow.Oddly the film was in the 16:9 format, and that means that some top and bottom image had to have been cut. But such was never apparent. Even the titles appeared perfectly framed that way."The Beast from Twenty Thousand Fathoms" has long been another favorite of mine. I saw it, too, in the theater on first release. And it, too, holds up beautifully as mastered here."Mighty Joe Young" is a fun film. One I'd not seen in many, many years. And it, too, was a delight.The packaging was fine. We experienced no issues with the slip case being too tight.The only wish I'd have is for more specials. 'The Beast' had a few. "Them" almost none. All deserve more than a few.Maybe I am showing my age, but these films offer something rarely found today. A sense of joyous wonder. Add that to special effects good enough to not be seen as such, good and witty scripts and fine performances. What more could one wish for for a Sunday matinee?

I'm really "Gurumama" 's husband: What I love most is the quality of the content of each except for "THEM!" To me, "THEM!" seems a little darker and contrastier than the DVD. But otherwise STILL a great film! A lifelong fan of "SON OF KONG", "MIGHTY JOE YOUNG" and "THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS". Still relevant and highly entertaining movies. The bar has been raised with the Blu-Ray versions as they now show more detail thanks to an extra helping of improved half-tones which I much appreciate. This makes them all the more enjoyable for me to watch again and again. A great set of titles for fans of Ray Harryhausen, Willis O'Brien and Warner Brothers science fiction. For people in this league, definitely worth the price to have them. Okay, yes, the slipcase is tight but that's all right by me. I just don't use it. Problem solved. Buyers should know that the "THEM!" disc is formatted for wide screen. Why this is when the other three are full format, I have no idea. Its distracting for me because the original theatrical release was the traditional 1.75:1 aspect ratio. This means a total of 18% of the image has been cut off. Aside from that, I am grateful to Warner Bros. for releasing these four titles, some of my favorites, in Blu-ray versions.

I had read some negative reviews about this set, but wanted these films on Blu Ray if the quality was worth the upgrade. To my eyes, these new Blu Ray transfers look and sound better than their DVD counter parts. Each film looks and sounds about as good as you can expect from films from this era and production costs.The packaging which I had heard so many complain about is actually pretty nice. I admit the outer case was a little tight, but after my second attempt to pull the inner sleeve out it did come out fairly easy. (This may not be the case for each individual case) I also do not have a problem with these types of inner sleeves. I have many with this sort of packaging and my discs look brand new.As for the movies, they all look really good here with nothing to complain about. Them! is a little inconsistent, but considering a lot of this film takes place in a sand storm it is more due to the filming process than the transfer. These movies were made on a small budget and they have never looked better.Son of Kong for me is an underrated little gem, sure it pales in comparison to the original, but it's the first sequel to poke fun at the original ( at least to my knowledge) It starts out smart, with Carl Denem being hounded by bill collector's and being indicted for the deaths and damage caused by Kong. It does get contrived from there, but it is still a very fun film with wonderful special effects and an ending that is very haunting and memorable. The film looked great on DVD, but it does look and sound better here. Unfortunately it does not get any extras other than a trailer. This is a missed opportunity as I think it would be most welcome to fans to learn more about this quick sequel to arguably the greatest giant monster film in the history of cinema.Mighty Joe Young is another underrated classic with even more impressive stop motion and Harryhausen's first feature film. Even though O'Brian was present and takes the credit, it is obvious this is pretty much all Harryhausen just by the character instilled in his stop motion creatures. Once again the film was already available on a great looking DVD, but it is an improvement here both in picture and sound. The extras are decent, but nothing we haven't seen before.The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is another Harryhausen film (technically his first and only solo effort). This is one of the best sc-fi monster films from the 50's with a great monster, solid story and wonderful special effects by the master. With a budget of around $200,000 no one else but Ray Harryhausen could pull this off and it's amazing how well this film holds up. Once again this film is a marked improvement over the DVD release. The extras are carried over from the special edition DVD with nothing added, I'm just glad they carried over the extras from the previous release.The last film on the set is another 50's classic Them! I have always preferred stop motion monsters to puppets and men in rubber suits or props, but the ants are just so vivid in this film, their images have stuck with me my entire life. It's one of the best of it's kind with a great story, special effects and of course great monsters! This film is an improvement over the DVD, but given the conditions this was filmed under, sand storms, dark lit tunnels, there is some grain and inconsistencies here and there. I can't see how anyone could complain about the transfer though as it looks pretty darn good and I doubt it will ever look better. Only a few tid bits here as extras including the trailer.It should be noted that all of the trailers look very good and not nearly as battered as we are used to seeing. Could this set have been better? Yes, there should be more extras and maybe, there could have been a little more attention to the transfers, but really, I'm glad to have them looking this good and I doubt we will see better versions anytime soon if ever. If you're a fan and don't have these films or want to upgrade, BUY IT!

Four films featuring extensive special effects are featured here, all in pristine HD quality and including all previous DVD extras(except other films trailers) are featured:"The Son Of Kong" 1933 sequel to the blockbuster original isn't as good, but still entertaing."Mighty Joe Young" 1949 film is not a sequel, though is made by the same people as "King Kong", also about a large ape, and co-stars Robert Armstrong from both "Kong" pictures."The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" 1953 film based on the Ray Bradbury short story "The Fog Horn" holds up well today, and is nicely done."Them!" 1954 film about giant ants in New Mexico is among the best of its kind ever made, with special effects that hold up superbly today.

Great collection of old sci-fi films. Good transfers, all with subtitles.Transfers are on-par with or better than other transfers for other films of the period.

What you need to know: each film is on a separate disk, the transfers are decent and at times revealing, and there are almost no 'extras.' The film that benefits the most is the poorest. Son of Kong was a relatively fast cheap knock-off. However, the effects often are spectacular on the blu-ray. I have seen the film many times and it never looked this good. Mighty Joe Young has all the detail you'd want. The blacks could have been a bit blacker--a problem on all the disks--but that may be the source material. Beast from 20,000,000 Fathoms and Them both could have had better black levels, but otherwise the balances are fine. Audio is good throughout. The few extras are ones you have seen before if you follow Ray Harryhausen. However, Them has test footage of the life-sized ants, and if you are a Them fanatic, as I am, them there Them extras are worth it. By the way, the films come in built-in cardboard covers. The case is very solid, as is the slipcover, which is a bit tight. The artwork is excellent on the case and interiors.

4 Classic special effects films in all their black and white glory. Remastered and looking beautiful. Low on special features, but it makes for it in pitcher and sound quality. "Son of kong", the sequel to the original 1933 King Kong. "Mighty joe young", the 1949 follow up to the Son of Kong. "Them", the classic story of an attack of giant ants. "The Beast from 20,000 fathoms", classic sea monster movie.

Lots of fun with Them being the standout with a solid script and execution. High price as it is a US import. Not sure why Warner Canada didn't offer a Canadian version.

Two great flicks, Them and Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, one good movie with great special effects, Mighty Joe Young, and a total miss in Son of Kong. Them and Beast are 1950's sci-fi creature classics and warrant being in this collection, Mighty Joe Young is more of a kids movie and just an ok one at that, but has, for its day, excellent special effects, but Son Of Kong was a total rush job to cash in on King Kong's incredible success. The special effects are good, but nothing happens for most of the movie then once they finally get to the island it rushes to a quick end. Warner has the rights to some classic sci-fi/horror movies of the era, a collection with Them, Beast and The Thing From Another World, Doctor X, Phantom of The Rue Morgue (3D), Mystery Of The Wax Museum and a host of Hammer titles including sci-fi classi X-The Unknown. I hope it was just a case of saving the best for last, as this one goes, 5 stars for Them, 4 1/2 Stars for Beast From 20,00 Fathoms, 3 1/2 Stars for Mighty Joe Young and 1 Star for Son of Kong. All four discs get 5 stars for the quality of the transfers, Warner Brothers really came through on that, The transfers are amazing, maxed out bit rates, the detail is incredible, they look better than I even hoped for.