Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection [Blu-ray]

This is one of the few box-sets that contain only very good-to-great films and all with very good-to-excellent transfers.1.The oldest (from February of 1931) is the original "Dracula" with Bela Lugosi, and it is a wonderful experience --Not only is Lugosi the perfect vampire, but Dwight Frye is marvelous as the mad Renfield and Edward Van Sloan is perfect as Van Helsing.Outside an excellent 35mm film print (a perfect film print that was printed in 1996) of this classic -- that I saw projected in Durham, NC, early in 2012,this Blu-ray high def transfer is the best way to see the movie.Despite this restoration on this disc, I do think the 35mm print was slightly superior, and that really surprised me as I had been told that all elements of this film were in terrible shape --Well, there must have been some better materials around when the 1996 film print was made.2."Frankenstein" (from November of 1931) with Boris Karloff looks excellent here (and I have seen a 35mm film print of it as well -- And it was excellent -- but this is a match for it in quality).3."The Mummy" is a big pleasant surprise here, as this transfer looks as good as any film that I have ever seen from this era. This is the 1932 original with Boris Karloff, and I was not expecting such a fantastic restoration!4.Perhaps my favorite of the movies here is the 1933 original classic with Claude Rains as "The Invisible Man" (and this Blu-ray high definition transfer is the best that I have ever seen this film look). It is a real pleasure to see such a great film looking this good, and it was badly in need of a restoration effort.5.1935's "Bride of Frankenstein" also looks great, and better than a 35mm film print that I saw of it this year (2012). Yes, this is the best that I have experienced this film. This film would be my 2nd favorite film in this set. As an incredible and exciting monster movie, there is nothing else like it, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. This is the only Frankenstein film that really gets you in touch with the monster (again played by Boris Karloff), and the entire cast is amazing. Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Pretorius is the most perfect mad scientist of all time.6.1941's "The Wolf Man" has a great cast: Not only is Lon Chaney Jr excellent in the title role, but, from Claude Rains playing his father to Bela Lugosi in a small part as the Gypsy who puts the curse upon Chaney, this is great stuff. I saw a 35mm print of this film earlier in 2012, and it was somewhat better than this high def version. This looks to be the only film in the set that did not get a new high def transfer -- It looks to be an older high definition transfer that was used for earlier standard def DVD mastering. Still, it looks very good.7.Some people have complained about the transfer on the next film in this set, the 1943 version of "The Phantom of the Opera" -- Well, the green is slightly out of registration, but, for the most part, this film looks excellent. It is the only color film in this set, and it is glorious Technicolor. While this film may not look good projected large on front screen home projectors, it looks incredibly good (for most shots, no, not all) on my 55" Panasonic Plasma. In fact, while this film is not anywhere near the classic status as are the previous 6 films listed, it now looks so good that one (such as myself, that was always disappointed in it), well, one has to somewhat re-evaluate the movie. Realizing the desire for such high-brow music/sets/staging as audiences craved in the 1940's, one can really come to appreciate this film with its gorgeous colors. This is somewhat how a good (no, not perfect) Technicolor print would have looked at the time. I think most people with an HDTV no larger than 65" will really find themselves capitivated by the beauty of this Technicolor image, and I have never seen this film look anywhere near as good as it looks here -- Some shots are really beautiful eye-candy.8.The final disc/film is 1954's "The Creature From the Black Lagoon" -- Well, my Panasonic 55VT30 is a 55 inch 3D HDTV, and I have watched this film that way several times (yes, with friends) since getting the disc. There is also a standard 2D high def version for those who cannot see it in 3D (And note that this is not the anaglyph red/blue or pink/green glasses 3D: This is 3D Blu-ray that is shown like the film originally looked when it was released in Polarized 3D back in 1954). Now, a note here, there were red/blue anaglyph 35mm prints of this movie made in 1972 and they did show in theaters (and I have seen it that way a couple of times, as well as an awful looking 16mm print with red/blue glasses), and that is a very poor experience compared to Polarized 3D (as I did see it once in 35mm Polarized 3D) -- Seeing the film on this 3D high definition Blu-ray is pretty much the way that audiences saw it nearly 60 years ago (likely, it is better here than most people saw it even then), and it is a real thrill. While it is not a perfect 3D restoration (and a few tweaks by Universal's people could have made it so), I still like it so much that I have yet to watch the regular 2D high definition version that is also included. The Creature is not in the classic class of the first 6 films of this set, but it is still a fun movie. The Creature costume remains pretty high tech even compared to the 'man-in-a-suit' things we get today, as it just looks so darn good: No seams, no zippers, no nonsense. The Creature really is a classic monster.8.1.Note that the Dracula disc also contains the 1931 Spanish language version of Dracula (which is a half hour longer than the Lugosi version and with an entirely different cast). For me, it pales in comparison to the Bela Lugosi version (although there are a few shots that are a bit better and provide some interest, and the ending has a more satisfying statement from the Van Helsing character that makes you understand why he is remaining behind while the others leave -- I mention this because it seems a bit odd in the Lugosi version that Van Helsing remains behind, and the last line(s) given here by Helsing help to end that bit of confusion at the end).Also, the Lugosi version has the option of listening to an alternate music score while watching the movie, but I wish Universal Pictures would get rid of that awful droning thing (and never before have I asked for less and not more). It is terrible and totally destroys the mood of the film, and, therefore, I recommend you watch the movie only with the original soundtrack.Okay, all that said, this is the best box set of films that I have ever purchased. Classic movies with great looking high definition transfers. Yes, you can buy it cheaper at Amazon.uk, and it will play in the USA (since it is not region locked) as a friend of mine purchased the UK version and brought it over to compare with my USA version purchase -- Yep, they play and look the same regardless of the region or the packaging. Anyway, this is a great package and I hope that Universal will continue doing this kind of excellent work.

Where to start ... If you are a fan of the Universal monster classics, this is the starting point for expansion of these kinds of films in your DVD collection. I received the 8-pack as a Christmas present and it's one of the best gifts I ever received. All the films in this collection are perfectly restored and there are special documentaries on the making of each film included on each DVD. I already owned most of these films on VHS, but it is well worth upgrading to DVD. The restored version of "Frankenstein," for instance, not only contains the scene where the monster tosses little Maria into the lake, but the dialogue where Henry Frankenstein declares that he knows what it feels like to be God is restored, as well. The clarity of all the films is stunning. The "Phantom of the Opera" with Claude Rains, while it doesn't compare to the 1925 Lon Chaney version, is still a pretty good shocker. There could have been a little less singing in it, but it does contain a fine performance by Rains, nonetheless. I do wish "The Creature From the Black Lagoon" was offered in 3-D, but it still remains a fine film without the effect. "The Invisible Man" is one of my favorites of the collection and it never looked better. Rains is superb as the manaical scientist who goes insane along with being invisible after experimenting with a radical drug. "The Mummy" is great. Boris Karloff is superb as the revived Egyptian priest Im-Ho-Tep. Fans of the new Mummy films should see the original with Karloff to be surprised by the source of the original concept. My very favorite film is "The Bride of Frankenstein." This is not only the greatest horror film of all time, it's one of the best movies of all time, period. An exciting score, lots of monster action, crazed scientists ... this one contains it all. "The Wolf Man" and "Dracula" round out the rest of the films offered here to make it the best monster movie DVD collection ever.