Review(s): DVD Superman - The 1948 & 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection
CRAPPY PICTURE QUALITY
I HAVE THE ORIGINAL VHS VERSIONS OF BOTH SERIALS, AND WAS HOPING FOR
IMPROVED PICTURE QUALITY....WRONG.
THE PICTURE QUALITY IN BOTH SERIALS IS JUST NOT GOOD.
SAVE YOUR DOUGH AND GET A BOOTLEG.
Disappointing quality
It's nice to have this on DVD, and the price is good, but the picture quality is pretty poor. I know the source is old, but that's not enough to explain all of the problems I see. I don't see the defect mentioned by Ford Prefect, but the picture is not very sharp, there are artifacts to the left of vertical boundaries between light and dark areas, and rapid horizontal movement sometimes results in what looks like interlace lines. I would gladly have paid more for remastering and better DVD mastering. *sigh* The quality of the Adventures of Superman DVDs is much better (and even that should have been cleaned up). Boo Warner Brothers.
What's happened to Warner's Quality Control?
Warner has long been the studio that put out quality product, but lately something really bad has happened to their quality control, at least with regard to DC comic characters. First they release the first Justice League Unlimited set with episodes in the wrong order and an audio glitch in the English soundtrack of one episode. Now they put the serial collection out on defective disks. I had been looking forward to this set for a long time and resisted the impulse to buy a bootleg copy on ebay because I knew this set was coming out. What a disappointment to find it defective. Right in the very first chapter of the first serial, as Jor-El is finishing his speech to the council on Krypton, the picture and sound breaks up and pixilates obliterating the picture and dialogue for about 15 seconds as the council votes. It does resume normalcy after that, but I don't know if the problem recurs anywhere else as I stopped watching at that point. At first I thought I just had a defective copy so I exchanged it for a new one. But the same problem occured at exactly the same spot on the second copy. I exchanged it again, this time with less optimism, because experiance has shown me that when this happens on more than one disc it means the whole pressing run is defective. Sure enough, the same problem occured at exactly the same spot, so I know it isn't my DVD player. As I refuse to except this from a legitimate release I simply returned the third copy for a refund. It's sad when a bootleg copy is better than the official studio release. It's even more sad that Warner has let it's quality control go to hell. Most of the other reviews for this DVD were written BEFORE the DVD even came out, so if you haven't bought this set yet be forewarned. You're likely in for a big disappointment.
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The movies in this second collection of Tarzan adventures pass the Samuel L. Jackson Snakes on a Plane title test. Either you want to own a film called Tarzan and the Leopard Woman or you don't. And if you're a fan of the original Tarzan movies, then no doubt you must. These are the last six Tarzan films to star Johnny Weissmuller in the iconic role that spawned a thousand hollers (so ingrained is Carol Burnett's imitation of his signature shout-out that Weissmuller's own performance seems lacking!). Produced for RKO, they are low-budget affairs, but really, who watches Tarzan movies for the production values? The more fake the backdrops and the more obvious the mismatched stock animal footage the better! Tarzan Triumphs (1943) is the best... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Wilhelm Thiele - Kurt Neumann DVD Release Date: Released the 31 October 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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You know, I really had no problem with Lois and Clark getting together. This started with the season 3 premiere, and, like the overall series itself, was handled with a light touch. But after waiting for the wedding (and being led on by the regrettable "on again/off again" story arc in the previous season), the Big Moment was really a letdown. I won't spoil the details for those who haven't seen it, but I think only the most undemanding of fans will be satisfied by the route the writers take.
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On the DVDs Nestled in a metal collector's box decorated with... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Fred M. Wilcox DVD Release Date: Released the 14 November 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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