Captured and imprisoned for scientific study, a living "amphibious missing link" becomes enamored with the head researcher's female assistant (Adams). When the hideous creature escapes and kidnaps the object of his affection, a crusade is launched to rescue the helpless woman and cast the terrifying creature back to the depths from which he came. Featuring legendary makeup artist Bud Westmore's brilliantly designed monster, Creature From The Black Lagoon is an enduring tribute to the imaginative genius of its Hollywood creators. (Tricia Spears)
The Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection boxed set features eight films: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Bride Of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Phantom Of The Opera, and Creature Of The Black Lagoon. A 48-page book featuring behind-the-scenes photographs, original posters, correspondence, and more is included in the set. Special features on Creature From The Black Lagoon In 3D! include commentary with Film Historian Tom Weaver; Back To The Black Lagoon (SD 39:40); Production Photographs; a trailer gallery featuring Creature From The Black Lagoon, Revenge Of The Creature, and The Creature Walks Among Us; 100 Years Of Universal: The Lot (HD 09:25); and My Scenes.
The 1080p MVC 3D picture is presented in black and white and in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio of the original theatrical release. This is a real trip back to the earliest days of 3D. The picture quality is remarkably good, with excellent depth and perspective throughout, even in the murky underwater scenes. The occasional out-of-screen effect is gimmicky, but fortunately is limited to a few spear gun lunges, a bat out of Dracula's lair, and the creature extending his arms. Otherwise, the 3D exhibits natural depth and character volume, as well as scale. For a film that was released theatrically 58 years old, this is a fine restoration that even achieves an impressive level of resolution and decent gray scale balance. (Gary Reber)
The original theatrical soundtrack was produced in monaural, using the Western Electric Recording system. The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 2.0-channel soundtrack is dual monaural. The sound quality is dated, with distortion particularly evident in the music score. Dialogue, however, is always intelligible and nicely presented. Overall, this is an undistinguished monaural soundtrack that is indicative of the quality of the day. (Gary Reber)