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Traveta reviews
Pioneer Entertainment
- Cert: R / Unrated
- Cat.no: DVD68940
- Running time: 96 / 97 minutes
- Year: 1989
- Pressing: 1999
- Region(s): 1, NTSC
- Chapters: 20
- Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: None
- Widescreen: 1.85:1 Full Frame: 4:3
- 16:9-Enhanced: No
- Macrovision: No
- Disc Format: DVD 18
- Price: $29.98
- Extras:Audio commentary, deleted scene, behind-the scenes footage,make-up effects, photo gallery, prop gallery, conceptual art,promotional materials and publications.
Director:
- Brian Yuzna
Screenplay:
- Woody Keith and Rick Fry
Cast:
- Dr. Herbert West: Jeffrey Combs
Dr. Dan Cain: Bruce Abbott
Dr. Carl Hill: David Gale
Francesca: Fabiana Udeno
Lt. Chapman: Claude Earl Jones
Gloria/The Bride: Kathleen Kinmont
Dr. Graves: Mel Stewart
Did you ever notice how almost every movie from the 80s has a lackluster sequel?The only exception would have to beAliensbut everything elsewas a poor attempt to cash in and none really achieved the huge hit ofits predecessor. Bride of Re-Animator was an attempt to cash in on a hitfour years later. This movie went straight-to-video though but still, youshouldn’t mess with a movie that doesn’t need a sequel.
The story finds Dan Cain and Herbert West (now doctors – and it’s neverexplained how Herbert suvived the massacre in the first movie) eightmonths after the events of Re-Animator. Dan is still broken over thedeath of his girlfriend, Meg and Herbert develops a plan to bring herback. They retrieve her heart and decide to graft it into a new bodymade from parts of their choosing. Meanwhile, a Lt. Chapman from thepolice is investigating Herbert for connections to the hospitalmassacre. Dr. Cain, the severed head, has found a new partner in theform of Dr. Graves and wants revenge on Herbert for obvious reasons.
Bride of Re-Animator just doesn’t have the same charm to it as itspredecessor. Although the cast has returned, it just isn’t fun anymore.And I still don’t understand why they would want to bring Meg back if itwasn’t her and only her heart. Good special effects, cool re-animatedmonstrosities at the end, and Jeffrey Combs as Herbert save this frombeing a total disaster.
Now this is one of the weirdest picture presentations. Unrated and Rrated versions are housed on seperate sides. But this movie was made forvideo and obviously was done so full-frame. But there is an option, asubtitle option, where 1.85:1 matted bars are selectable. I watched itmatted because there’s too much head room in the full-frame alternative. Butregardless of this unique feature, the transfer is pretty bad. On someDVDs, deleted scenes are taken from workprint and are a little dark andunfocused. This is what the whole movie looks like. It’s blurry and justlooks awful for a DVD release of a movie that’s only 13 years old.Considering how good Re-Animator looks for being 17 years old, thiscould have been great.
The sound is presented in a Dolby Surround 2.0. This is pretty bad aswell, as static can be heard somtimes. It’s fairly tinny too but then insome scenes it comes off real well. That’s basically the gist of thedisc, sometimes good, mostly bad.
Despite the lackluster sound and picture presentation. Pioneer has someput some pretty good extras on here. A commentary with pretty mucheverybody involved is present, a deleted scene, behind- the scenesfootage, make-up effects, galleries, and promotional materials round itout. Not as plentiful as the recent special edition of Re-Animator butgood enough.
Overall, skip the heavy price tag on this one and get the recentRe-Animator: Millenium Editionfor $19.98 instead. Supposedly there is athird Re-Animator coming soon called: Beyond Re-Animator, let’s hopeit’s not as bad as this one.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALLEmailTraveta
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.