Cheap Creature from the Black Lagoon (Video) (Richard Carlson, Julie Adams) (Jack Arnold) Price

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Customer Reviews of Creature from the Black Lagoon

Well worth the wait...Except...
When the DVD series of the classic Universal Monster movies first came out I was very dissappointed to see that my personal favorite, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, was not among the initial batch released (Dracula, The first two Frankensteins, The Mummy, and The Wolf Man. I was happy to find out that The Gill Man was slated to be included in the second batch of Monster DVD's and began counting the months until I could get my hands on it. I bought my copy on the day of release and it was well worth the wait. Universal has given the Creature the same royal treatment as the earlier classic monster releases by adding some extras, including a 40 minute documentary about the making of the film, featuring interviews with both men who played the creature as well as the still lovely Julie Adams. There is also an excellent, amusing, and informative commentary by Sci-Fi film expert Tom Weaver that you can select to run with the film. It is these additions as well as a photo archive and the stunning quality of the picture on DVD that make this package head over heels a better buy for the Creature fan than the long available VHS version of the film.

My only quibble, and the reason I didn't give the DVD 5 stars, is that there would have been room on the DVD to include the seldom seen 3D version of the movie. When I found out the movie was coming out on DVD I thought this would be a natural thing for Universal to do. After all, the DVD of Dracula included the complete Spanish version of that film, which was shot concurrently with the Bela Lugosi film (many think the spanish version turned out as the superior film) so why not give us both versions of the creature? True, 3D doesn't work the best over television and you've got to wear the funky, headache inducing, glasses but why not give the viewer the chance to at least get an idea of what it was like to see the film in 3D. Everyone in the documentary talks about how awesome the film was in 3D and I would imagine the 3D version of the film must still exist in a vault somewhere (this film was briefly made available in 3D on VHS many years ago).

Still this is a minor complaint and shouldn't take away from how great this DVD package is. If you are a fan this movie, or of 50's sci-fi, I don't think you'll regret spending the money on this DVD. Even if you already own it on VHS the extras alone are worth the price of the purchase. This is the one true classic of the "Man in the Rubber Suit" monster movies and it has finally been given a fitting and deserved tribute with the release of this DVD. I love it. Now when can we expect "Revenge" and "Walks Among Us" on DVD?

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THE GILL-MAN OF THE AMAZON.....
Probably the most celebrated monster film of the 50's (it even had a small role in "The Seven Year Itch"), "Creature from the Black Lagoon" deserves re-issue along with it's two sequels "Revenge of the Creature" and "The Creature Walks Among Us". The legendary tale of an ill-fated expedition up the Amazon after the discovery of a humanoid claw fossil remains a favorite for so many reasons. The Gill-Man monster suit and the leading lady Julie Adams are two reasons in my book. The Creature still looks good on film and Adams was the perfect heroine in her short-and-halter top oufits and, of course, that white swim suit. The underwater scenes of the Creature swimming underneath her in the lagoon have stayed in my memory all these years. Director Jack Arnold created a lasting film that may not hold up as well as it once did, but it's a treasure for sci-fi/horror fans all over the world. Richard Carlson and Richard Denning provided the stalwart male drama and heroics but the Creature's pursuit of Julie Adams is what gives this classic that strange sort of sex appeal that lies underneath the terror. It's a beautifully photographed b&w thrill ride for those of us who never get tired of watching it. Out of print? For now maybe. But he'll be back. And maybe with his sequels...

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Should have included a Field Seqential 3-D version!
Not that many people are aware of the Field Sequential 3-D.
This is a 3-D TV system that uses special shutter glasses that can be purchased here through Amazon in a set that includes 3 DVD's using this process. This system Is the only way to view a 3-D film effectively on TV to date. The result is about 90% close to the effect you will see in a theatre showing.. like IMAX and Disney and Universal.
These glasses are made of sturdy plastic and clear not these cardboard red and blue pieces of garbage, so you can view the film without constricted to seeing red and blue colors and with this system you will see more actual 3-D depth with the films true colors.. It's really amazing!
For some add reason the big studios haven't adapted to include a separate version of a 3-D title in this great format.
Films like:
"House of Wax","Kiss Me Kate","Friday the 13th Part 3", "Robot Monster, "Cat Woman on the Moon", "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "Jaws 3" are all now in 2-D DVD, but were originally shown in 3-D and could have been included using the Field Seqential 3-D system on the same disc with the 2-D version.
In Japan in the late 80's there were a few 3-D titles released using Field Sequential and can be found on e-bay converted to DVD and VHS.
Why aren't the studios producing these now!
I boycott any film DVD release that was originally intended to be seen in 3-D that's only presented in a 2-D version or anaglyph (Red and Blue Glasses).

Since this is out of print maybe we can hope that Universal will wake up and produce a new version containing Field Seqential 3-D!
The studios should really be awaken to this great 3-D system.