Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Ok... I know what you're thinking... "Why should I buy these two Munster movies on DVD AGAIN?" Well, despite the fact that the packaging is stupid and ugly. Despite the fact that there are NO bonus extras of any kind. Despite the fact that there aren't even any trailers or chapter stops. It doesn't matter. These new digital transfers make seeing "Munster, Go Home" and "The Munsters Revenge" an ENTIRELY new viewing experience.
I've loved "The Munsters" since it's CBS premiere in 1964. I have every episode on 16mm as well as on DVD. I even have a 16mm print of "Munster, Go Home" in IB Technicolor! NOTHING compares to Universal's crisp, new transfer! Watching the film in in its widescreen 16x9 theatrical aspect ratio was cool enough. But the colors! WOW! Herman is REALLY GREEN. Eddie's costume is a deep PURPLE. Lily's cheeks are BLUE. The clarity. The focus. Awesome! Even the sound is crisp and clear. When compared side-by-side to the earlier Good Times DVD, the visual difference is shocking. The Good Times transfer is muddy, contasty and just plain crumby by comparison. The only SLIGHT drawback is the trade-off in aspect ratios. The Munsters series and "Munster, Go Home" was shot in 35mm 1.33::1 aspect ratio. Basically the same as what you see on TV. In 1966, the film would have been shown in theaters cropped at the top and bottom to approximate a widescreen or "cinematic" look. In other words, "Munster, Go Home" would have been shot in a 4x5 or "Flat" aspect ratio but was designed to be cropped for movie theaters. This is the aspect ratio Universal has chosen for this transfer. The Good Times DVD preserves the full frame, so you do get more picture information on the top and bottom. Nevertheless, this DVD gives you about 5% more picture information on each side of the frame and, because a widescreen TV will "blow up" the image to fill the screen, the overall effect is just like seeing the film in a theater in 1966. Better, actually; because not even a 35mm IB Technicolor print could match this transfer for sharpness.
"Munster's Revenge" is similarly sharp and clear, although it is presented as it was always intended to be seen: in a 4x3 or "flat" aspect ratio. Unfortunately the increased picture and sound quality can't make up for the fact that "The Munster's Revenge" is just plain painful to sit through. Produced in 1981 as an NBC TV movie, the film reunited Fred Gwynne, Yvonne DeCarlo and Al Lewis just a mere 15 years after the series cancellation in 1966. Nevertheless, the script is weaker than a cobweb and creakier than a coffin lid. The actors look old and bloated. The incredibly sharp Gwynne/Lewis comedy timing is all but gone (save for a genuinely funny scene where they sport drag in an Italian restaurant). DeCarlo is sadly overweight, a fact hardly hidden by long black hair, billowing shrouds and careful lighting. Gwynne's makeup is also uneven. Just watch how his headpiece changes shape and size from scene to scene. Only rarely do we see glimpses of the old Munster magic. Because this story was supposed to take place 2-3 years after "Munster, Go Home", it was decided to recast the roles of Butch Patrick and Pat Priest.
According to Fred Gwynne, NBC had hoped a good rating would justify bring "The Munsters" back as an NBC prime time series. CBS was so threatened, they put "The Wizard of Oz" on opposite it. They needn't have worried. K.C. Martel as Eddie looks like a poor kid's Scott Baio. He looks so strange it reminds you of just how cool Butch Patrick really was. (Proof that not every 13 year old boy can get away with wearing knickers, face paint and a Little Lord Fauntleroy jacket!) Jo MacDonnell as Marilyn looks the part, but that's about it. According to IMDb her last professional acting credit was in 1987. Too bad she didn't quit before she took this part! Look for Munsters series director (and former child star) Ezra Stone in a supporting part. Lots of old "McHale's Navy" performers, too. Bob Hastings does a credible job as a new family member referred to by Yvonne DeCarlo as "Cousin Phantomoftheopera." (Yep... You heard me correctly.) Former funny-man from the 50s Sid Caesar should have stayed home. Likewise Howard Morris. It seems like the writers ran out of material to fill a 90 minute time period so the actors just ham it up to kill time. The pacing is similarly dreadful. Leaden is a better word. Bad puns like "I'll drink to that" lie there like corpses.
But, in fairness, I remember that NBC ran "The Munsters Revenge" in 1981 with a laughtrack -- so that it would seem like a vintage episode of the series. Editing for a laughtrack requires that "laugh pad" is added after a joke so that the canned laughs have a chance to subside. The problem is, by taking the track out, all Universal has done is expose bad jokes for what they are... BAD. But the poor comic timing isn't Gwynne and Lewis' fault. Bad editing and weak writing will make even the best actor look like Ben Affleck in "Pearl Harbor." (Now THAT's scary!)
Ah, who cares! Munsters are great! Munsters rule! And this DVD combo is a must have - no matter its shortcomings! (For extras, by the way, check out "The Munsters: America's First Family of Fright" DVD from Image Entertainment. It's the perfect companion!)
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Munsters: Two-Movie Fright Fest - (Franchise Collection) - (Munster, Go Home & The Munsters' Revenge) (1966)
MUNSTERS:TWO MOVIE FRIGHT FEST - DVD Movie
