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| Blue Underground (USA). All Regions, NTSC. 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 5.1, English DTS 6.1, English 2.0, English 1.0. 92 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Producer/Director: Larry Cohen
Starring: Michael Moriarty,
David Carradine, Richard Roundtree, Candy Clark.
Screenplay: Larry Cohen
Music: Robert O. Ragland
Tagline: 'Just
call it 'Q' - That's all you'll
have time to say before it tears you apart!'
Country: USA
AKA: The Serpent |
New York city is having a bad time of it. An
as yet unidentified lunatic is roaming the city,
relieving people of their skin and internal organs
in some bizarre ritual (as you do) and ditching
the rather messy looking corpses here, there and
everywhere. Just to further add to the Big Apple's
problems, what is believed to be a giant bird
is picking off roof-top sunbathers, high-rise
construction workers and window cleaners at will,
causing bloody body-parts to rain down on the
bemused pedestrians below. Could the two be connected?
You betcha.
After a little investigating, NYC cop David Carradine
has come up with a theory: The bird in question
is an Aztec Serpent God named Quetzalcoatl, (what
do you mean stupid spell checker - you don't
recognise that?!) - or 'Q' to her
friends. 'Q' has been stirred by the
aforementioned lunatic's skinning/gutting
rituals to feast on the New York population and
generally make a nuisance of herself, (and pop
out a few sproggs for good measure.) Sadly for
Carradine, his immediate superiors are unwilling
to believe his tall tale and so he needs a little
help proving it. The required help is, fortunately,
at hand in the unlikely form of loser, ex-junkie
villain Michael Moriarty, who has actually seen
the Serpent in it's lair, (and used it to
dispose of a couple of criminal associates), perched
at the top of the Chrysler Building. While being
busted for a petty crime, Moriarty hears of Carradine's
predicament and offers to cut a deal with the
NYPD - he will lead them to the creature in exchange
for a pardon for his crimes and, opportunist that
he is, seizes the chance to make a quick buck
(well, a million of them to be exact), out of
the situation. The deal is done and Carradine,
Moriarty and a few dozen, armed-to-the-teeth police
officers trudge up to the top of the Chrysler
Building to dispose of NYC's unwanted visitor.
Well, that's the idea anyway…
Q - The Winged Serpent certainly
has a lot going for it - just about everyone loves
monster movies, so that's a pretty good
start but what sets Q apart from the pack is the
quality of the writing, direction and the performances
of the cast, (check out the cast list again, there
are some big names there.) Cohen's script
is sharp, well written and fast moving and his
direction is equally assured; he makes the most
of some great looking New York locations and throws
in a fair few dizzying shots from the top of the
Chrysler Building, (vertigo sufferers will want
to look away on more than one occasion!) Special
mention must also go to the film's music
score - it really is cool. Sounding a little like
a '50's science-fiction movie soundtrack
(intentionally, I guess), it fits the bill perfectly,
especially the excellent theme tune. The special
effects are decent enough, (in that cheesy 'B'-movie
kind of way), especially when you consider that
the film was made for around a million dollars
and is approaching 25 years old - although Cohen
restricts the viewer to brief glimpses of the
Serpent until the very end of the movie. (Anyhow,
don't you all just love those corny old
special effects?) Cast wise, Carradine is great
as the NYC cop and is given excellent support
from Richard Roundtree, but the real star of the
show, in front of the camera at least, is Moriarty
- his performance is nothing short of superb.
Simultaneously coming across as both pathetic
and funny, Moriarty steals every scene he is in
and plays his loser character so effectively you
almost feel sorry for him, especially during the
scene where Carradine is attempting to talk him
into revealing the Serpent's location before
the million bucks is handed over - Moriarty babbles
away with bug-eyed excitement, almost talking
himself out of his windfall while the viewer can
only watch and cringe in pity.
I really can't criticise this movie on
any level - it does exactly what it says on the
tin and does it especially well with a great script,
great cast and great direction. True, it is a
'B' movie through and through but
who cares? It doesn't pretend to be anything
else and is thoroughly entertaining for the whole
of it's 92 minute runtime. Give me Q in
preference to Godzilla and similar Hollywood drivel
anytime, thank you very much. |
| Video |
| 'A stunning new Widescreen transfer from the original
negative' is how the blurb on the back of
the case describes what is on offer here and Q does
indeed look pretty good. There is a moderate amount
of grain present throughout but it's hardly
intrusive and doesn't spoil the viewing experience
in the slightest. There are one or two, very brief,
instances when the colour is a touch lacking and
some viewers might notice an, again very infrequent,
lack of detail in the transfer but, on the whole,
this is a decent quality transfer considering the
age of the movie. The print used is in good shape
and almost completely free of damage. |
| Audio |
| Blue Underground spoil us again with a choice
of four soundtracks. 5.1, DTS, stereo and the original
mono soundtrack. Each track is clean and sharp with
regards to music, dialogue and sound effects. The
soundtrack is especially effective during the high-rise
scenes with wind whooshing all around. Good work. |
| Extra Features |
| The main extra on offer is a commentary track
featuring Larry Cohen and Bill Lustig. The two
chaps chatter away like the old friends that they
are and pack the track with loads of interesting
and amusing facts. Cohen tells of how he was fired
from a major Hollywood feature and decided to
shoot his own movie instead - racing through pre-production
for Q in an astonishing one week. Other amusing
stories include tales of shooting at the top of
skyscrapers during power failures, (in the dark,
no-less), and hair-raising, night-time helicopter
trips through the New York skyline to film the
Serpent's POV shots. The commentary is never
boring and is easily one of the most interesting
and informative tracks I have heard in a long
time.
The usual trailer follows next. I must admit
it's a pretty lousy trailer, in my humble
opinion at least, but it's included all
the same. Next up is a comprehensive, and very
interesting, biography of Larry Cohen and a short-ish
gallery of behind-the-scenes photographs and promo
art. Lastly we have some DVD-ROM goodies in the
form of some trade and press releases, text interviews
with the people involved in the movie and other
promo materials.
The menus are animated and scored and the disc
comes complete with a poster reproduction inlay
which also carries the chapter listing.
All in all, a nice selection of bonus goodies
- heck, even the cover art is cool. |
| The Verdict |
I'll happily confess that Q is one of the most entertaining movies I've
seen in many a month, it really is terrific fun
and, happily, it also manages to avoid many of this
particular sub genre's usual shortcomings
as performances both in front of, and behind the
camera are top-notch. Add to this the fact that
Blue Underground have, once again, gone the extra
mile to provide customers with a value for money
package and you have a release that comes highly
recommended for those looking for a little undemanding
entertainment.
Got something else to say? Spill your guts on the
Digital Retribution Message Forum! |
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