DVD Review: The Crater Lake Monster - Page 2

The print used for this DVD release from Rhino is in surprisingly great shape, with limited damage. Sadly, the grain has been completely removed, and the process was handled poorly. Ghosting is evident in every frame, leading to DNR artifacts on top of the usual compression. Everything is unnaturally smooth and soft, and at times, movement completely obscures faces. The ghosting problem is so awful, you can’t make out anything.

Most of the audio problems stem from the recording process, complete with echoes inside buildings, something a film with a budget could have avoided. The soundtrack, which probably would have been out of place in a movie made in the 1930s, is heavily strained on the high end. Dialogue is hard to hear through much of the film, and turning up the volume only amplifies the problem.

Extras include a trailer. That’s it.

While you could consider him a sort of successor to Ray Harryhausen (who retired in 1981), David Allen never took off or gained the respect of the man he followed. Allen was stuck working on cheaper films without a level of gloss like nearly all of Harryhausen’s films, and that’s a shame. Robot Jox was awesome.

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Article Author: Matt Paprocki

Matt Paprocki is a 12-year movie and game critic. He currently freelances for Blu-ray review site DoBlu.com and video game site MultiPlayerGames.com.

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