Warner Bros. has restored this full frame film pretty well, cleaning up the print to remove the majority of scratches and spots. A few scenes seem out of place and look like they haven't been touched, but these are short and do not detract from the work done here. A slight layer of grain lies over the proceedings and the overall print is a bit on the soft side, but this is still a wonderful presentation of the film. (***)
This is far from an all-out audio experience, but the Dolby Mono track here is serviceable, especially for a nearly 50-year old film. The hilarious roar of the monsters (partly stolen from "Them!") comes through cleanly, as does all the dialogue. Nothing sounds distorted at any time and that is really all you can ask for. (****)
Though none of the extra features here are about the film itself, stop-motion fans are in for a treat. First is "Stop-Motion Masters," a three-minute feature which features Ray Harryhausen talks about his relationship with Willis O'Brien. "The Animal World" is a spectacular sequence created by both Harryhausen and O'Brien that runs for 11:30. Harryhausen introduces it with a bit of back-story. It's a wonderful sequence and the video quality is stunning.
Peter Peterson gets highlighted here with some great test footage they actually found in his garage. "The Las Vegas Monster" is a short clip showing a strange ape-like monster tearing apart a house, a man, a helicopter, and a truck. Video quality here is actually surprising for being found in a garage. "Beetleman" didn't hold up so well and is quite short, but is still impressive. The entire segment runs for a little over four minutes. Finally you can view some various trailers. (****)
Black Scorpion didn't deserve such a nice DVD release, but who's going to argue about it? If you enjoy the art of stop-motion, this disc needs to be on yourself. The fascinating never before seen footage is worth the price of admission, not to mention there is a full length movie contained here as well.
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