This Blu-ray from BayView Entertainment is currently available and features 2D and 3D presentations of the movie.
Believe it or not, 3D films have existed since the 1920s. However, it wasn’t until the 1950s that the format really took off. In fact, this era is considered the Golden Age of 3D movies and included some excellent titles like Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), House of Wax (1953) and Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder (1953). There were also some independent oddities, like the notorious Robot Monster (1953), which became a cult classic for all the wrong reasons. In celebration of its 70th anniversary, BayView Entertainment is releasing an incredible new Blu-ray with a restored image and 3D-playing capabilities that have long been unavailable to fans.
The movie features a bizarre storyline about an alien invader known as Ro-Man who wipes out all of humanity, with the exception of a professor and seven other individuals who are immune to its death ray. Ro-Man decides to take a hands-on approach to murdering the last holdouts. Unfortunately, a plucky child turns out to be quite a problem for the villain (at least until a surprising turn of events during the climax). Additionally, the creature isn’t helped by the fact that he appears to be in love with the professor’s daughter. The dialogue is wooden and the movie struggles to make any logical sense, but the film’s most notable feature is the Ro-Man itself. The cash-strapped production forced the use of a man in a gorilla suit and a giant helmet (that looks like something from a diver’s suit) with antennae.
The movie is every bit as bonkers as you might imagine, which is what makes it so entertaining. From the bizarre behavior of the humans, to the equally odd reasoning of Ro-Man, to the bargain basement effects (one piece of Ro-Man’s equipment is a bubble-machine that frequently sends bubbles floating across the screen), the film’s antagonist is hilarious to behold and movie offers unintentional laughs throughout. Yet, as mentioned, it is a fun bad movie, moving at a quick pace and delivering laughs consistently. That, and it’s extremely low-budget, actually made the independent flick profitable during its original release. As a result, this reviewer remembers it fondly from his childhood staying up late and watching monster movies on TV.
Prints of the film have always looked abysmal, with scratches and other issues. And while the movie was shot in 3D and initially projected using a polarized, dual-strip process involving two prints, these copies disappeared, making this version of the movie impossible to find for decades. In the 1990s, a proper version was finally discovered, but required an incredible amount of restoration work. Recently, that work has been completed and the finished product is now available on Blu-ray.
The results are nothing less than astounding.
The disc presents a 2D version, an anaglyph dual-strip 3D edition (with red and cyan glasses – one set is included in the package), and an upgraded BD3D version compatible with new televisions that have this capability. This reviewer watched the anaglyph 3D edition with glasses and, as surprised as I am to admit it, the movie is beautifully shot with incredible 3D images, even when viewed with the old-fashioned glasses. There had always been rumors that the photography was better than it had been given credit for and this claim is proved conclusively. Everything is crystal clear and the shots really do pop out of the screen. Ro-Man and the human survivors almost seem to jump out of the television (and the bubbles also create an interesting visual effect) and the 3D works better than in many major studio pictures of the period. Of course, the story and still as preposterous as ever, but the visuals accompanying it are dazzling. It makes an enjoyably silly movie all the more entertaining to watch.
The picture alone would be more than enough to justify its purchase, but there are hours of extras features that are equally fun. This includes a recently discovered 3D intro to the movie (that is now included in the presentation) involving comedian “Slick Slaven” doing a routine in front of a hastily thrown up blanket. As you might expect, you can watch an intriguing 2D featurette about discovering the movie print in a vault, as well as this forgotten intro and the performer who appeared in it. Apparently, he was thrilled by its discovery and managed to appear at a few screenings of the film before his passing.
2D extras also include Joe Dante from Trailers from Hell discussing the movie while the trailer plays. He notes that part of the weirdness is that, despite the dark story, the film was actually made for kids. Dante thinks that while the director’s career struggled as a result of the picture’s notorious reputation, no one else would done any better with the material. There’s a great bit explaining the picture’s double-film process used during shots of the Earth’s destruction. Viewers who blinked and closed an eye would see different images of destruction. It actually works in this release and creates an interesting effect.
Additionally, the Blu-ray includes a film historian commentary that provides plenty of interesting information about the production. You’ll also get a video for a song inspired by the picture and its restoration, as well as lengthy memorabilia gallery and trailers for other 3D pictures from the era. Curiously enough, there is also a Bela Lugosi network television appearance included that does have a connection to the rise of 3D cinema and the feature.
My personal favorite extras are the 3D ones, including a 3D interview with the youngest star of the picture recounting his experiences on the shoot. But the highlight is a curated vintage slide presentation from Stereoscopic Anthropologist Hilary Hess, who presents three-dimensional photographs from the era. Some of the images are incredible, almost putting you in the shot and making you feel like you have traveled back in time. The disc also comes with a pair of 3D shorts, images from a 3D comic book using the blinking effect and much more.
Admittedly, many of these features are all included together as a single file, but chapter stops will help the viewer find a favorite bonus.
I expected a good transfer of the movie, but this 3D Blu-ray completely wowed me. The film presented looks astounding and some of the bonuses are just as incredible. Robot Monster was always an enjoyably cheesy B-movie, but this release really shows some of the technical skill that went into it. The footage was almost lost forever and it’s a miracle that it was recovered and is now being shared with the world.
This is an outstanding release and those involves should not only be applauded, but also supported in their future endeavors. If you get the chance, be sure to pick up the Robot Monster 3D Blu-ray!