Post by Mark (Webmaster) on Sept 2, 2005 12:36:32 GMT
SCANNERS: Trilogy Boxset
(Anchor Bay UK)[/size][/color]
Buy it from AMAZON!
Picture: (all) (1.85:1) enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs
Sound: (all) Stereo 2.0, DD 5.1 and DTS audio
Discs: (all) 1 (DVD 9)
Region: (all) 2
Features:
"Inside Scan" - an in-depth examination of each movie by genre critic Alan Jones.
"The Directors: The Films Of David Cronenberg" documentary
Biographies, Film notes, Stills, Trailers.
The Stories:
SCANNERS: Cameron Vale is living on the fringe of society, self-induced due to his telepathic ability to read other people's minds. Darryl Revok has the same condition and is the head of an underground association of so-called Scanners that want world domination. When Vale is taken to Dr Paul Ruth as a result of supposed insanity, he's enlisted into a program that will involve him in a battle against his fellow Scanners.
SCANNERS II: The New Order: In order to take over the city, corrupt police commander Forrester intends to use a telepathic breed of human, Scanners. To control the Scanners, Forrester enlists the help of evil scientist, Dr Morse, who wants to conduct mind control experiments on the Scanners with a new drug. Unfortunately the side effects render the Scanners incapable, so Forrester finds David Kellum, a good, rational Scanner who, unaware of his own powers, agrees to work with him
SCANNERS III: The Takeover: A young, lovable Scanner with extraordinary telepathic powers transforms into a murderous megalomaniac after taking one of her father's experimental drugs. After taking over his pharmaceutical drugs company, the deranged Scanner runs amok on a killing spree and takes over a television company in her quest for world domination. Will her Scanner brother, fresh from a spell in Thai Monastery, have the power to stop her?
Review: SCANNERS is one of my favourite movies so I approached this release with an unashamed element of total bias. This movie is excellent. It works as both a science-fiction and a horror movie with the stand-out performances coming from Michael Ironside and Patrick McGoohan, as the rogue Scanner leader and nurturing scientist respectively. If there¡¦s any weakness it¡¦s in the casting of Stephen Lack in the central role as Cameron Vale. Unabashedly cast for his eyes (?) his lack of presence and poor timing lightly taint an otherwise perfect experience. The explosive (confusing?) climax will leave you aghast with awe. Classic.
As a result of the ¡¥great¡¦ 90s trend of turning great movies into shitty franchises we now come to ¡¥SCANNERS II: The New Order¡¦. For what it¡¦s worth SCANNERS II is an enjoyable action no-brainer with explosive set-pieces well handled by French-Canadian director Christian Duguay. I found it slightly cheesy and utterly ridiculous yet it has a kind of ¡¥striaght to video¡¦ charm that endears it more than the CHILDREN OF THE CORN sequels for example. It¡¦s a fun timewaster, as most nineties horror sequels were, but don¡¦t be too quick to run out and buy it. Great sequel it certainly ain¡¦t.
So where do we go after SCANNERS II? Retire the franchise with some grace? NO! Let¡¦s make more! So next came ¡¥SCANNERS III: The Takeover¡¦. If you want an indication as to how damn far this is from Cronenberg¡¦s masterful original then just read the story above. Absurd. After this came the fun but ultimately wasteful SCANNER COP and, wait for it, SCANNER COP 2. SCANNERS III again under the direction of Christian Duguay is slightly better than part II but it¡¦s still essentially a load of crap. The action sequences are again well handled as are some of the more tender moments which was a nice surprise. Watch it, have some popcorn, then forget about it. As a separate sequel it comes across as more of a 5.99 DVD bargain bin bestseller but it rounds of the box-set with a whimper in comparison to the stunning original.
The DVD
Picture:
SCANNERS: The only previous UK release was a dreadful 4:3 non-anamorphic version so the only way was up as far as this aspect was concerned and Anchor Bay don¡¦t disappoint. I found the transfer to be clean and crisp with no visible scratching or blemish. I real treat for the viewer.
SCANNERS II: Pretty good if a tad soft in tone. Colours are bright and images lines are defined. It¡¦s better than VHS quality so you can kill some brain cells (pun intended) in a small degree of style.
SCANNERS III: Almost identical to SCANNERS II. Not brilliant but better than VHS.
Sound:
SCANNERS: Well what can I say? Although I couldn¡¦t test the DTS track the fact that it¡¦s even offered should be indicative of the treatment given to the sound mix and as usual ABUK have done an adequate job. From a film made in the early eighties there really wasn¡¦t a lot to distribute between the channels although the impact of the 5.1 mix is best felt during the ¡¥scanner¡¦ scenes. Hearing ear piercing screeches resonate from the rear speakers was a delight (dog didn¡¦t like it though). The dialogue is audible and the sub-woofer used with restraint. A very nice mix indeed, The film¡¦s original stereo 2.0 mix is included for the completists.
SCANNERS II: Very good. As the ¡¥action¡¦ ante has been upped somewhat the mix suitably lives up to the expectations I laid on it. It¡¦s taken from a stereo 2.0 source so grant a small degree of liberty but the gruesome sound effects erupt through the rear speakers. Niiiice.
SCANNERS III: Again, very good. The action and ¡¥scanning¡¦ sequences work best with the rear channels being used to good effect. The sub-woofer also got a nice pasting at times.
Menus: Subtly understated is the best way to describe this. AB seem to pride themselves on animated menus that genuinely eminate the tone of the film¡¦s they market. This one has grey, static wash that¡¦s almost clinical in it¡¦s design. ¡¥Atmospheric¡¦ to say the least. The theme is carried forward into the other sequels maintaing a consistent theme.
Packaging: The individual DVD covers feature art from the original US one-sheet posters (a nice trend at AB). Very nice touch, neatly presented and very much appreciated.
Special Features:
As these are being released individually the make-up of the features are pretty much the same. You get an ¡¥Inside Scan¡¦ examination with journalist Alan Jones, film notes, stills and trailers for the other SCANNER movies the excellent documentary ¡§The Directors: The Films Of David Cronenberg" is only available on SCANNERS.
The "Inside Scan" features an ¡¥In-depth¡¦ examinations of the Scanners movies by genre critic Alan Jones. These are short and rather undeserving of ¡¥in-depth¡¦ tag the AB marketing machine as tagged on to this very brief overview of each movie. Jones is a personable guy and what he has to say is interesting but not particularly memorable. You come away with the impression they just wanted to bang on another extra. View it once for completist purposes and re-visit after a while. Next to no repeat value.
Now to the cream of the crop: The Directors: The Films of David Cronenberg. This is an excellent US documentary from 1999 featuring interviews with actors that have worked with Cronenberg over the years, including a conversation with the director himself. Some people are sadly missing though. It would¡¦ve been nice to hear the thoughts of Chris Walken, Jeff Goldblum, James Woods or James Spader but the real lure is in the whole ¡¥Cronenberg On Cronenberg¡¦ appeal of the format. This has repeat viewing value, despite its age, and is a truly great addition. Please note this is exclusive to the SCANNERS DVD.
Features are rounded off with the usual biographies, production film notes, stills and 3 trailers for SCANNERS (nicely violent) and it¡¦s two direct sequels (direct to video action crap). None are particularly necessary but follow the standard A-B-C of DVD extras with the cheesy trailers edging out the film notes for best runner-up. Competent package.
Overall Package:
3/5 Possessed Cheryls
The pick of the set is the original. Fantastic picture and sound with a good pack of extras. The treat is the movie itself which has been lovingly released by people who care! If you¡¦re looking for an engaging sci-fi movie with lashings of horror served on a tasty DVD hot plate then look no further, because this blow¡¦s all other releases out of the water (so far). SCANNERS II and III are interesting and at least try to add something to the SCANNERS mythology but their execution and style make them more bastard love children than direct descendants of the powerful orignal.
The extras are good but a commentary would¡¦ve been fantastic on SCANNERS. Still the documentary is engaging and certainly worth viewing by both Cronenberg and horror aficionados alike. The only thing I didn¡¦t like was the repetition of the features which feels like a cop out for those who plunge in and buy the set.
SCANNERS
Film: 4/5
Picture: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
SCANNERS II
Film: 2.5/5
Picture: 3/5
Sound: 3.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
SCANNERS III
Film: 3/5
Picture: 3/5
Sound: 3.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
(Anchor Bay UK)[/size][/color]
Buy it from AMAZON!
Picture: (all) (1.85:1) enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs
Sound: (all) Stereo 2.0, DD 5.1 and DTS audio
Discs: (all) 1 (DVD 9)
Region: (all) 2
Features:
"Inside Scan" - an in-depth examination of each movie by genre critic Alan Jones.
"The Directors: The Films Of David Cronenberg" documentary
Biographies, Film notes, Stills, Trailers.
The Stories:
SCANNERS: Cameron Vale is living on the fringe of society, self-induced due to his telepathic ability to read other people's minds. Darryl Revok has the same condition and is the head of an underground association of so-called Scanners that want world domination. When Vale is taken to Dr Paul Ruth as a result of supposed insanity, he's enlisted into a program that will involve him in a battle against his fellow Scanners.
SCANNERS II: The New Order: In order to take over the city, corrupt police commander Forrester intends to use a telepathic breed of human, Scanners. To control the Scanners, Forrester enlists the help of evil scientist, Dr Morse, who wants to conduct mind control experiments on the Scanners with a new drug. Unfortunately the side effects render the Scanners incapable, so Forrester finds David Kellum, a good, rational Scanner who, unaware of his own powers, agrees to work with him
SCANNERS III: The Takeover: A young, lovable Scanner with extraordinary telepathic powers transforms into a murderous megalomaniac after taking one of her father's experimental drugs. After taking over his pharmaceutical drugs company, the deranged Scanner runs amok on a killing spree and takes over a television company in her quest for world domination. Will her Scanner brother, fresh from a spell in Thai Monastery, have the power to stop her?
Review: SCANNERS is one of my favourite movies so I approached this release with an unashamed element of total bias. This movie is excellent. It works as both a science-fiction and a horror movie with the stand-out performances coming from Michael Ironside and Patrick McGoohan, as the rogue Scanner leader and nurturing scientist respectively. If there¡¦s any weakness it¡¦s in the casting of Stephen Lack in the central role as Cameron Vale. Unabashedly cast for his eyes (?) his lack of presence and poor timing lightly taint an otherwise perfect experience. The explosive (confusing?) climax will leave you aghast with awe. Classic.
As a result of the ¡¥great¡¦ 90s trend of turning great movies into shitty franchises we now come to ¡¥SCANNERS II: The New Order¡¦. For what it¡¦s worth SCANNERS II is an enjoyable action no-brainer with explosive set-pieces well handled by French-Canadian director Christian Duguay. I found it slightly cheesy and utterly ridiculous yet it has a kind of ¡¥striaght to video¡¦ charm that endears it more than the CHILDREN OF THE CORN sequels for example. It¡¦s a fun timewaster, as most nineties horror sequels were, but don¡¦t be too quick to run out and buy it. Great sequel it certainly ain¡¦t.
So where do we go after SCANNERS II? Retire the franchise with some grace? NO! Let¡¦s make more! So next came ¡¥SCANNERS III: The Takeover¡¦. If you want an indication as to how damn far this is from Cronenberg¡¦s masterful original then just read the story above. Absurd. After this came the fun but ultimately wasteful SCANNER COP and, wait for it, SCANNER COP 2. SCANNERS III again under the direction of Christian Duguay is slightly better than part II but it¡¦s still essentially a load of crap. The action sequences are again well handled as are some of the more tender moments which was a nice surprise. Watch it, have some popcorn, then forget about it. As a separate sequel it comes across as more of a 5.99 DVD bargain bin bestseller but it rounds of the box-set with a whimper in comparison to the stunning original.
The DVD
Picture:
SCANNERS: The only previous UK release was a dreadful 4:3 non-anamorphic version so the only way was up as far as this aspect was concerned and Anchor Bay don¡¦t disappoint. I found the transfer to be clean and crisp with no visible scratching or blemish. I real treat for the viewer.
SCANNERS II: Pretty good if a tad soft in tone. Colours are bright and images lines are defined. It¡¦s better than VHS quality so you can kill some brain cells (pun intended) in a small degree of style.
SCANNERS III: Almost identical to SCANNERS II. Not brilliant but better than VHS.
Sound:
SCANNERS: Well what can I say? Although I couldn¡¦t test the DTS track the fact that it¡¦s even offered should be indicative of the treatment given to the sound mix and as usual ABUK have done an adequate job. From a film made in the early eighties there really wasn¡¦t a lot to distribute between the channels although the impact of the 5.1 mix is best felt during the ¡¥scanner¡¦ scenes. Hearing ear piercing screeches resonate from the rear speakers was a delight (dog didn¡¦t like it though). The dialogue is audible and the sub-woofer used with restraint. A very nice mix indeed, The film¡¦s original stereo 2.0 mix is included for the completists.
SCANNERS II: Very good. As the ¡¥action¡¦ ante has been upped somewhat the mix suitably lives up to the expectations I laid on it. It¡¦s taken from a stereo 2.0 source so grant a small degree of liberty but the gruesome sound effects erupt through the rear speakers. Niiiice.
SCANNERS III: Again, very good. The action and ¡¥scanning¡¦ sequences work best with the rear channels being used to good effect. The sub-woofer also got a nice pasting at times.
Menus: Subtly understated is the best way to describe this. AB seem to pride themselves on animated menus that genuinely eminate the tone of the film¡¦s they market. This one has grey, static wash that¡¦s almost clinical in it¡¦s design. ¡¥Atmospheric¡¦ to say the least. The theme is carried forward into the other sequels maintaing a consistent theme.
Packaging: The individual DVD covers feature art from the original US one-sheet posters (a nice trend at AB). Very nice touch, neatly presented and very much appreciated.
Special Features:
As these are being released individually the make-up of the features are pretty much the same. You get an ¡¥Inside Scan¡¦ examination with journalist Alan Jones, film notes, stills and trailers for the other SCANNER movies the excellent documentary ¡§The Directors: The Films Of David Cronenberg" is only available on SCANNERS.
The "Inside Scan" features an ¡¥In-depth¡¦ examinations of the Scanners movies by genre critic Alan Jones. These are short and rather undeserving of ¡¥in-depth¡¦ tag the AB marketing machine as tagged on to this very brief overview of each movie. Jones is a personable guy and what he has to say is interesting but not particularly memorable. You come away with the impression they just wanted to bang on another extra. View it once for completist purposes and re-visit after a while. Next to no repeat value.
Now to the cream of the crop: The Directors: The Films of David Cronenberg. This is an excellent US documentary from 1999 featuring interviews with actors that have worked with Cronenberg over the years, including a conversation with the director himself. Some people are sadly missing though. It would¡¦ve been nice to hear the thoughts of Chris Walken, Jeff Goldblum, James Woods or James Spader but the real lure is in the whole ¡¥Cronenberg On Cronenberg¡¦ appeal of the format. This has repeat viewing value, despite its age, and is a truly great addition. Please note this is exclusive to the SCANNERS DVD.
Features are rounded off with the usual biographies, production film notes, stills and 3 trailers for SCANNERS (nicely violent) and it¡¦s two direct sequels (direct to video action crap). None are particularly necessary but follow the standard A-B-C of DVD extras with the cheesy trailers edging out the film notes for best runner-up. Competent package.
Overall Package:
3/5 Possessed Cheryls
The pick of the set is the original. Fantastic picture and sound with a good pack of extras. The treat is the movie itself which has been lovingly released by people who care! If you¡¦re looking for an engaging sci-fi movie with lashings of horror served on a tasty DVD hot plate then look no further, because this blow¡¦s all other releases out of the water (so far). SCANNERS II and III are interesting and at least try to add something to the SCANNERS mythology but their execution and style make them more bastard love children than direct descendants of the powerful orignal.
The extras are good but a commentary would¡¦ve been fantastic on SCANNERS. Still the documentary is engaging and certainly worth viewing by both Cronenberg and horror aficionados alike. The only thing I didn¡¦t like was the repetition of the features which feels like a cop out for those who plunge in and buy the set.
SCANNERS
Film: 4/5
Picture: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
SCANNERS II
Film: 2.5/5
Picture: 3/5
Sound: 3.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
SCANNERS III
Film: 3/5
Picture: 3/5
Sound: 3.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5