Return
Of The Killer Tomatoes (1988/MVD Visual/Arrow Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: B- Film: C+
The
1988 John De Bello directed B-Horror/Comedy sequel Return of the
Killer Tomatoes gets the deluxe Blu-ray treatment, thanks to our
friends at Arrow. Loaded with extras and an impressive transfer, the
film looks and sounds better than ever and that's after some
rough-looking and sounding releases. Using elements of Weird
Science and The Blob, the film has terrible (on purpose)
low budget special effects, decent performances, and a surprisingly
intelligent screenplay. While some elements are a little dated, I
still found the film to be pretty funny and some scenes even
reminiscent of Mel Brooks-style comedy. The film stars a young
George Clooney, John Astin, Michael Villani, Karen M Waldron, and
Anthony Starke.
Set
ten years after the original Attack of the Killer Tomatoes,
mad scientist Professor Gangreen is preparing for the second coming
of the Great Tomato Uprising, in which music converted tomatoes into
human form to war against the mankind that once defeated them. A
pizza delivery man Chad Finletter (Starke) must save the world when
he becomes entangled with a beautiful tomato-girl Tara (Waldron) who
has a hidden agenda of her own.
About
halfway through the film, things start to get very over the top and
ridiculous where a scene stops and cuts away to the camera crew,
where the Director claims that in order to keep the film going, they
will need to raise more money. Clooney decides that product
placement is the key and shortly after ninjas appear, crooked
gangsters, and an extremely outlandish climax that is silly and dumb
but in a fun way.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1
ratio and the original 2.0 Stereo audio (uncompressed PCM), the sound
and picture are up to standards with the format. There's a little
grain in the transfer, but that's to be expected with an older low
budget film and it was shot on cheaper film stock.
Special
Features include...
Brand
new audio commentary with writer-director John De Bello
Brand
new interview with star Anthony Starke
Original
Theatrical Trailer
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew
Griffin
Fully-illustrated
collector's booklet featuring new writing by critic James Oliver
If
you're fan of the film, then you certainly won't want to miss this
great release.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
