THE MONSTER COLLECTION – BLU-RAY COLLECTOR’S EDITION is a three-disc set featuring two acclaimed documentary films, both directed by filmmakers Gilles Penso and Alexandre Poncet, Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters and The Frankenstein Complex, plus over 12 hours of bonus features, including never-before-seen making-of footage and more. Highlights of the supplemental package include a new feature commentary for Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters by Tippett himself and directors Penso and Poncet; two restored short films by Tippett; a Master Class with Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro; extended conversations with John Landis, Mick Garris and Joe Dante; a “Phil Tippett Museum” tour featuring a virtual gallery of Tippett’s creations, and much more.
The Frankenstein Complex (2015)
A lively portrait and appreciation of the greatest movie monsters in film history and the talented crafts people and visual artists who have been bringing them to startling life over the past century. The Frankenstein Complex goes behind the scenes of such classics as King Kong, Avatar, The Lord of the Rings series, An American Werewolf in London, Alien and many others to talk to the filmmakers behind all those dinosaurs, zombies, aliens, Hobbits, dragons, werewolves, giant bugs and oversized apes that have kept us glued to the screener for all these years.
The Frankenstein Complex is a fantastically thoughtful love letter to the art of special effects in cinema from the early days of cinema with Boris Karloff and his subtle enhancements to Frankenstein’s monster to the pioneering of modern special effects that has shaped modern filmmaking. The film is made essential through the involvement of many of the key individuals such as Rick Baker, Greg Nicotero, Chris Wallas and many more who have created the creatures we know and love from “The Thing” to the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park to Paul Verhoeven favorites like Robocop and Starship Troopers. Even filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro and Joe Dante show up to discuss the cultural and psychological significance of monsters and to praise what has been captured on screen.
There are some raw stories provided by some of the designers concerning the jump from practical to computer animation and how they have fought to coexist. If you do not really feel that there is a noticable difference between the two before watching the film, you will really understand what is so magical about practical effects by the time the credits start rolling. There is a soulfulness in the construction of each individual element that when combined leads to something beyond comprehension. This is an excellent film for both new fans wanting to learn about special effects and those already part of the choir of true believers.
Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters (2019)
Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters examines the life and career of Phil Tippett, the Oscar and Emmy Award-winning visual effects genius whose work in creature design, stop-motion and computerized character animation has been seen in such classics as the original Star Wars trilogy, the Jurassic Park and Twilight franchises and the effects powerhouses RoboCop, Dragonheart and Starship Troopers.
Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters takes a similar approach as the previous features but hones in on one particular creative genius that springs from the legacy of Ray Harryhausen in the many ways he has revolutionized the industry. One of the most satisfying aspects of this particular piece is when Tippett clearly guides the audience through some of his most notable works with a breakdown of how the pieces were developed and executed. You sometimes take for granted certain effects once you have seen them on screen, but hearing the psychology behind certain effects that may only last mere seconds is enthralling.
Perhaps just as interesting for film geeks is the business side of his work including the building of his special effects house and bringing up a new generation of creatives to carry on some of his techniques. The film does not skimp on the drama as it delves into Tippett’s depression around the time he believed that the digital revolution was going to make him a relic of the past. The film is far from a bleak affair as it details how his role in filmmaking has evolved over the years along with his own directorial efforts that get their own acclaim from some key creative subjects interviewed for the film. Together with The Frankenstein Complex, you get a crash course in practical special effects that should be essential viewing.
Video Quality
Both The Frankenstein Complex and Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters come to Blu-Ray featuring a lot of different material in varying degrees of quality. The films and everything within them looks as technically excellent as it can look in high definition. Doppelgänger Releasing and Music Box Films have my gratitude for spreading these two films over two discs while leaving most of the special features for a third disc. This allows the content plenty of room to breathe where we can avoid any compression artifacts. The movie clips used seem to be the best versions that were available when this was made, with most of them looking pretty excellent. Interview segments look incredibly sleek and clear with natural skin tones and detailed facial features. There is no evidence of compression artifacts or other digital nuisances of the sort. I do not see how this set could have been improved visually. It’s a beautiful transfer handled with care by Music Box Films.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track that perfectly suits the source material, but is understandably restrained. As this primarily acts as an interview-heavy film with talking heads abound, dialogue is the focus right up front in the center channel. The movie clips do not often utilize the full-on surround sound tracks regardless of whether or not the original film had one. The surround channels are mostly utilized when it comes to the lovely score that accompanies both films. The presentation is enveloping in its own way, and it maintains the artistic choice of the documentaries. For that reason, this is an excellent audio track that should please any viewers.
Special Features
The Frankenstein Complex
- The Frankenstein Odyssey Making Of Documentary: A 57-minute documentary that offers a very entertaining look at the behind-the-scenes of the production of the main feature from the duo’s initial partnership, their interactions with subjects, the editing process, the sound mixing, the film’s festival debut and more. This is very nearly as entertaining as the star feature.
- Deleted and Altered Scenes: 18 minutes of unused footage from the film including additional moments with Kevin Smith, Rick Baker, and more of the usual subjects from the film.
- Digital Craftsmanship Post-Production Featurette: A 16-minute piece in which the crew discuss the process of completing the film in post-production. It is interesting to get a look at some of the VFX elements they introduced after the fact.
- Photo Gallery: An eight-minute piece that shows some really cool behind-the-scenes photos from the effects shops.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided for the film.
- The Frankenstein Complex Musical Score: The seventeen tracks comprising the score of the film are provided here for a grand total of 69 minutes of wonderful music.
Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters
- Audio Commentary: Phil Tippett and directors Alexandre Poncet and Gilles Penso deliver a pretty entertaining commentary track in which they go into the new stop motion elements, the process of telling his story, the important figures in his life that show up in the film, various personal details and more that is worth a listen even if Tippett is a man who does not seem comfortable talking about himself.
- Meeting The Monsters Making Of Documentary: A 1-hour-and-41-minute documentary chronicling the making of the film is provided here which has a wealth of behind-the-scenes interviews and moments plus insights into the production and post-production process. It is incredible how thorough this piece is for fans.
- Deleted and Alternate Scenes: 12 minutes of unused footage from the film including additional moments with Tippett, his wife, and more of the usual subjects from the film.
- Photo Gallery: A ten-minute piece that shows some really cool behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided for the film.
- Isolated Score Track: You can listen to the film with only the lovely score by selecting this option under the Setup menu.
Bonus Disc
- Frankenstein Complex Conversations and Interviews: Each and every one of these supplements are a treasure trove of riches, but personal favorites include Guillermo at Fantasia Fest, the conversation between Landis and Dante, and exploring the lairs of some of the designers.
-
- Master Class with Guillermo del Toro (HD; 23:22)
-
- Extended Conversation with John Landis and Joe Dante (HD; 58:58)
-
- Extended Conversation with Mick Garris (HD; 26:52)
-
- Extended Conversation with Steve Johnson and John Vulich (HD; 28:49)
-
- Q & A with Joe Dante, Alexandre Poncet and Gilles Penso (HD; 19:52)
-
- The Lair of Rick Baker (HD; 9:27)
-
- The Lair of Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr. (HD; 13:46)
-
- Paper Monsters: The Art of Charles Chiodo (HD; 12:52)
-
- Living With Monsters: The Art of Kevin Yagher (HD; 14:49)
-
- Sympathy for the Devil: Interview with Bernard Rose (HD; 9:41)
-
- The Gremlins Pool: Interview with Sacha Feiner (HD; 10:30)
-
- From Latex to Pixels: The Art of Gino Acevedo (HD; 8:57)
-
- The Beauty and the Beasts: The Art of Ve Neill (HD; 14:02)
- Mad Dreams and Monsters Interviews: Another great assortment of additional material with personal favorites being the time spent with Paul Verhoeven, Joe Johnston, Dennis Muren, and TIppett himself reflecting on his work in his archives.
-
- Joy of Working with Phil: Interview with Paul Verhoeven (HD; 5:53)
-
- Phil Will Fix This!: Interview with Joe Johnston (HD; 15:17)
-
- Animating with Phil: Interview with Tom St. Amand (HD; 5:48)
-
- Phil’s Vision: Interview with Chris Walas (HD; 9:03)
-
- Friendship, Robots, and Dinosaurs: Interview with Dennis Muren (HD; 14:28)
-
- From Stop-Motion to CGI: Interview with Craig Hayes (HD; 4:58)
-
- Memories and Archives with Phil Tippett (HD; 11:32)
-
- Dinosaur Supervisor with Phil Tippett (HD; 4:43)
-
- Starship Troopers 2 with Phil Tippett and Jon Davison (HD; 3:18)
-
- “Dinosaur!” with Paul Verhoeven and Jon Davison (HD; 4:44)
-
- Mutant Fish with Joe Dante (HD; 4:21)
-
- Modern Craftsmanship with Alec Gillis (HD; 7:38)
-
- Robot Design with Craig Hayes (HD; 15:34)
-
- Musical Storytelling with Alexandre Poncet (HD; 14:54)
- Phil Tippett Short Films
-
- Prehistoric Beast (1985): This ten-minute short is presented in HD and stands as a magnificent piece of animation depicting very realistic dinosaurs. There is an option to view this with commentary by Phil Tippett.
-
- MutantLand (2010): This three-minute short is presented in HD and functions as a “teaser” for a larger film that Tippett wanted to make. This one is quite visually arresting. There is also an option to view this with a commentary track by Tippett and who I believe is one of the directors of Mad Dreams and Monsters.
-
- Phil Tippett’s Early Animation Tests: A 15-minute collection of some of Tippett’s early animation work that is a lot of fun to check out even with its amateur aesthetic.
- Virtual Museum of Phil Tippett Creations: An option to get a quick glimpse of some of the work Tippett has done throughout his career.
-
- Star Wars & The Empire Strikes Back (HD; 1:19)
-
- Dragonslayer (HD; 1:04)
-
- Golden Child (HD; 00:29)
-
- Howard the Duck (HD; 00:37)
-
- Robocop (HD; 2:40)
-
- Willow (HD; 1:24)
-
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (HD; 00:32)
-
- Pinocchio & Gargoyles (HD; 1:07)
-
- Coneheads (HD; 00:57)
-
- Jurassic Park (HD; 1:28)
-
- Dragonheart (HD; 1:44)
-
- Starship Troopers (HD; 1:57)
-
- Evolution (HD; 2:18)
-
- Blade 2 (HD; 00:49)
-
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (HD; 00:46)
-
- Hellboy (HD; 00:46)
-
- Cloverfield (HD; 00:56)
Final Thoughts
The Monster Collection is a truly incredible release featuring two fascinating documentaries that dive deep into the work of special effects in film and the individuals responsible for bringing them to life. There are big names that offer some intriguing insights, but it is often the more behind-the-scenes figures that have the best stories about some of your favorite properties. Any fan of the movie-making process will have a lot of fun with this collection, especially when it comes to digging into the hours and hours of special features. This Blu-Ray set offers a pretty great A/V presentation over three discs housed in a beautiful four fold cardboard sleeve packaging. Highly Recommended
The Monster Collection is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Music Box Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
