[DVD Spotlight] Hercules Collection

The Hercules Collection box set is currently on sale at Amazon for $10.49, a real bargain considering these are a slimline re-issue bundle of previously released titles that can still be found on Amazon for between $9.98 to $17.99 individually. This set contains the following:

Hercules/Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules

Hercules is in wide screen and looks fairly decent. .

However Mole Men is FS and a total eyesore. In fact the video quality is no better than the version found on the Warriors 50 movie pack, which makes you wonder where that version was sourced. Hmm.

###

Hercules and the Captive Women/Hercules, Prisoner of Evil

This is the best I've ever seen Hercules and the Captive Women look, and I used to have a VHS prerecord that was better than any of the PD DVD releases. Color is vibrant, the video is clear, it's widescreen, and has a touch of sci-fantasy that makes this a must see. .

Sadly Hercules Prisoner of Evil is full screen and so dark you can't see what's going on half the time. .

###

Hercules The Avenger / Hercules And The Black Pirate

Hercules the Avenger is a madcap pastiche utilizing stock footage from HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD and HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN to create an exegi monumentum aere perennius of exploitation hackery. .

The feature on the flip side is not really a Hercules movie at all. Rather it's a renamed swashbuckler. Alas it's FS and way too dark. Shame, it looked interesting, or would if you could actually see anything. .

###

Hercules and the Princess of Troy/Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops

For those paying attention there's three titles on this DVD, so technically that's 9 features in this set. I say technically because Hercules and the Princess of Troy was a pilot for a TV series. It runs only 47 minutes but is an entertaining diversion. Sadly this is also the worst DVD in the set. While a entertaining diversion the main feature, Hercules and the Princess of Troy, for all that it's fuzzy and the color a bit faded, has the best looking video of all the features on this disc. .

Giants of Rome is FS, too dark, and barely watchable. .

Atas in the Land of the Cyclops is even worse. .

Alas it's unlikely any other labels will be releasing better quality versions of these movies to R1. Not impossible, but as there have been high quality remastered editions of some of these released in Germany (R2) for a few years now and no one seems to be interested in licensing those prints this is, sadly, as good as it gets. So if you don't already have these titles on DVD you might consider getting this box set while it's on sale.

#End of Line.