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Stars:
Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine, and Richard Roundtree
Writer:
Larry Cohen
Director:
Larry Cohen
Feature
length: 92 minutes
Extras:
Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Larry Cohen, Teaser Trailer, Poster &
Still Gallery, Larry Cohen Bio, Q Memorabilia (DVD ROM)
Languages:
English DTS Digital 6.1 ES Theatrical Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Sound, Dolby Surround Sound, and Monaural Sound
Subtitles:
N/A
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 21
Sound:
DTS Digital 6.1 ES Theatrical Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound,
Dolby Surround Sound, and Monaural Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1982/DVD Release: 2003
Home
Video Distributor: Blue Underground
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
High
in the skies above New York City, a giant winged creature is picking off
unsuspecting New Yorkers and bringing them back to its lair on the roof of the
Chrysler Building. Seemingly unrelated are the flayed corpses of various men,
who appear to have been of South American descent. Evidence shows that the
victims appear to have put up no struggle either. Almost as if they gave
themselves up willingly. Meanwhile an NYPD Detective (David Carradine)
investigates the connection between the ritualistic murders and the mysterious
winged creature that could be the manifestation of the Aztec Serpent God
Quetzalcoatl. Perhaps the only hope for the city lies with a small time hood
(Michael Moriarty), who sees the arrival and discovery of the beast as his big
chance “to be somebody.”
I
actually remember my father taking my brother and I to see this movie in the
theaters when we were kids and I loved it as a boy and still find it charming as
an adult. “Q - The Winged Serpent” pays homage to the old giant monster
movies with elements of horror and even a little crime detective story thrown
into the mix to give the story a larger scope. However what makes “Q” a
memorable monster movie is the somewhat campy performance by Michael Moriarty,
who steals every scene he appears in as former junkie and ex-con “Jimmy
Quinn.” David Carradine walks his way through the film, but he looks like
he’s having fun with it while Richard Roundtree gets to be another
“bad-ass” detective, though not nearly as lucky as his most notable
signature detective role as “Shaft.” Candy Clark plays Moriarty’s
girlfriend and perhaps the only person with enough patience to listen to him
until his ego explodes. Writer/Director Larry Cohen filmed most of the film on
location in New York City and captures the character of the city in an almost
comic book like style as well as a love and appreciation for the Big Apple.
Presented
in an anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio struck from the original
negative and featuring a newly remastered DTS ES 6.1 Soundtrack, “Q - The
Winged Serpent” has never looked and sounded this good before. For a low
budget picture, there is a lot of production value detail to be enjoyed with the
gorgeous lobby of the Chrysler Building looking as glorious as ever with marble
design and textures that jump out at the viewer. The colors are solid and never
bleed and while there is a bit of grain in some night shots, as a whole the
gritty effect enhances the New York urban landscape the film takes place in
nicely. The effects are dated, but I think that is how it should be because
“Q” is more of an homage to the classic monster pictures like “King
Kong” and it is definitely a fun popcorn flick. The new English DTS Digital
6.1 ES Theatrical Surround Soundtrack is quite full and holds up pretty well
considering the low budget the film was produced on. An equally well rounded
English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround Soundtrack is also included along with an
English Surround Soundtrack and even the original English Monaural Soundtrack is
presented clearly without any analogue background noise or hissing.
Writer/Director
Larry Cohen delivers an excellent feature length audio commentary with William
Lustig present for the conversation. Listening to Cohen discuss his film is like
sitting in on a college panel discussion. Cohen is a great storyteller as he
reveals so much information behind the making of the film that includes
anecdotes like how the gunfire on top of the Chrysler Building, which was filmed
with real off duty uniformed police officers and with David Carradine present
firing into the air while a helicopter circled to capture the action, was
mistaken by the media to be an act of terrorism that was blown out of proportion
to a point that in the end the Mayor was forced to apologize to the filmmakers
for overreacting. A then unknown Bruce Willis was considered for a role in the
film and though he never auditioned, Cohen caught an early standup act of young
Eddie Murphy and was so impressed he almost offered him a role in the film.
Another interesting footnote was that the film was shot for about one million
and a half dollars and went into production within a week after Cohen was let go
from a directing gig he was set to start in New York.
The
theatrical teaser (: 33) and a still gallery of production and publicity photos
as well as biographical text information on Cohen wrap up the DVD-Video features
on the disc. Windows and Macintosh DVD-ROM users have access to a web link and a
large PDF file containing images of a prop newspaper from the film, newspaper
articles regarding the production, press kit notes, and television news
interview transcripts mostly with Actor David Carradine, and more.
“Q
- The Winged Serpent” is available on DVD-Video now from Blue Underground and
is a must for any fan of the film.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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