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Krakatoa, East of Java

Krakatoa, East of Java

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The volcano blows, and so does this transfer
Review: Okay, so it's not a work of art. But "Krakatoa" is very much a guilty pleasure. Max Schell and Sal Mineo pretty much phone in their performances. Diane Baker is trying so hard she seems like she's in a different movie. But where else are you going to see Brian Keith trying to rape a Polynesian pearl diver? The effects are clearly the star, with the tsunami tidal wave being fairly impressive, even by today's standards. It's a shame that we cannot get a better transfer of the complete 136 minute film. There are way too many obvious splices in this transfer to be acceptable. Also, this was released originally with a flaw that prevented it from being viewed unsqueezed. The flaw is corrected on the new pressing, but it has the same catalog number as the old pressing! The only way to tell them apart is that the new pressing has a white circle in the center, and the old one is clear.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: One to avoid!
Review: Terrible movie, awful picture transfer and sound. What more can I say...except why weren't the film reels destroyed years ago? I saw this movie at the cinema when it was released in the UK. I bought the DVD (cheap)on the basis that it was one of the first movies I had taken a girl to see (ah! memories). What a mistake I made (the DVD not the girl). Do not make a similar one...avoid!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Krakatoa is actually west of Java
Review: That's true - I don't know what that factoid says about the makers of this film, except maybe they don't know geography.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: If you get the DVD, buy the Anchor Bay version!
Review: The Anchor Bay DVD contains two versions of the film... widescreen and fullframe. It also contains the entire film, while the cheaper Simitar version is truncated by quite a few minutes and is inferior in quality.

note: the fullframe version is horribly cropped to fit on standard TVs... beware.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Sound out of sync.
Review: The editing is not smooth and at times the sound either leads or lags the video by up to two seconds. Very distracting. How can they butcher what I remember as a good movie and sell it in this condition. This is the 124 minute version.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Insulting "Special Effects"
Review: This is one of those movies that must have had a limited budget during its production, and as a result, the viewer is treated like a moron during some scenes. What do I mean? The same footage is used over and over again during the eruption. As tedious as this becomes, it gets downright irritating when we have to watch the island blowing up to smithereens from a distance, and then a minute or two later, more "special effects" of the volcano errupting (repeating footage we have already seen) from a volcano that is reassembled. This kind of editing is really insulting to the viewer, like we are too dumb to notice that - again and again.

Another example, the boat toward the end of the movie. They show it from a distance leaning about 45 degrees on its side, then switch to a scene inside the boat, and the decks are level.

An older movie should never be penalized for not containing special effects equal to today's technology. This is different. Repeating a few seconds of special effects footage over and over again is not an outdated technology handicap. It is bad editing/directing.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Guilty pleasure, great spectacle, lousy DVD transfer
Review: This movie is a guilty pleasure, best enjoyed in its original uncut, big screen Cinerama format.The story is corny, but the special effects make up for any deficencies. The Simitar DVD release is taken from a cut TV print running 102 min. The original theatrical roadshow Cinerama release ran aprox 136 min including intermission. The Simitar DVD is widescreen and muted stereo, but it is worn and terribly cut. Wait for a new transfer of the complete film from better source materials. Don't waste your money on Simitar junk.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Krakatoa in all it's uncut glory!!! Anchor Bay rules!!!
Review: This review is for the Anchor Bay version of this classic disaster film!!! This is the full 131 minute cut of the film. And the film transfer is superb!!! You also get the choice of Fullscreen and Widescreen versions!!! This movie has a great all star cast!!! The original volcano flick!!! Five Stars!!! A+

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: action clear through
Review: Tidal waves,hat air baloons,erupting volcanos,convicts and good looking women. What else do you need.
So Krakatoa is west of Java, I could have cared less.
The special effects were excillent.
Maxmillian Schell gives his usual good preformance as owner of salvage boat,Brian Keith is a diver with lung problems,
Rossano Brazzi and son Sal Mineo try to spot werckage from air baloon,while John Leyton goes down in a deep sea bell and native girls dive down to the wreckage.
Ending ,each person must choose to stay aboard salvage ship or take a smaller boat to a near by island,those that made wrong choice are doomed. Film will never make the greats,but for entertainment value I felt it moved right along,was easy to understand and preformances were steady but not great. Just don't take too seriously and you should enjoy it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Dante's Peak & VOLCANO are wimps!!!
Review: To fully appreciate this movie, it should be viewed at a drive-in theater, in mid-summer, with a big bucket of greasy popcorn and a soda. But if you can't supply the setting, it is still worth rounding up the kids, turn off the lights, and hang on for a great ride!!! Silly little yarn of ocean-going treasure hunters, a washed-up drunken deep-sea diver and beautiful, helpless (of course) women. The volcano is actually the real star. No current films can match the magnitude of this rock. And the tidal waves - WOW! A must for your library, don't just rent it.


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