Mill Creek brings us one of the most beloved, cheesy 80's films to blu-ray for the first time. How does the disc stack up?
Commentary with actor Reb Brown
Brown gives a pretty good commentary track here. Right up front, he gives a bit from his background, playing football and what martial arts he knows. He also briefly talks about how the film presented here is from a 4-hour long mini-series that played in Italy (something I would like to see). He even laughs at some of the wackier things that happen in the film. Brown does, unfortunately, take many breaks into silence as he is probably watching the film. Had Mill Creek put someone else in the room with Brown to guide him and ask him questions, this could have been a great commentary. Brown is very likable and has a very easy nature to him. It is a shame that he ends up watching a big chunk of the film instead of talking about.
Theatrical Trailer (1m 12s, HD)
The disc is REGION FREE
Mill Creek has opened up the frame a bit here to a 1.78:1 from the film’s original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The picture is soft but is a big step over from previous dvd incarnations. There are some scenes that show some nice detail and then there are some scenes that are a bit muddier. Colors seem to be fairly accurate, while blacks are fairly deep. No restoration has been done as there are scratches, white dots, and hairs that make appearances throughout the film. The fact of the matter is this: this is a totally watchable transfer. It is not going to win any awards and certainly is not reference material, but it gets the job done.
Armed with a PCM 2.0 soundtrack, Yor sounds pretty good. It gets the job done by giving us clean and crisp dialogue without any distortions. The score, by Guido De Angelis and Maurizio De Angelis, sounds great and all the cheesy sound effects can be heard in all of their glory.
It is before the dawn of time. Strange, savage beasts roam the earth, foraging for human flesh. Fierce tribesmen prey on the weak and innocent. Mystic sacrifices appease the gods. Yor (Reb Brown, Space Mutiny) is the mightiest warrior of his era. But his own past and true identity are shrouded in the mists of time. He knows he doesn't belong in this world, but his only clues to the fleeting memories of his past are the gold medallion around his neck and the beautiful priestess held prisoner in a forbidden city. Armed to the teeth, Yor sets off on a quest, ready to blast away all manner of terrifying creatures along the way.
The first thing that you will notice from Yor is the cheesy 80’s, broken English theme song that doesn’t really fit the film at all because it sounds more of a new wave song, but it still rocks. The song, of course, sets the tone for the rest of the film: cheesy in every way and even more nonsensical.
Yor is the type of film that almost requires other people watching the film with you to get the film’s full effect. The film is full of scenes that play better to a bigger audience. One of the first things that Yor does in the film is kill a triceratops, very bloodily for a PG film I might add. I laughed my ass off during this scene and many other scenes, but then there are scenes that are a bit quieter, which doesn’t happen very often as the film is almost wall-to-wall action. Dialogue scenes between Yor and the other humans in the film is ridiculous and often very funny for all the wrong reasons, or the right reasons depending on how you look at it.
Yor came at a perfect time in the 80’s. During this time there were a lot of “sword and sandal” epics that dealt with magic and wizardry. The two Conan films were released around the time that Yor was released as well as Beastmaster, Time Bandits, and Deathstalker. Out of all of the films, Yor is on the lower end of quality. Sure, the later Deathstalker sequels, and the spin-off films like Barbarian Queen, weren’t very good, but Yor does belong on that end.
I am not trying to rag on Yor too much. I do think that the film is “good”, but I think that it starts to lose its luster about two-thirds of the way in. I will not give away what happens, as I am one who does not like to have things ruined for me and I try to extend that same courtesy, but we find out why Yor is different from everyone else and many other things.
Being the star of the film, Reb Brown definitely fills the role. The guy is pretty built and reminded me of He-Man, a film that he should have been in. His acting skills aren’t the greatest though. Brown has become known, over time, for his yelling, and I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that he doesn’t do any yelling in the film. I was disappointed by this because of his late 80’s films containing his patented yelling. Brown’s yelling is like Al Pacino’s raised voice that he started doing around Scent of a Woman. Sure, the man raised his voice before, but nothing like he would do in that, and later, films. Once both men found their inner yell, they found new ways to entertain an audience.
OVERALL
Yor: The Hunter from the Future is the type of film that can't be made today. Well, it can but it would be played off as a joke. This film takes everything that happens in the film seriously, good or bad, and you have to commend the film for sticking to its guns. There is a lot to love about Yor, but there is also a lot to dislike as well. Bottom line: Go into the film with an open mind and you will have a blast. Go in thinking it is an undiscovered Conan film and you will be disappointed.
The blu-ray, from Mill Creek, is good for what it is. The picture is better than you think it would be and the sound works too. The commentary from star Reb Brown is good, but he starts to watch the film too many times and this leads to big gaps of silence. We also get the film's theatrical trailer, which is always welcome. Mill Creek also gave the film a slip sleeve and original theatrical art, which I never thought Mill Creek would do. All in all, this is a nice disc that doesn't try to hard to be something that it is not and I can appreciate that. This is well worth the under $10 price point it can be found at and is one of Mill Creek best blu-rays to date.
The blu-ray, from Mill Creek, is good for what it is. The picture is better than you think it would be and the sound works too. The commentary from star Reb Brown is good, but he starts to watch the film too many times and this leads to big gaps of silence. We also get the film's theatrical trailer, which is always welcome. Mill Creek also gave the film a slip sleeve and original theatrical art, which I never thought Mill Creek would do. All in all, this is a nice disc that doesn't try to hard to be something that it is not and I can appreciate that. This is well worth the under $10 price point it can be found at and is one of Mill Creek best blu-rays to date.
MORE SCREENSHOTS
0 Comments