When I was growing up in Staten Island, NY my mother would take me to the video store to see what movie I wanted to watch. I can remember the shelves upon shelves of various videos ranging from new releases to classics. Each of these tapes had colorful art and they drew you in with an amazing tag line or catchphrase. Now the folks over at Mill Creek Entertainment are trying to recapture some of that nostalgia by releasing their newest line of Retro VHS Blu-ray’s.
There are six of these included in the initial launch and they are Hardbodies, Who Shot Harry Crumb, Krull, Last Action Hero, Silent Rage and Happy Birthday to Me. However, for this review we’re only looking at the last four. Lets first start on the packaging as it looks to be carefully recreated from the original art and box design. The logos and everything including showing a bit of the VHS cassette sliding out of the sleeve is a really nice touch. Also, each of these has a sticker labelling the movie’s genre such as sci-fi, action or horror. And finally one of the things that I love about these movies are the amount of wear and tear on each of these. They don’t look new as you can see creases, scuffs, etc. And one end of the packaging is just the title as it would be on a VHS tape and the other side looks as if it is an actual tape as well!
Now for the films they are pretty amazing and we are going to cover each of them briefly:
Last Action Hero deals with a young lad by the name of Danny Madigan who is obsessed with movies including the Jack Slater franchise. However, when he is drawn into the screen he soon realizes that not everything is as it’s cracked up to be. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the iconic Jack Slater and this is a great flick that you can watch over and over again.
Krull is about a land that exists outside the realm of time as it is home to creatures and powerful magic. A horrid beast rules over the land and Prince Colwyn sets out to rescue his young bride that is held captive by this beast. Aiding him on his quest is a powerful weapon the Glaive and it can slay creatures from afar. Will he be successful in his mission or will the world of Krull fall beneath the iron rule of the beast?
Silent Rage stars the legendary martial arts hero Chuck Norris and he is a sherriff of a small town in Texas. When a killer stalks the streets and dispatches people with ease as Chuck Norris tries to fight the seemingly invincible psychopath. When it is revelaed that genetic engineering has a hand in creating this monster will Chuck Norris be able to withstand the onslaught of this murderer?
Happy Birthday to Me takes place at a high school where Virginia Wainwright had suffered a freak accident and did not come away unscarred. She suffers from blackouts and memory loss and is unsure what is happening around her. Her senior class is starting to turn up dead but who is the killer? Is Virgina a suspect or a target? This slasher/horror film will keep you on the edge of your seat!
There is only one problem I have with these films as they are like a traditional VHS tape. Back in the day you put the tape in, pressed play and the movie started and that’s what happens with these releases. There are no special features, no trailers, no extra content of any kind and that’s fine as some of these releases I couldn’t find anywhere.
If you lived in the 80’s and want a bit of nostalgia then you need to check out some of these releases from Mill Creek Entertainment. For more information on this and other releases head over to https://www.millcreekent.com and get ready to go back to the video store.
Last Action Hero: 3 out of 5
Krull: 3 out of 5
Silent Rage: 3.5 out of 5
Happy Birthday to Me: 3.5 out of 5
