Q: The Winged Serpent is a fun little B-movie from the early 80s featuring some bad special effects, though this is part of the film’s charm and why it’s garnered somewhat of a cult following over the years.
Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)
Genre(s): Fantasy, Horror
Shout Factory | R – 92 min. – $19.97 | August 27, 2013
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Larry Cohen
Writer(s): Larry Cohen (written by)
Cast: Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine, Richard Roundtree
Theatrical Release Date: October 29, 1982
DISC INFO:
Features: Commentary, Theatrical Trailer
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 2.0)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.78
Subtitles: None
Disc Size: 20.8 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A
THE MOVIE
Plot Outline: Its name is Quetzalcoatl, a dragon-like Azrec god that is summoned to modern-day Manhattan by a mysterious cult. But just call it “Q”… because that is all you’ll be able to say before it tears you apart! Roosting within the top of the Chrysler Building, this fearsome monster begins raining blood – from the bodies of window washers, construction workers and rooftop sunbathers alike – onto the streets of New York.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.25/5
Arriving in a standard Blu-ray amaray case, the disc includes a moderately interesting and entertaining audio commentary with writer/producer/director Larry Cohen and the trailer (2:32; SD) and teaser (0:33; SD).
VIDEO – 3.0/5
Shout Factory once again unleashes a cult classic onto Blu-ray, but given its low budget (~$2.8 million in today’s dollars) and taking into considering the film’s age, Q: The Winged Serpent was never meant to be a pretty looking transfer… even if a studio put money and resources to doing an extensive restoration. Here, the 1080p high-def transfer, presented in its original 1.78 aspect ratio, isn’t exactly finely detailed, the colors are muted and the poor visual effects shine through. Of course, I suppose the low-end production value is part of the film’s charm and why it’s garnered a following over the years.
AUDIO – 3.5/5
The movie includes a DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo track which might not be anything phenomenal, yet gets the job done well enough. The dialogue is fairly clear, at least to the point that the original source allowed, while the action elements can be at times muffled, though again, there are limitations and this is the best this will ever sound.
OVERALL – 2.25/5
Overall, Q: The Winged Serpent is a fun little B-movie from the early 80s featuring some bad special effects, though this is part of the film’s charm and why it’s garnered somewhat of a cult following over the years. Shout! Factory releases Q on Blu-ray with acceptable, at best, audio and video transfers while the features are limited not even including some sort of retrospective featurette.
Published: 08/09/2013