Official Synopsis:
10 Sci-Fi Adventures. 2 Terrifying Collections. Prepare to be blown away with 10 out-of-this-world adventures from the golden age of Hollywood in The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection: Volumes 1 & 2! Loaded with innovative special effects and captivating storylines, these timeless tales will take you into the strange and shocking worlds of Tarantula, The Mole People, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Monolith Monsters, Monster on the Campus, Dr. Cyclops, Cult of the Cobra, The Land Unknown, The Deadly Mantis and The Leech Woman. You can run and you can hide, but you don't want to miss a minute of the fun in this amazing sci-fi showcase!

Volume 1:
Tarantula
An experiment to create a growth formula that could end starvation evolves into a nightmare when a contaminated spider grows gargantuan - with an appetite to match!
The Mole People
Deep below the surface of the earth, three scientists stumble upon a tyrannical tribe of albinos who have enslaved a mutant - and dangerous - race of mole people.
The Incredible Shrinking Man
After encountering a mysterious radioactive mist, an ordinary businessman finds his physical size diminishing as his ordinary household becomes a terrifying trap of doom.
The Monolith Monsters
In a desperate race against time and nature, a geologist and a scientist must find a way to stop the effects of killer outer-space rocks that are literally petrifying people with fear!
Monster on the Campus
Terror sweeps a college campus after the discovery of a prehistoric fish that turns animals and humans that come into contact with it into bloodthirsty monsters.

Volume 2:
Dr. Cyclops
A brilliant but deranged physicist learns how to shrink his enemies to one-fifth of their normal size when they begin to challenge his unconventional experimentations.
Cult of the Cobra
Vengeance is sworn against six American G.I.'s after they witness a clandestine ceremony worshiping beautiful women who can change into serpents.
The Land Unknown
When a Navy expedition crash-lands in a crater thousands of meters below sea level, they encounter a hot, tropical landscape of prehistoric terror filled with ferocious dinosaurs.
The Deadly Mantis
A paleontologist teams up with the military to battle a huge praying mantis when it goes on the attack in metropolitan cities after being released from an Arctic iceberg.
The Leech Woman
Determined to recapture her beauty, a woman discovers a compound that will restore youth - but only when it's combined with fluid taken from bodies of the newly dead!

Our Take:
While Universal’s new Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection: Volumes 1 & 2 is missing some of their most notable science fiction films of the 50’s (The Creature From the Black Lagoon comes to mind), this is still a very fun collection of B-movies from the original era of the stereotypical  B-movie. Anchored by the most well-known film in the set, the excellent The Incredible Shrinking Man, this set includes nine other films filled with monsters, giant insects, and weird happenings. Of course, some of the movies are better than others, but I was surprised at how many iconic images flitted through the films; scenes I’d seen time and again in clip shows or movie retrospectives pop up in several of the films.

Volumes 1 and 2 of The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection are available separately as well, but this compilation of both sets is really the way to go as you get the most bang for your buck. There are two things this collection doesn’t have a lot of, though, and they are big name stars and extra features. Most of the actors in these films are from the TV landscape of the time, so there are very few big-name performers to be found in early roles. Clint Eastwood’s semi-famous minor role as a jet pilot in Tarantula is one of the only examples of such. As for extra features, all that’s included is a trailer for each movie. Still, with a set that collects 10 movies in one place for a budget price, I wasn’t expecting a lavish, extras-laden affair.

You really have to love classic sci-fi and B-movies to get a charge out of this set, but since I do, I really enjoyed it. The stand-out films are Tarantula, The Incredible Shrinking Man (one of my favorites since I was a kid), and The Deadly Mantis, but each film offers up something fun in its own way.

Overall Picture:
Movies (average): B (what else?)
DVD: B-

- Mike Spring

Editor