Reptilicus – Vinegar Syndrome (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Dates: Denmark, 1961 (Danish Language Version), USA, 1962 (English Language Version)
Directors: Poul Bang (Danish Language Version), Sidney W. Pink (English Language Version)
Cast: Bent Mejding, Asbjørn Andersen, Povl Wøldike, Ann Smyrner, Mimi Heinrich, Dirch Passer, Carl Ottosen, Ole Wisborg, Birthe Wilke, Mogens Brandt, Kjeld Petersen (Both Versions), Bodil Miller (Danish Language Version), Marlies Behrens (English Language Version)

Release Date: July 23rd, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 81 Minutes 33 Seconds (English Language Version), 95 Minutes 41 Seconds (Danish Language Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 (English Language Version), 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (English Language Version), 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (Danish Language Version)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English (English Language Version), DTS-HD Mono Danish (Danish Language Version)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Versions), English (Danish Language Version)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $54.98

"A group of mining engineers prospecting for copper in the mountains of Lapland make an incredible discovery when their drilling unearths the remains of a giant, prehistoric amphibious reptile. A section of the creature’s tail is exhumed from beneath the frozen tundra and transported to the National Aquarium in Copenhagen, where it’s placed in a cold room to be studied by Professor Otto Martens and his research team. But when the door to the room is accidentally left ajar, the tail segment begins to thaw, quickly regenerating itself into a gigantic beast! Now loose and embarking on a cross-country rampage, the military are forced to employ all means necessary to rout the creature - now dubbed “Reptilicus” - before it launches a full-scale attack on the capital." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (English Language Version - Blu-ray), 4/5 (Danish Language Version)

Here’s the information provided about the English language versions transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative."

Reptilicus, the English language version, comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.2 GB

Feature: 59.2 GB

The source looks excellent; it is a noticeable improvement over Shout Factory's 2015 Blu-ray release. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, contrast and black levels are strong, image clarity and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Reptilicus, the English language version, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.2 GB

Feature: 22.3 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Here’s the information provided about the Danish language versions transfer, "HD transfer".

Reptilicus, the Danish language version, comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.7 GB

Feature: 22.5 GB

Though the source for this version looks great—only minimal print debris—it is a few notches below the English language version. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look very good, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Danish)

The English language version comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The Danish language version comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Danish with removable English subtitles and removable English SDH. In the Danish language track, some English dialog is spoken. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the English language track sounds fuller than the Danish language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with film historian Nicolas Barbano and novelist and film critic Kim Newman.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc with the English language version include an interview with illustrator, author and film historian Stephen R. Bissette titled Invincible... Indestructible! who discusses Reptilicus and its enduring legacy (28 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with filmmaker/historian Jay Jennings titled Pink Goes West: Life After Reptilicus who discusses director Sidney W. Pink (10 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a new retrospective featuring film historian/producer Robert Parigi and screenwriter/film historian C. Courtney Joyner titled Fifty Million Years Out of Time: Revisiting Reptilicus (32 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Nicolas Barbano and Kim Newman.

The Danish language version comes on a separate single-layer Blu-ray disc.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a foldout poster, and a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (limited to 6,000 units).

Summary:

The frozen carcass of a giant prehistoric reptile is brought back to life inadvertently by scientists.

Reptilicus has the distinction of being Denmark’s first, last, and only giant monster film. The Danish and English versions were shot simultaneously. In the English-language version, Marlies Behrens replaced Bodil Miller in the casting. And though the Danish cast spoke their lines in Danish and English, in the case of the latter they would be dubbed because of their accents. Also, this is not a case of filming the same scenes in two different languages; there are significant differences narrative-wise.

Though many are already familiar with Reptilicus, I had a distinct advantage having never seen it before. This new release from Vinegar Syndrome offers two versions. I went into Reptilicus expecting the worst because of word of mouth about the English language version. Having now watched both versions, I can confirm that the English language version deserves its reputation.

Despite a strong opening that sets the stage, things quickly get bogged down by mundane moments waiting for the giant prehistoric reptile to arrive on screen. Unfortunately, the giant prehistoric reptile does not appear until around the 41-minute mark. And when the giant prehistoric reptile finally appears, it is only sporadically; it is almost like they wanted to avoid showing it too much.

At just over 80 minutes in length, the narrative feels much longer than it actually is. To say that things moved along slowly would be an understatement. The use of miniatures is a staple of the giant monster films, and in this regard, Reptilicus succeeds. The scores are another area where the two versions differ, and Lex Baxter’s (House of Usher) score for the English language version is filled with menacing music cues. That said, no one would ever honestly call Reptilicus a good film, and yet it is a highly entertaining film that on some levels works despite its shortcomings.

When it comes to the Danish language version, there are numerous areas where it differs; besides different music cues, some scenes are longer; there are shots of Reptilicus flying, a romance subplot, a scene where children sing a song, and more screen time devoted to Reptilicus causing destruction. Also, despite being longer, the Danish language version's narrative just flows better than its English language counterpart. Being able to see both versions, it is clear that the Danish language version is a better film than the overly campy English language version.

Reptilicus gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

                                            Danish Language Version Screenshots.

Written by Michael Den Boer