This is a review for the Blu-ray release. I think we all know this is a good movie. Great packaging and that's about it. The picture quality is grainy. It's very good but not pristine. All the money went into packaging and restoring the original ending. The original ending is a treat. Overall the video quality is not up to 1080P standards. They could have meticulously restored this film frame by frame but they didn't. It does not look that way. I realize some scenes are dark but there's no excuse for grainy film. This looked exactly like a typical fuzzy, grainy film from the 80's. Why not sharpen the picture? The picture is NOT sharp. Great audio soundtrack though.
One of those rare films to attain cult, critical, and popular success, fans of Little Shop of Horrors will be both pleased and disappointed by this Warner Home Video DVD release. There is no faulting the widescreen anamorphic transfer that returns the film to its theatrical aspect ratio, nor the equally fine Dolby Digital audio transfer. Another bonus has the witty Alan Menken and Howard Ashman score on a separate audio track, while Frank Oz's audio commentary gets viewers inside of what was a very hard shoot. Director Oz is on the record as saying that his rather dry demeanor was the basis for the Muppet Bert of Sesame Street fame and he erases any doubt of that in his insightful, if humorously monotone, commentary track. There is also a fun "Outtake Reel" from the shooting which reveals why fans of the movie have reason to be disappointed in this DVD. For a few seconds of outtakes, viewers can see part of the original ending of the movie, in which the monstrous giant plants take over the world. Shot at great expense, the original, darker ending was replaced with a more upbeat (though still cynical) conclusion. In a bizarre move, Warner Home Video has botched both of its DVD releases of Little Shop of Horrors. The first release only showed the film with the original ending while this second release only gives viewers the theatrical version. Can a third DVD release that combines all the features of the first two versions and has both endings be far behind?
Great packaging and that's about it. The picture quality is grainy. It's very good but not pristine. All the money went into packaging and restoring the original ending. The original ending is a treat. Overall the video quality is not up to 1080P standards. They could have meticulously restored this film frame by frame but they didn't. It does not look that way. I realize some scenes are dark but there's no excuse for grainy film. This looked exactly like a typical fuzzy, grainy film from the 80's. Great audio soundtrack though.
What's great about it: Great Music and very good movie overall