Although his name
might not be as well-known as Roger Corman - the king of low-budget genre
productions - auteur Larry Cohen deserves every bit as much respect for his
endless gumption and total devotion to making the most out of his features. His
ability to work on-the-fly and under the gun is exactly the reason why his film Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) exists today. Cohen, who had
just been fired from a low-budget production shooting in New York City, didn’t
want to waste the room he’d paid for during the production, so instead he hired
some actors and banged out the script that would become Q in
a mere six days. The conceit for this tale of a modern-day Aztec beast-god
nesting in the art-deco spire of the Chrysler Building came when Cohen looked
up at the skyline and said to himself, “That’d be the coolest place to have a
nest.” Inspiration can come from anywhere when you’re in the Big City.
New Yorkers are
losing their heads, literally. Reports of a gargantuan winged creature
terrorizing rooftops have the NYPD on high alert, but they just can’t seem to
spot the damn thing. Meanwhile, across town, small time crook (and wannabe jazz
pianist) Jimmy Quinn (played by Cohen crony Michael Moriarty) is an unwilling
participant in a diamond heist (at a store called… wait for it… Neil Diamonds).
It goes poorly, leaving Jimmy to run for his freedom all the way up to the top
of the Chrysler Building where he finds a huge nest housing the largest
cinematic egg since Mothra gave birth. Quinn decides that maybe now would be a
good time to give up his life of crime and try going straight for once, but
when a couple of his associates come looking for the diamonds he lies and
claims they’re hidden at the top of the Chrysler Building. Sure enough, both
men leave the rooftop minus a head. Thinking this is his big ticket, Jimmy
figures he can use his knowledge of the nest’s location as a bargaining chip
with the police, exchanging what he knows for a full pardon on all his crimes
in addition to a cool $1 million cash. The way he sees it, this city owes him.
Who cares if there’s an ancient behemoth eating residents, all while a
mysterious man in a bejeweled mask is making willing human sacrifices to
appease the beast?
Cohen started off
writing detective dramas, a fact which is evident in many of his films since
they almost always feature a subplot involving police procedures. While the
film is ostensibly sold as a monster-run-amok tale, the fact is that virtually
every big creature feature needs a compelling story to work within. Now, I’ll
be the first to admit that Michael Moriarty isn’t exactly
the most charismatic leading man, but it’s clear that he has a strong desire to
imbue his parts with enough of his quirky charm and dogged resilience that
they’re at least memorable. Jimmy Quinn is a lifetime loser; a petty crook with
no luck who overlooks the one stable, good thing in his life: his girlfriend,
Joan, played (rather terribly) by Candy Clark. He’s so accustomed to being
broken down and spat out that once he gets a small amount of power it
completely goes to his head. Moriarty’s performance ends up being the film’s
highlight, mainly because our eponymous creature is a little less than
spectacular when finally revealed.
Q had a stellar poster design. I can still vividly recall seeing the VHS cover
art many times as a kid and thinking that it looked impossibly awesome.
Emphasize impossible because this is another case of the
poster setting such high expectations that they would be hopeless to match on
screen. It also doesn’t help when you hire one of the foremost fantasy artists
of all-time, the masterful Boris Vallejo, the design your one sheet.
Quetzalcoatl looks a lot like a plucked turkey, soaring through the skyline of
the Big Apple. The design isn’t necessarily terrible, but compared to the beast
the cover implies you’re getting… it just doesn’t even come close. Thankfully,
since this <i>is</i> 1982, viewers can enjoy seeing Q brought to
life via stop-motion animation. The work done here is impressive for a
low-budget production, and Q moves through the air almost seamlessly. Large
feathered claws were crafted for scenes where lounging New Yorkers are pulled
from rooftops before being torn apart, although their employment usually ends
up looking like someone is playing with a giant arcade claw machine attempting
to win a prize.
Richard Roundtree
and David Carradine both receive top billing as a couple of cops working the Q
case. Carradine is given the most to do out of the pair, however, leaving
Roundtree to just bark a few orders and act mildly heroic when he finally meets
the beast. Carradine’s focus is mainly on investigating the series of human
sacrifices occurring around the city – hearts cleanly ripped from chests, skin
flayed off bodies… that kind of stuff. It’s a bit underdeveloped as a subplot,
but the only real purpose it needs to serve is explaining why an Aztec god is
making home in a modern day metropolis.
While many might
dismiss the film as a big turkey, I think there’s more than enough of interest
occurring within the running time to at the very least
entertain viewers. Cohen came up with a unique take on ancient Aztec rituals,
and he made sure to populate the film with a few well-rounded characters and
familiar faces. Hell, it’s worth watching just for all the glorious NYC skyline
porn, since the film was shot entirely on location. Cohen even managed to
secure permits to shoot at the top of the Chrysler Building. Fans of old-school
monster movies are sure to be pleased.
Shout! Factory’s
Blu-ray is an appreciable upgrade over the previously issued DVD from Blue
Underground. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn they simply used the
existing HD master that was available since BU is known for quality image
restoration. The image enjoys an upgrade in clarity, as well as a boost in
color reproduction, while also maintaining a healthy, moderate layer of grain.
Night time shots lose much of their detail to darkness, but Cohen
(surprisingly) chose to shoot almost entirely in daylight. On the audio side of
things, a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track kicks things off. Now, before
anyone goes complaining that this is a downgrade from the DTS 6.1 surround
sound track found on the DVD, be aware that this film was mixed in mono, so
anything those extra channels might have added would likely be newly-created to
fill out the soundfield. The stereo track perfectly suits the film, although
the dialogue levels are a bit on the low side.
The major bonus
feature here is an audio commentary with writer/producer/director Larry Cohen.
Whether or not you’re a fan of his films, this is a must-listen track. Cohen
talks virtually non-stop right from the get-go, regaling listeners with on-set
anecdotes, information on how he achieved some of the film’s more impressive
shots, casting, securing permits, and more. He covers all aspects of the
production in a clear, direct tone. The disc also includes a theatrical
trailer, as well as a teaser, both of which (while looking rather rough) are in
HD.
Q might not live up to the promise of its poster art, but what films truly do?
Cohen delivered a picture that is a hodgepodge of monster activity, crime,
extortion, and greed. And he did it all with a single week
of pre-production. He makes the most of his time, his actors, and his films.
Michael Moriarty struggles a bit, but manages to essentially carry the film on
his shoulders. Fans of Cohen’s oeuvre already know what’s in store here, but
the uninitiated should (hopefully) find something here to keep them
entertained. Shout! Factory’s Blu-ray provides the best presentation Q
is likely to receive, and while the bonus features may be minimal the
commentary alone makes up for any shortcomings.
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