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Like other old public domain flicks, you may feel doomed when you start trying to sort through all of the Doomed to Die releases out there. Unlike a lot of them, though, it does actually have a couple that stand out.

You can get this on any number of stand-alone DVD's listing the same specs as every other: 1.33 full-frame image, 1.0 mono sound, no extras. There are nearly as many different combo packs that appear to be no better and no worse, but there there are 3 Mr. Wong box sets that might be worth a glance and a Karloff Collection.

I first saw it in a 50 pack of “Horror Classics.”

Video:

1.33: This is full frame which is the only ratio I've seen offered. The image shows the movie's age having a fuzzy picture with some lines and trash. It's washed out with weak contrast which buries some of the details.

Audio:

2.0 Dolby: This is a mono even if it's encoded as Dolby stereo. It's pretty typical of the old unrestored movies. I could understand all the dialogue, but it has plenty of white noise and other blemishes.

Packaging:

This particular disc is housed in a cardboard sleeve contained in a Velcro-fastened box. You can read about the set as a whole in great detail in the Horror Classics (50 pack) guide.

Extras:

There are no extras of any kind.

Other Editions:

I'm not going to spend much time on the individual releases, because they all appear to be virtually the same. Count on the 1.33 ratio with mono sound and weak, dated quality. What I'm going to focus on instead are some of the other interesting box sets.

First is the “Mr. Wong Detective – The Complete Collection.” This one is not the same as the set I described above despite having the same title. It's by VCI and is a 2 disc set. It's not labeled a “collector's edition” like the other one is but is really more deserving of such a designation. This one lists the typical 1.33 ratio and has been digitally remastered according to one reviewer. What's more is that the set offers a handful of extras including some bios, a photo gallery, some classic cartoons (no details of what), and “Red Barry” chapter 1 (whatever that is).

Next up is “Mr. Wong Detective Complete Collection” a 6 DVD set by Alpha Home Ent. Unfortunately details on this particular set are scarce and reviews of it nonexistent. It looks more like a bundle than a true box set but does include all of the Mr. Wong movies in individual cases with different cover art and such. Beyond that I don't see anything to suggest that the presentation is anything special, and there are no extras listed.

The Karloff Collection offers numerous old Karloff movies including all the Wong movies he was in. That's good if you're wanting his films specifically, but it excludes the Phantom of Chinatown which stars Keye Luke as a younger Mr. Wong.

Final Thoughts:

If you're looking for the various Wong movies I say give one of those box sets a shot. I had my eye on the VCI set, but the price shot up to astronomical levels when I was looking to buy. It's more reasonable again so maybe you'll have more luck than I did as it appears to be the most desirable of the lot. The “collector's edition” set is not impressive, but it does offer all the films at reasonable quality if you find it for a decent price. It's probably the next best choice. The 50 Horror Classics version is not bad as far as a cheap way to get a hold of a bunch of classic movies, but keep in mind that only a couple of the Wong movies are included in that set.

Review

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Mr. Wong Detective The Complete Collection Collector's Edition is a 3 disc set that offers all 6 Mr. Wong films.

Video:

1.33: Despite this being remastered the video is still pretty bad. It is a bit washed - out sometimes badly, trashy, grainy, and just generally unclear. It may be marginally better than the other version I've seen but still far from impressive.

Audio:

2.0 PCM: This is still a mono mix, and while the white noise is still present the dialogue volume is than the other version.

Packaging:

The 3 DVD's are housed in a typical but sturdy plastic case.

Extras:

There are no extras of any kind.