Many years ago, I was walking in New York City at twilight with my best friend and looking up at the towering buildings along the avenue, I let myself believe, just for a moment, that superheroes were real and they were swinging their way through the skyscrapers. It was a good moment. Low-budget film producer/director/writer Larry Cohen had a similar thought, but it involved a big bird instead of super heroes. And being a filmmaker, he was able to bring us the cult classic of Aztec revenge - Q-THE WINGED SERPENT!!!

A young woman furiously tries to ignore the perverted window washer outside her office on the 80th floor of the Empire State Building. A loud crunch is heard, and the woman discovers the pervert has quite literally lost his head. Detectives Shepard (David Carradine) and Powell (Richard Roundtree) are called in to investigate. Meanwhile, loser Jimmy Quinn (Michael Moriarity) agrees to be the driver for some goons planning a jewel heist. A topless babe sunbathing on the top of her apartment building is plucked off by 'something', and blood rains upon the streets below. Killing time before the robbery, Quinn applies for a piano playing job at his girlfriend's bar (in a scene written expressly for Moriarity), but while his jazz-scat playing is appreciated by a thirsty Shepard, he's tossed out by the owner. The heist goes totally wrong; Quinn flees the robbery scene with a case of diamonds, but loses the bag when a cab hits him. Stumbling through the streets, he makes his way to the Chrysler Building. Fearful of the security guards, Quinn hides in the spire, where he discovers a gruesome secret.

More rooftop workers are killed by what rumor has it is a giant bird. Shepard believes otherwise; his investigation leads him to the local museum of history where he learns of the ancient Aztec god Qutzalcoatl - the winged serpent! Shepard believes the "bird" and a rash of ritualistic murders are connected - someone is bringing back the old gods! Quinn returns to his girlfriend's apartment. When the goons demand the case of jewels, he takes them back to the Chrysler Building where he "hid" them. The hoods find out the hard way that Quinn's secret is a real killer. The "giant bird" sightings continue, and Shepard tells his bosses of his "Q" theory. They are skeptical, to say the least. But Quinn has offered to reveal what he knows for a cool million dollars, and a pardon. Will his secret help stop the murders? Can anything bring down a resurrected god?

Q-THE WINGED SERPENT can rightfully be described as good, old-fashioned fun. Cohen's taken the giant monster motif and plopped it down right in the heart of New York City. While today's CGI-overloaded moviegoers may find the stop-motion animation to be cheesy, those of us old-school monster fanatics will appreciate the job of bringing a winged serpent to the skies of NYC. Like most of Cohen's films, the real emphasis is on the characters; Michael Moriarity gives an outstanding performance as the loser Quinn. Carradine, Roundtree and Clark could have been stuck with stock characters, but they're allowed to show depth and complexity in their acting roles. The focus is not on humor, but there are more than a few good lines throughout the movie. Cohen may have made the film on a next-to-nothing budget, but the quality he got from his actors and production staff is absolutely remarkable. The director himself offers an interesting comparison; watch Q (made for 1.2 million) and the 1998 remake of GODZILLA (which cost 41 million). Not only does the big budget 'blockbuster' totally rip-off Q's ending, but not one character is as interesting as anyone in Cohen's film. Q-THE WINGED SERPENT should be required viewing for all starting genre filmmakers to see how to do things the right way, not the 'Hollywood' way.

Blue Underground had reissued Q in a new transfer struck from the original negative. This gives the viewer an excellent picture, although there are some color fluctuations if you really focus on the interior scenes. And for you real nitpickers, there is a little dirt in one scene. The audio has been remastered, and is very clean and clear with good separation on the surround setting, which is a real treat since originally the film was shot in mono. The DVD includes a teaser trailer; poster/still gallery, a short bio of Larry Cohen, and a REQUIRED commentary of Cohen to listen to the second time you watch the film (and who wouldn't want to watch Q twice?) There is also a DVD-ROM section of Q memorabilia, if you're able to access it.

As a lover of monster movies, I can say without a doubt that one of my favorites has always been Q-THE WINGED SERPENT. Now released remastered with great audio, and with all the extras Blue Underground provided, the film has to be considered essential viewing for all genre fans. So next time you're in the city, take another look at those skyscrapers. You never can tell what may be up there...