Invaders From Mars – Ignite Films (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1953
Director: William Cameron Menzies
Writers: Richard Blake, John Tucker Battle
Cast: Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Jimmy Hunt, Leif Erickson, Hillary Brooke, Morris Ankrum, Max Wagner, William Phipps, Milburn Stone, Janine Perreau, Barbara Billingsley

Release Date: July 11th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 79 Minutes 32 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / SDR
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English SDH, French German, Italian, Japanese, Korean
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $49.95

"On a dark and stormy night, a young boy, David McLean (Jimmy Hunt, Pitfall), observes what appears to be a flying saucer crash-landing in his town. Shortly thereafter, the grown-ups - including his own parents - begin acting decidedly strangely. Convinced there's a link between this epidemic of bizarre behavior and what he witnessed that night, David turns to local health official Dr. Blake (Helena Carter, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye) for help. But can these two unlikely heroes, together with famed astronomer Dr. Kelston (Arthur Franz, The Caine Mutiny), withstand the might of a full-blown invasion from outer space?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "brand new 4K presentation from Ignite Films!"

Invaders From Mars comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.5 GB

Feature: 49.2 GB

The source used for this transfer looks excellent; it has undergone an extensive restoration that has cleaned up any imperfections. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. That said, it is hard to imagine Invaders from Mars looking any better than this transfer.

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

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish. For this review, I only listened to the English-language track. This track is in great shape; there are no issues with distortion or background hiss. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Considering the limitations of the original mono source, this track at times sounds surprisingly robust. Included are removable English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Korean subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include the original 1953 theatrical trailer restored in 4K (2 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a newly commissioned trailer (2 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an image gallery (37 images - advertisements/posters/stills/comic book), European ending restored in 2K (2 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles, with text information about this ending), extended European observatory scene restored in 2K (8 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles, with text information about this ending), a featurette with restoration supervisor Scott MacQueen titled Restoring The Invasion (6 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), filmmaker John Sayles’ introduction at Turner Classic Movies Festival in Hollywood, April 2022 (7 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette with acclaimed film directors John Landis, Joe Dante, editor Mark Goldblatt, special visual effects artist and two time Oscar Winner Robert Skotak (foremost expert on Invaders from Mars), and enthusiast and film preservationist Scott MacQueen titled Terror From Above (22 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Jimmy Hunt titled Jimmy Hunt Saves the Planet (10 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with William Cameron Menzies’ biographer James Curtis and recollections of Menzies’ eldest granddaughter Pamela Lauesen titled William Cameron Menzies! The Architect of Dreams (16 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and a 24-page booklet with an essay titled A Nightmare of Restoration written by Scott MacQueen, information about Cinecolor, information about the restoration, and a bio titled About Scott MacQueen.

Summary:

Directed by William Cameron Menzies, who is most remembered for his work as a production designer. Notably, his work on Gone with the Wind Other notable films he directed are Drums in the Deep South and The Maze. Besides directing Invaders From Mars, he was also the production designer.

The narrative revolves around a boy who discovers that space aliens are invading Earth by taking over the minds of Earthlings. His attempts to warn everyone about what is happening often get thwarted by people who are already under the control of the aliens.

There is something about the 1950s that evokes a feeling of nostalgia for viewers of a certain age. Though these films were made during an era when special effects were primitive by modern standards, That does not lessen their impact since many of these films' ability to infuse social commentary elevates them beyond your run-of-the-mill science fiction films that are more interested in dazzling you with special effects. Case in point: Invaders From Mars, a film that has not lost any of its potency.

Though made three years before Invasion of the Body Snatchers, there are many elements in Invaders From Mars that feel like they could have influenced the former. Notably, the plot device of aliens coming to Earth and altering their human hosts In Invaders From Mars, it is through mind control, while in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the aliens make clones that look exactly like their human counterparts. Another area where these two films overlap is the paranoia of their protagonists as perceived by those around them.

Making the protagonist of Invaders From Mars a child is a daring move; outside of minor secondary characters, 1950s science fiction films were most populated with adults. Jimmy Hunt (Sorry, Wrong Number) is cast in the role of the protagonist, a boy named David Maclean. He delivers a remarkable performance that is well beyond his years, and it is arguably the strongest performance in Invaders From Mars. That said, the rest of the cast ranges from adequate to good. Most of these performances feature characters who are emotionless after their minds are taken over by the aliens.

From its opening moments, the narrative establishes an intensity that never relents. Also, the briskly paced narrative does a phenomenal job building momentum towards an excellent ending that perfectly encapsulates the events that preceded. Not to be overlooked is William Cameron Menzies’ exemplary production design, which far exceeds any budget limitations. Another strength of the production design is its simplicity. Also, though there is an artificiality to some of the production design, it always works in Invaders From Mars favor. Ultimately, Invaders From Mars is one of the high points of 1950s science fiction cinema.

Invaders From Mars gets a definitive release from Ignite Films, 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 VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer