Ignite Films’ Invaders from Mars new 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD editions capture the seminal alien invasion, cold-war era sci-fi film in all its glory, both from an archival and technical point of view.
The film that scared Steven Spielberg back in 1953 (who stated in TCM’s Watch the Skies documentary that the “evil parent” aspects of the film terrified him so much that every time he re-watched it, he hoped that the parents would somehow act normal this time around) gets the deluxe treatment it deserves and director William Cameron Menzies’ film can now be viewed alongside other sci-fi classics by new audiences.
The restoration from the original negatives cleans up Invaders From Mars to an amazing degree and those who have seen it before will certainly be impressed. Sequences filmed on soundstages and outside both look more vibrant than any previous version of the film, and those unique and unforgettable aliens can be seen in ways that highlight the adept effects work exhibited in the film, especially for a low budget programmer from the 1950s.
Invaders From Mars stars Jimmy Hunt, Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Morris Ankrum, Leif Erickson, and Hillary Brooke, with Hunt stealing the show as the pre-teen protagonist trying to warn the populace about the imminent invasion.
In terms of bonus features, these invaders come armed and ready with many bonus features (included on the 4K UHD and Blu-ray versions only) such as a restored 4K version of the original 1953 trailer, a newly commissioned 2022 remix of the trailer, an interview with Hunt, an in-depth look at the restoration process led by former Head of Preservation at the UCLA Film & Television Archive Scott MacQueen, and a new featurette about the film featuring interviews with directors Joe Dante (Gremlins), John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), multiple Visual Effects Academy-Award winner Robert Skotak (Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgement Day), and others.
If you are a fan of 1950’s science fiction movies, the new Ignite Films’ version is a must have for your home video collection.
Look for all three versions in stores on July 11
