Plot: What’s it about?
As a storm rages outside of his window, young David MacLean (Jimmy Hunt) is stirred from his sleep by the sounds of wind, lightning, and it turns out, something far more unusual than mere heavy rains. He rises from his bed and moves to the window, just in time to see a strange flying saucer touch down just behind his house. The ship doesn’t want to be seen it would be seem, as it is soon buried in a sand pit, where it can go unseen. Of course, David wants to tell someone about the amazing sight he has witnessed, but as the aliens have taken his father, even his own dad won’t believe him. The aliens implanted a small device in David’s father’s neck, one that allows the aliens to control him, like a human robot of sorts. After he returns from the pit, his father, George (Leif Erickson) begins to take others to the location also and by turn, they are given the same implants and taken over by the invading aliens. As even his own family has now been taken, David is forced to look elsewhere for help and he finds that outlet in his friend Dr. Kelston (Arthur Franz), who works as an astronomer. Kelston listens to David’s story and not only believes him, but formulates a theory on the intentions of the aliens. But can the alien invasion be fended off, even with the help of some local military forces? And why have the aliens come to Earth, do they wish to simply take over, or is there a buried secret within their existence?
Invaders from Mars might look like just another sci/fi B movie from the 50s, but in truth, it is perhaps the finest sci/fi B movie from the 50s. It has all the needed elements for the genre, like brash military men, use of the real life communist threat, an intelligent & misunderstood young boy, and of course, some aliens. But while a lot of 50s sci/fi staked themselves on the aliens, this movie branches out and offers solid writing, solid acting, and some excellent visuals, including some wonderful set design work. The premise seems a little thin at first, but if you go beneath the surface, you’ll find that many themes are explored, making Invaders from Mars more complex than the usual 50s sci/fi fodder. I’ll grant you that most young audiences today wouldn’t rave over this one, but for fans of sci/fi, Invaders from Mars is a landmark, not to be missed picture. After a brief release in a notoriously poor treatment, the sci/fi epic Invaders from Mars went out of print, but now, its back as part of the Wade Williams Collection. A new transfer has been created, but it suffers due to the lackluster conditions of the source material, though unless a full restoration is done, I doubt this could look much better. Plus we’re given both the original U.S. edition and the British version, which should delight fans to no end. So for fans, this might not be the top notch version we had hoped, but considering the options, its the best available edition.
Video: How does it look?
Invaders from Mars is presented in a full frame transfer, as intended. The previous release (via United American) was bar none the worst looking DVD I’d ever seen, so I crossed my fingers for a proper treatment with this new version. As it turns out, this is an improvement in overall quality, but the materials still look very worn and battered. The print has frequent nicks and debris, as well as scratches and vertical lines, the latter of which runs through the duration of some scenes, which can be a distraction. Even so, this looks cleaner than the earlier disc and the colors are much better here, without question. The hues are bolder and richer, which makes for a more pleasant visual experience, to be sure. I’ve heard talk of a pristine version held by UCLA and I would love to have such an edition released, but for fans of this picture, this is the best option on the market, so its the lesser of two evils.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included mono track isn’t that bad, but it is far from being as clean & clear as I would have liked. This one is mostly dialogue driven, but as this is a movie about aliens, you’ll hear some cool special effects also. The main flaw here is that this sounds a little dated, but I suppose that is to be expected in some form or another. So while there is some harshness at times, in the end this sound better than most tracks of this age. The dialogue shows minimal distortion and I never had to strain to hear the vocals. It isn’t memorable, but it gets the job done.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some still photos, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
