20 Million Miles to Earth Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

20 Million Miles to Earth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 17, 2018

Nathan Juran's "20 Million Miles to Earth" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy British distributors Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; vintage promotional materials; archival featurettes; archival audio commentary with Ray Harryhausen, visual effects artists Dennis Muren and Phil Tippett, and documentary producer Arnold Kunert; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Nathan Juran's 20 Million Miles to Earth was initially released on Blu-ray by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2007. This recent release is included in The Wonderful Worlds of Ray Harryhausen, Volume One: 1955-1960 box set, which also contains Robert Gordon's It Came From Beneath the Sea and Jack Sher's The 3 Worlds of Gulliver. For a complete analysis of 20 Million Miles to Earth, please see Marty Liebman's review of the U.S. release.

20 Million Miles to Earth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nathan Juran's 20 Million Miles to Earth arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The disc contains two versions of the film: the original black-and-white version and a colorized version. Both are struck from dated masters that were prepared by Sony Pictures. (In the United States, the film initially appeared in the Ray Harryhausen Collection that was produced in 2008).

I viewed the black-and-white version of the film in its entirety and thought that the technical presentation was quite underwhelming. It has fewer scratches, specks, and blemishes than It Came From Beneath the Sea, but again it is very obvious that the film needs to be fully restored so that it looks as good as it should. For example, grain exposure is very inconsistent and as a result plenty of segments look disappointingly flat. Also, there are traces of digital work that was almost certainly performed to ensure better balance but it simply further contributes to the flatness and in the process affects other elements of the presentation. The good news is that there are no traces of sharpening adjustments, but the digital work appears to have enhanced some of the black crush that pops up here and there. Generally image stability is good, but there are a few shaky transitions. Ultimately, the current master really has all of the conventional limitations that average masters from the DVD era are known for and it easily shows. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

20 Million Miles to Earth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the black-and-white version of the film with the Mono track and all I can say is that when the master for it was prepared the audio was almost certainly remixed because there are no conventional age-related anomalies to report (distracting background hiss, pops, hum, crackle, etc). Overall balance is also very good, though as it is usually the case with these types of older films some native dynamic fluctuations can be heard. All in all, the basics here are solid. I also tested the 5.1 track and it certainly expands the audio field quite well and the music becomes even more impressive, so if you prefer a wider range of nuances and better separation you should definitely consider viewing the film with it.

20 Million Miles to Earth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for 20 Million Miles to Earth. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials for the film.

• Super 8 Version - presented here is a vintage official Super 8 version of the film. It is presented silent and includes on-screen captions and subtitles. (9 min).

• 20 Million Miles More - presented here are extracts that preview a comic book series inspired by Ray Harryhausen's classic film which was first issued in 2007 by Tidal Wave Productions.

• The Colorization Process - in this archival featurette, Ray Harryhausen discusses the colorization of 20 Million Miles to Earth. Bary Sandrew (Legend Films) also explains why Ray Harryhausen could not shoot his films in color, even though he supposedly envisioned them as color films. There are additional interesting comments by David G. Martin (CEO Legend Films). In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Movie Music's Unsung Hero - in this archival featurette, soundtrack producer David Schecter explains how Columbia scored its A and B films during the 1950s, including Ray Harryhausen's early films. Also, there is interesting information about composer Mischa Bakaleinikoff's contribution to these films. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Finding Harryhausen - in this brand new video interview, visual effects artist Dennis Muren Jurassic Park, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 4K) discusses how Ray Harryhausen's work impacted his life and career. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Interview with Actress Joan Taylor - in this archival interview, Joan Taylor explains how she entered the film business and how she was contracted by different studios, and discusses her contribution to various films, including Earth vs. the Flying Saucers and 20 Million Miles to Earth. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Remembering '20 Million Miles to Earth' - in this archival featurette, Ray Harryhausen recalls how 20 Million Miles to Earth was conceived. Also included are clips from interviews with director Terry Gilliam, filmmaker and historian John Canemaker, and special makeup effects artist Rick Baker, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Audio Commentary - this archival audio commentary features Ray Harryhausen, visual effects artists Dennis Muren and Phil Tippett, and documentary producer Arnold Kunert. The audio commentary was created after the colorization of 20 Million Miles to Earth, and initially appeared on this release from Sony Pictures.

• Booklet - an 80-page booklet with new essays and technical credits is included in the The Wonderful Worlds of Ray Harryhausen, Volume One: 1955-1960 box set.

20 Million Miles to Earth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you are fan of Nathan Juran's 20 Million Miles to Earth I think that this recent release from Indicator/Powerhouse Films might be of some interest to you because it has the original black-and-white version of the film as well as the colorized version that was prepared by Legend Films. The current master that Sony Pictures has for the original version of this film, however, has a wide range of limitations, and as I mentioned in our review of It Came From Beneath the Sea which is also sourced from a similar quality master, I am quite certain that sooner rather than later the entire film will be redone in 4K. Until it happens, though, this is probably the most attractive release on the market. (*The release is included in the The Wonderful Worlds of Ray Harryhausen, Volume One: 1955-1960 three-disc box set).