Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

4D Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 7, 2019

Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.'s "4D Man" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival interview with producer Jack H. Harris; archival interview with actress Lee Meriwether; audio commentary by film historian Richard Harlan Smith; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"It's happening"

It would take only a couple of minor tweaks to make 4D Man just as relevant today as it undoubtedly was in the 1950s. Consider the following update: Instead of researching atomic power and early theories of molecular physics, Scott (Robert Lansing) and Tony Nelson (James Congdon) are experts in the field of genetic engineering. One of them is again on the verge of a significant breakthrough, only this time the end result would be a different kind of toxic creature. How about a “human-animal chimera”? Too silly? Too out there? But it isn’t, because right at this very moment there are some really twisted minds that are actually working on precisely that kind of a spooky creature. (You can read more about it here).

The idea for 4D Man came from the mind of Jack H. Harris, who produced the legendary horror thriller The Blob, though almost certainly he was only the man that shaped up some of its key details and then put it on paper. Why? Because 4D Man was greenlighted during the atomic bomb scare that paralyzed the 1950s and culminated in 1962, when the Soviet Union and the United States came closest to nuclear conflict, and it is a well-known fact that long before the dangerous confrontation the U.S. government was already conducting a wide range of advanced tests that documented the effects that different levels of radiation exposure would have on the population. In other words, at the time there were already plenty of other minds that were pondering ‘what-if’ scenarios involving molecular physics, radiation exposure, and human mutation.

What makes 4D Man interesting to this writer, however, is not the scientific breakthrough that is at the core of its story, which basically initiates a mutation process that allows Scott to begin penetrating solid objects. (Seen strictly as a distant relative of The Invisible Man, the film is rather underwhelming because there is not a whole lot of the particular type of genre action that is needed to make it look attractive). Rather, it is the notion that there is a moral element attached to the breakthrough, which then places it in an entirely different context. For example, after Scott takes control of his new power his system begins to deteriorate and he quickly realizes that it is only a matter of time before it permanently collapses. So, the film actually questions whether the scientific breakthrough that occurs in the lab only accelerates a cycle that is predetermined by nature, and if it does, whether human beings have a moral obligation not to alter it. For a genre film from the 1950s there is some serious food for thought here. If human beings continuously invent new ways to disrupt the cycle then nature will respond in new ways to compensate for the alterations, which would mean that ultimately the cycle remains unchanged. It is a simple but quite profound conclusion, isn’t it? It may not be immediately obvious, but the pattern is definitely there. (A prime example is the evolution, and consequently devolution, of antibiotics during the last century. Scientists created a variety of powerful antibiotics that then spawned equally formidable antibiotic-resistant viruses that essentially restored the cycle that nature had before them. So, the diseases that balanced the cycle were eradicated after progress was made but were then replaced with new diseases with greater mutative capabilities that now require new antibiotics to eliminate them).

The special effects have an attractive vintage quality, though it should be fair to say that they were done without a particular intent to impress.

Despite an abundance of criticism addressing the harmonic qualities of Ralph Carmichael’s soundtrack, the music actually feels very much in sync with the film’s dramatic yet somewhat pulpy nature.

4D Man 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, Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.'s 4D Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The back cover of this release states that the film was restored in 4K, but I think that the real story is a bit different. It appears that the original camera negative was scanned in 4K and then a new master was created. The difference? Well, an actual 'restoraiton' would have addressed some of the minor issues that I will highlight below.

First, the film has a very nice organic appearance, so a lot of its native qualities are quite easy to appreciate. (The vintage special effects, for instance, look very attractive). However, there are different parts with small density fluctuations that occasionally impact depth. To be perfectly clear, there is nothing to worry about, but some of these inconsistencies would have been addressed by an actual restoration. The color grading is very nice, but this is another area where some background area can reveal minor pulsations that also would have been eliminated in an elaborate restoration. Image stability is good, but there are a few bumps that pop up before or after transitions.. A couple of flecks and small scratches remain, but there are no distracting cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, even though there is some room for fine-tuning, the technical presentation is very nice. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

4D Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are no technical issues to report in our review. The audio is clean, sharp, and stable. Considering the age of the film, it is fair to say that it has a good dynamic amplitude as well. So, I don't think that there is any room for meaningful improvements.

4D Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for 4D Man. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Radio Spot - a vintage radio spot for 4D Man. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Producer Jack H. Harris - in this archival interview, producer Jack H. Harris recalls how he entered the film business and addresses his involvement with The Blob and 4D Man. The interview was conducted for Subkultur Entertainment. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Interview with co-star Lee Meriwether - in this archival interview, actress Lee Meriwether, a former Miss America, remembers the character she played in 4D Man and her work with the rest of the cast members. The interview was conducted for Subkultur Entertainment. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary One - film historian Richard Harlan Smith discusses in great detail the production history of 4D Man and its relationship with The Blob, the shooting of different sequences, the relationships between the main characters (and how they are altered by Scott's transformation), the careers of different cast members, etc.

• Audio Commentary Two - recorded by Kris Yeaworth.

• Animated Gallery - a gallery with black-and-white stills from the film (8 min, 1080p).

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following releases from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Donovan's Brain
  2. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
  3. The Quatermass Xperiment
  4. Dinosaurus!
  5. The Astro-Zombies
  6. Beware! The Blob

4D Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that 4D Man will surprise plenty of people that will see it for the fist time because there are a lot of very interesting ideas floating in it. To be honest, I actually found them a lot more intriguing than the main story, which is good but hardly original. Also, since there is a close relationship between 4D Man and The Blob, I should mention that to me 4D Man looks like the better project. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a healthy new 4K remaster and features a nice audio commentary by film historian Richard Harlan Smith. RECOMMENDED.