Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Conquest of Space Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 24, 2022

Byron Haskin's "Conquest of Space" (1955) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include new program with author and film historian C. Courtney Joyner and authors Joe Adamson and Justin Humphreys; new program with science fiction artist Vincent Di Fate; new audio commentary by critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw; and new audio commentary by Justin Humphreys. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

All of our guesses about the future and what it might be like are always based on our knowledge of the past and present. We speculate and make logical conclusions by using information that has been accumulated over a long period of time. It is the logical thing to do, right? But what if our definition of logical is incompatible with our definition of the future? What if our inability to accurately predict the future is a byproduct of our insistence to think and rationalize in a very particular way? Confused? Consider this: approximately twenty-five years ago, NASA scientists discovered that the grand bubble we exist in, better known as the universe, can be altered by “a mysterious repulsive force”. At the time, the NASA scientists concluded that this force was accelerating the universe’s expansion, and though they did not understand the exact values of the change, they thought that they had figured out the nature of the process. In other words, the NASA scientists thought that it was a logical process. But recently NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope delivered brand new data revealing that not only is the universe not evolving as the scientists had previously thought, but that their entire understanding of its existence might be incorrect. Why exactly? Because basic physics and the universe’s behavior are incompatible. (You can read more about the data here).

Very, very interesting, isn’t it? So, if basic physics cannot explain the bubble we exist in, what else inside this bubble isn’t as it appears to be?

Byron Haskin and the famous producer George Pal made Conquest of Space in 1955 and ever since the general consensus has been that the logic behind the events it portrays is shaky. To be absolutely clear, there are some strictly technical errors in the film that make it a very easy target for critics, but they are irrelevant because they do not alter its messaging, which is what makes it interesting.

The first half of Conquest of Space is set on The Wheel, a giant space station loaded with advanced equipment, where an international team of astronauts and engineers are finishing building a new spaceship. Despite already feeling the damaging effects of space fatigue, General Merritt (Walter Brooke) is ordered to form a small team that will take the spaceship on an exploration mission to Mars. Rather reluctantly, the General selects his son (Eric Fleming), an electronics expert (Phil Foster), a geologist (Benson Fong), and a physician, and shortly after they board the spaceship. In the second half, after successfully reaching Mars, the General suffers a dramatic nervous breakdown and attempts to sabotage the historic mission.

There comes a point in Conquest of Space where science and religion clash and it appears that Haskin and Pal are forcing the viewer to choose a side. Interestingly, it appears so only if the viewer incorrectly assumes that one of the two sides has a superior grasp of the unknown, and this is what makes the film so interesting to deconstruct today. Indeed, if the viewer ignores their dated arguments, both sides reveal equally illogical willingness to sacrifice lives. The scientists misinterpret the effects of space fatigue and launch an exploration mission that becomes deadly, while the General attempts to permanently terminate the mission because he misinterprets its ultimate goal. Needless to say, when eventually the drama ends it very much feels like Conquest of Space was way ahead of its time.

A direct comparison between Conquest of Space, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, and The War of the Worlds is perhaps inevitable, but this writer thinks that it is inappropriate. These films have very different personalities and objectives and as a result it is pretty easy to see that visually they tried to accomplish very different things.

Conquest of Space Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Conquest of Space arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures and it isn't difficult to tell that if it is fully restored in 4K Conquest of Space would look fresher and healthier. However, despite some minor inconsistencies, this master offers a really, really good organic presentation of the film. Indeed, delineation, clarity, and depth range from good to very good, and sharpness is very solid. Also, and this is very important to underscore, while in some areas color saturation can be improved, color registration is surprisingly solid. It is just a bit obvious that the current master was not prepared on modern equipment. Grain exposure can be improved, but the visuals hold up really well on a large screen and often look as attractive as the ones seen on the restored Robinson Crusoe on Mars. There is room for some mild cosmetic improvements. A few nicks, blemishes, and specks can be seen, but you won't have to worry about large cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames. All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised how good Conquest of Space looked on my system. (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).

Conquest of Space Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

The dialog and Van Cleave's dramatic score sounded very good on my system. Is there room for improvements? If there is, I have to speculate that these improvements will not affect clarity and dynamic balance because they are already very solid. Perhaps there could be some small revalancing adjustments here and there, but I am unsure whether would make much of a difference. I did not detect any hiss, pops, or other similar age-related imperfections in the upper register either.

Conquest of Space Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "A Fellow Journeyman" - Byron Haskin at Paramount - this exclusive new program examines Byron Haskin's prolific career in Hollywood, and specifically his time at Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures as well as relationship with Jack Warner and Hal B. Wallis, the manner in which he revolutionized special effects, and the lasting appeal of his films. There are some terrific comments about his crime and sci-fi films. Included in it are new interviews with author and film historian C. Courtney Joyner, author Joe Adamson, and author Justin Humphreys. Outstanding program that does more than what you would typically get from five, even six similar programs. In English, not subtitled. (38 min).

• "The Conquest of Space: From Book to Screen" - in this new program, science fiction artist Vincent Di Fate discusses the evolution of the sci-fi genre after WWII and some of the groundbreaking themes that are introduced by Conquest of Space. There are some very interesting comments about the obstacles the film faced at the time of its production in terms of what was considered possible. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Commentary One - in this exclusive new audio commentary, George Pal author and historian Justin Humphreys discusses in great detail Paramount's struggle with the production of Conquest of Space, the unusual casting choices, the fact that plenty of supposedly finished footage was left unused, some obvious problems with the characterizations and certain cliches that were not avoided, etc. It is an excellent commentary recorded by an obviously very knowledgeable man.

• Commentary Two - in this exclusive new audio commentary, critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw discuss the conception of Conquest of Paradise, the evolution of the screenplay for the film, some issues in the narrative that could have been avoided, the film's visual appearance and personality, Byron Haskin's style and body of work, etc.

Conquest of Space Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My suspicion that Paramount could have handled the production of Conquest of Space quite a bit better was confirmed in the outstanding new commentary George Pal author and historian Justin Humphreys recorded for this release. Also, Mr. Humphreys is correct to point out that some of the casting choices that were made are more than a bit odd and hurt the film's integrity. However, I think that the film's vision about space exploration and the future of the human race was so advanced that its minor flaws become utterly irrelevant. (Some of the themes that emerge in its final act where religion and science clash are just astonishing). Via Vision Entertainment's release is sourced from an older but very solid organic master that was supplied by Paramount. It has a terrific selection of bonus features as well. A Fellow Journeyman - Byron Haskin at Paramount is easily one of the best exclusive programs I have seen this year, so hopefully Via Vision Entertainment will work with the same contributors that were involved with it again. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.