6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In this remake of the classic '50s sci-fi tale, a boy tries to stop an invasion of his town by aliens who take over the the minds of his parents, his least-liked schoolteacher, and other townspeople.
Starring: Karen Black (I), Hunter Carson, Timothy Bottoms, Laraine Newman, James KarenHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There are several salient questions that may arise for some viewers as they watch the playful Tobe Hooper film Invaders from Mars. Hooper himself wonders aloud in one of the supplements adorning this new Blu-ray as to whether he made the right decision in attempting to revisit the 1953 William Cameron Menzies film, at least insofar as Hooper’s fan base was expecting an outright horror entry and got something decidedly more whimsical instead. Some curmudgeons may also question the wisdom of casting young Hunter Carson in the lead role of David, a little boy who is convinced that, yes, nefarious Martians have landed on Earth and are engaged in, if not outright replacing folks via another “invasion” film, 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, at least controlling them via a disturbing “portal” drilled into the backs of their necks. Carson, real life son of co-star Karen Black and noted writer-director L.M. Kit Carson, had received stellar reviews for his role in the Kit Carson penned Paris, Texas, but here he occasionally seems to be playing to the veritable second balcony, only upping what is already a fairly florid, hyperbolic presentation, making the film feel like more of a cartoon than even Hooper himself might have intended (it doesn't help that the young boy sometimes seems to be on the verge of laughing in some of the scenes with his mother). But perhaps the most salient question of all concerning Invaders from Mars in its 1986 iteration is one that again includes an assessment of films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers — namely, the tendency on the part of 1950s era science fiction filmmakers to make not so subtle references to the so-called Red Menace in their formulations of an alien attack stealing the hearts and minds of good old red blooded Americans. The Menzies Invaders from Mars was actually one of the more artful allegories of McCarthy Era paranoia, one that traded an interstellar “red menace” for the one then making headlines in papers across the country. While the mid to late eighties may well have been a time when President Reagan was decrying the existence of an “evil empire,” there wasn’t the same feeling of an existential threat from the Soviets, at least not at the same level, which seemed to be a subliminal element of so many 1950s science fiction “invasion” films. Divorced from that context, this “new, improved” Invaders from Mars is still a lot of fun, but it’s a decidedly less provocative film than the Menzies original.
Invaders from Mars is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.36:1. Elements have their fair share of age related issues, including speckling, scratches (including one pretty bad one), and dirt. What's most problematic here is highly variable grain structure coupled with inconsistent sharpness and clarity, suggesting that this may have been sourced from disparate elements, and possibly some dupe elements at that. Contrast, for example, screenshot 9's fuzzy, extremely grainy appearance with the much clearer and more natural looking first screenshot for just one example of the variances that can be seen throughout this presentation. Grain also has a few issues resolving naturally even in the best looking moments, sometimes acquiring a kind of ugly yellow color, as can be seen clearly in several of the screenshots accompanying this review. As should probably be expected, exterior sequences fare best here, with colors popping quite vividly and clarity and sharpness looking relatively better (see screenshot 5). The special effects sequences employing opticals offer an at times considerable spiking of grain, as should also be expected. Close-ups of the creatures provide some fun amounts of fine detail, with the expert fabrication skills of the special effects team popping quite well. Despite some problems, this is still a decided upgrade over standard definition, but fans of the film should probably temper their expectations accordingly.
Invaders from Mars has a repurposed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track in addition to a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track recreating the film's original mono theatrical presentation. Both of these tracks offer splendid support for the film's dialogue and sometimes funny-retro sound effects. The 5.1 track does place several sound effects discretely in the surround channels, but this is not an overaggressive repurposing, tending to stretch out into the surround channels only in busier sonic moments. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range is very wide. There are no issues with damage like dropouts or crackling.
German Blu-ray fans got a deluxe release of Invaders from Mars last year which included the William Cameron Menzies original. That 1953 version is still missing on Blu-ray for domestic consumers, and it certainly should see the high definition light of day, at least if there are any sensible Martian controlled automatons currently working at 20th Century Fox. Aficionados of the Menzies version had best put thoughts of that film aside, though, at least as much as possible, for the Hooper reboot is less a paranoid fever dream and more an almost Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory-esque "trip" through a fantasyland of bizarre production design and outlandish characters. This new Blu-ray has some spotty video, but if expectations are set appropriately, there's still a lot to enjoy here. As tends to be the case with these Scream Factory releases, the supplemental package is quite enjoyable. Recommended.
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