It Came from Beneath the Sea Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

It Came from Beneath the Sea Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 13, 2018

Robert Gordon's "It Came From Beneath the Sea" (1955) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 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, producer Arnold Kunert, and visual effects artists Randall William Cook and John Bruno; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

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Robert Gordon's It Came From Beneath the Sea was initially released on Blu-ray by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2008. This recent release is included in The Wonderful Worlds of Ray Harryhausen, Volume One: 1955-1960 box set, which also contains Nathan Juran's 20 Million Miles to Earth and Jack Sher's The 3 Worlds of Gulliver. For a complete analysis of It Came From Beneath the Sea, please see Marty Liebman's review of the U.S. release.

It Came from Beneath the Sea 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, Robert Gordon's It Came From Beneath the Sea 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 sourced from older remasters that were prepared by Sony Pictures. (In the United States, the film initially appeared in the Ray Harryhausen Collection that was produced in 2008).

The current remasters show a wide range of limitations that very quickly make it clear that the film needs to be fully restored so that it looks as good as it should. Density and fluidity, for instance, are very shaky and quite often the inconsistencies can be very distracting. Obviously, the larger your screen is, the easier it will be to notice all source limitations, but these are the type of limitations that stick out even on smaller screens (under 50"). Also, the grain does not have a proper appearance and during indoor and darker footage there is quite a bit of black crush and all of this further tends to flatten the image. There are plenty of tiny flecks and even some minor starches. (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).

It Came from Beneath the Sea 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 film with the Mono track and then performed a few random comparisons with the 5.1 track. There is no doubt in my mind that at some point the Mono track was remastered -- likely when the 5.1 mix was created -- because its basic characteristic are very solid. The dialog and the music are always clean and nicely balanced, and there are no distracting background anomalies (hiss, hum, thinning, etc). There are a few segments where depth fluctuates a bit, but I think that the unevenness is part of the original sound design.

It Came from Beneath the Sea Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for It Came From Beneath the Sea. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Ernest Dickerson Trailer Commentary - director/cinematographer Ernest Dickerson (Juice) offers a quick audio commentary for Trailers From Hell. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

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

• Tidal Wave of Terror! - in this new featurette, director Joe Dante (Matinee) recalls his very first impression of It Came From Beneath the Sea and discusses the careers of the some of the people that made the film. There are also a few interesting observations about the special effects in Ray Harryhausen's films. The featurette was produced for Indicator/Powerhouse Films in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Remembering 'It Came From Beneath the Sea' - in this archival featurette, Ray Harryhausen recalls how It Came From Beneath the Sea was conceived. Special effects supervisor John Bruno also talks about the enormous impact the film had on him when he saw it as a kid, while filmmaker and author John Canemaker addresses the management of space and time in the film. The featurette was produced in 2008. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Tim Burton Sits Down with Ray Harryhausen - in this excellent archival featurette, dierctor Tim Burton discusses with Ray Harryhausen the unique visual style and atmosphere of his films. There are also some very interesting comments about the budgets that some of the films were made with as well as their success. The featurette was produced in 2007. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• A Present-Day Look at Stop Motion - in this archival featurette, New York University student Kyle Anderson reveals some of the secrets of stop-motion animation with great visual examples and technical descriptions. The featurette was produced in 2008. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Original Ad Artwork - in this archival featurette, producer Arnold Kunert shows a number of original press materials that the studios created to promote Ray Harryhausen's films. An original press book for It Came From Beneath the Sea is shown as well. The featurette was produced in 2007. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• It Came From Beneath the Sea... Again! - presented here are extracts that preview a comic book series inspired by Ray Harryhausen's classic film which was first issued in 2008 by Tidal Wave Productions.

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary features Ray Harryhausen, producer Arnold Kunert, and visual effects artists Randall William Cook and John Bruno. The commentary initially appeared on the North American release of It Came From Beneath the Sea.

• 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.

It Came from Beneath the Sea Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Indicator/Powerhouse Films' recent release of Robert Gordon's It Came From Beneath the Sea is sourced from an old master with a wide range of technical limitations. I am fairly certain that at some point the in the future the folks at Sony Pictures will redo the film in 4K, and then it should look as it should. This release has the original black-and-white version of the film as well as the less appealing colorized version, plus a mix of new and archival bonus features. If you like the film it is probably the best release that you can have at the moment, but you should keep in mind that the film can and should look a lot better on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED (but with reservations). *The release is included in the The Wonderful Worlds of Ray Harryhausen, Volume One: 1955-1960 three-disc box set.