7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.6 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A spaceship crashes in the Arizona desert and aliens pretend to be nearby townspeople to repair their craft undiscovered.
Starring: Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer, Russell JohnsonHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Blu-ray 3D
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Before jumping into the review, it would behoove readers to take a few minutes to glance through a couple of relevant links in support of the movie and its Blu-ray presentation. This link offers a nice little overview of the film and its preparations for release on Blu-ray, while this link offers a more in-depth discussion of the movie's restored soundtrack. The Blu-ray release is excellent, with engaging 3D picture, the original restored soundtrack, and a couple of high quality extras, making this a terrific example of vintage cinema brought to new life for home viewing.
It Came from Outer Space arrives on Blu-ray with two presentations: a 2D version of the film and a 3D presentation. The 3D is certainly the
main draw, and it's spectacular. Framed at about 4x3, the transfer will place vertical "black bars" on either side of the 1.78:1 HD display, retaining
the
movie's original aspect ratio. The 3D elements are spectacular. There's a fine sense of identifiable and relatable depth throughout, whether in
expansive desert shots, looking down into the cavernous crater, or simply through a fireplace in a house seen in the film's opening minutes. The
basic
sense of space and volume is very well defined on characters and props, too, with each taking in a realistic shape that's only really not very
noticeable
in severe close-ups or "full frame" shots, here meaning when foreground objects, like two characters, fill practically the entire frame and essentially
crowd out the opportunity for a more expansive sense of space, which is true for all 3D presentations.
Beyond basic depth and shape is a rather large number of 3D images that offer that much more dynamic sense of pop from the screen. Here, it's all
done tastefully and in an accentuating manner, not forcibly pushed to demonstrate 3D quality but rather to support a few critical scenes. The best in
the film, and one of the best 3D images yet for home demonstration purposes regardless of source, comes when John and Ellen peer through a
telescope early in the movie. The tubular object appears to stretch well out of the screen, almost like it's poking in through a window from the
outside. It's a marvelous effect that will practically leave the viewer wanting to reach out and touch it. Other moments stand apart as well, including
the
sense of space along a ladder leading up to wiring, the curvature of a helicopter's windshield, stretching telephone lines, even an alien beam seen in
the
final minutes. Anyone looking for a compact reference 3D presentation that offers excellence both ways -- into the screen and out of it -- would be
wise
to seek this disc out.
As for the image's other attributes, they hold up well in both 2D and 3D. The original black-and-white photography is gorgeously nuanced with
stark contrasts in the
shades of gray in between, supported by positive black levels -- critical in some of the sequences towards film's end -- that never push too bright or
crush out details. General detailing is fine, perhaps a shade more organic in 2D and certainly a touch grainier. Rocky formations and desert terrain,
clothes and faces, automobiles, and other assorted odds and ends
in a home or around the sheriff's station are nicely sharp and revealing, lacking the sheer intimate nuance of finer presentations but holding up very
well under the 1080p microscope. A few stray vertical black lines and one or two speckles dot an otherwise clean and meticulous transfer. A hint of
shimmering and uneven lines can be seen on a car at the 21:58 mark and again on Ellen's top around 28:30. Otherwise, the image is by-and-large
beautiful and good-to-go, but do watch in 3D; it's the way the film was meant to be seen, and it's a true "definitive" experience on the Blu-ray 3D
format.
It Came from Outer Space lands on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 lossless soundtrack that's the result of an extensive restoration of the original stereophonic three-track magnetic audio. The results are wonderful, and what the presentation lacks in the expanded channel presentations of today, it excels with proper, sophisticated, and knowing use of the channels at its disposal. Directional details are fantastic; imagining across the front impresses a good deal in the opening moments as the ship crashes to Earth, its movement along the front plane precise and following the on-screen path, opening up the scene to wonderful effect. While some heavier details, like a rocky landslide, don't stand up to the precision of the modern engineered track -- such effects can come across a bit muddled or crude in sonic definition -- the sense of room-filling immersion supplements the raw clarity of the moment and it seems the rocks tumble straight form the screen and into the theater. Much the same can be said of crashes and gunshots later in the movie. Dialogue detailing is exacting and clear, while screams are piercingly fun and rich at the top of the spectrum.
It Came from Outer Space contains two trailers, a documentary, and an audio commentary track. No DVD or digital versions are included.
It Came from Outer Space is a classic, formulaic Sci-Fi movie that twists procedure not so much in structure but certainly in thematic approach and story detail. A basic cadence of discovery, mistrust, fear, and doubt dot the movie, but the core elements are enhanced by a thought provoking story with parallels that remain relevant even today. Universal's Blu-ray release boasts marvelous 3D picture quality, engaging restored sound, and a few quality extras. For the going rate of less than $10 at Best Buy, there's no reason not to purchase, even for those who are unable to enjoy in 3D. Very highly recommended.
1953
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Universal Essentials Collection
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2K Restoration
1958
Warner Archive Collection
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Special Edition | The Creeping Unknown
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1988
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Warner Archive Collection
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Standard Edition
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1988
Slipcover in Original Pressing
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2015
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