Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

The War of the Worlds Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 21, 2020

Byron Haskin's "The War of the Worlds" (1953) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; vintage interview with producer George Pal; vintage audio commentary featuring filmmaker Joe Dante, film historian Bob Burns, and author Bill Warren; new program about the film's recent restoration; and more. Also included with the release is an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The violent visitors

My latest viewing experience of Byron Haskin’s War of the Worlds wasn’t what I expected it to be, and I wish to explain why because after a day of thinking about it I am convinced that it is the reason why the film will remain a timeless classic. I am doing this because if you are looking at this article you already know everything about it, and I know that you don’t want me to explain to you again why it is a great film.

I read H.G. Wells’ popular novel many decades ago, while I was still a young boy, and it was one of those profound eye-openers that my mind simply refused to forget. The novel made me realize that there really could be a lot more out there, and I don’t mean just evil aliens and undiscovered planets. I mean more that quite simply did not fit into my perception of what I was taught reality was. I don’t recall precisely when, but sometime after I discovered Wells’ novel, I stumbled upon John Wyndham’s novel The Day of Triffids as well, which categorically proved to me that my awakening was justified. Wyndham’s novel also scared me to death because after I read it, I was absolutely convinced that the future may in fact turn out to be pretty ugly. But then I got older and pretty much everything that used to bother my mind was neutralized by facts and history. Over time, I became a rational person like everyone else. Then whenever I saw Haskin and Steve Sekely’s films, it was all silly entertainment for me.

I was a rational person until very recently -- until April, when the Pentagon declassified three UFO videos taken by Navy pilots. It is not that in the past I completely tuned out whenever UFOs were mentioned by the media, but my rational half always proved stronger than my curious half and I did not study the data that was leaked to the public. Lately, I have been reading and viewing a lot, and what used to sound silly to me no longer does.

Now back to Haskin’s film. I revisited the film the other night and my viewing experience felt like discovering Wells’ novel for the first time again. My eyes were enjoying the vintage action but at the same time my mind was completely detached from it and pondering scenarios that just a few years ago it would have instantly rejected. It was a very, very strange feeling.

I am quite certain now that my recent viewing experience was shared by a lot of folks when they went to see Haskin’s film in the early ‘50s. The film's bright colors and flashy action are just a cinematic facade that hides an entirely legit scenario, and once the mind registers that it is so it actually enthusiastically goes to work to assist Haskin and his crew. Folks, let me rephrase this so that it is perfectly clear why Haskin's film will remain a timeless classic. The depiction of the mayhem that starts in the small Californian town and then spreads across the world is practically irrelevant because it is not what actually makes the film so effective. Your mind does. The film just feeds it the right visual information to begin contemplating some really awful possibilities and then produces a bunch of different fireworks. This type of cinematic entertainment, where the mind is allowed to be in charge, just cannot age.

*Criterion's upcoming release is sourced from a new 4K restoration that was completed by Paramount Pictures. However, there is additional color-correction work done on it that is not present on other releases of the restoration. On this release, when the film opens up Mars looks red(ish) now (see screencapture #28). On other releases, Mars looks blue(ish).

The War of the Worlds Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The War of the Worlds arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital restoration was created in 4K resolution on a DFT Scanity film scanner from the original three-strip Technicolor negatives. Thousands of instances of negative and positive dirt, stains, scratches, streaks, hairs, and emulsion digs and several misregistrations of the YCM film elements were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS and Digital Vision's Phoenix.

The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from preservation magnetic tracks using Avid's Pro Tools and iZotope RX. The 2018 5.1 remix was remastered from preservation tracks, several single-strip monaural music cues, and archival sound effects, by Ben Burtt at Skywalker Sound in Lucas Valley, California.

Restoration supervisors: Andrea Kalas, Charles Stepczyk, Laura Thornburg/Paramount Pictures.
Restoration consultants: Craig Barron, Ben Burtt.
Colorist: Mike Underwood/Technicolor Hollywood.
Digital restoration: Technicolor Hollywood."

The new 4K master that was prepared for this classic film is gorgeous. There is such a wide range of remarkable colors now that from time to time some of the visuals actually become borderline distracting. There are some obvious fluctuations in terms of clarity and depth, plus density levels can vary in areas where archival footage or specific visual effects are utilized, but it is quite easy to tell that they are part of the film's theatrical appearance. More conventional close-ups, like the one seen in screencapture #3, can look particularly strong, but I'd say that even some of the fancier footage can be quite striking. Image stability is fantastic. The entire film has been carefully cleaned up to look as clean and fresh as possible.

There is additional color-correction work done on this release that is not present on other releases of the 4K restoration. On this release, when the film opens up Mars looks red(ish) now (see screencapture #28). On other releases, Mars looks blue(ish).

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.

The War of the Worlds 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.

According to notes provided by Criterion, the 5.1 track was created for the 4K restoration of The War of the Worlds in 2018 by Academy Award-winning sound designer Ben Burtt. I tested both tracks and while they are equally healthy the 5.1 track really does open up the film quite a bit. The difference is quite easy to appreciate because the film has plenty of footage where sound movement can become very effective. The basics -- clarity, sharpness, and stability -- remain identical on both tracks.

The War of the Worlds Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The War of the Worlds. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Movie Archeologists - in this new program, visual effects supervisor Craig Barron and sound designer Ben Burtt discuss the production history of The War of the Worlds as well as some of the unique ways in which sound and effects are utilized in it. There are also some interesting observations about the archival footage that is seen in the film as well as its reception. The program was produced by Criterion in 2020. In English, not subtitled. (30 min, 1080p).

• From the Archive: 2018 Restoration - in this new program, vice president for Paramount Pictures Andrea Kalas, visual effects supervisor Craig Barron, and sound designer Ben Burtt discuss the 4K restoration of The War of the Worlds. The program was produced by Criterion in 2020. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p).

• The Sky is Falling - this archival documentary examines the history, lasting appeal and visual brilliance of The War of the Worlds. Included in it are clips from archival interviews with Robert Cornthwaite (Dr. Pryor), Gene Barry (Dr. Clayton Forrester), art department specialist Jack Senter, Ann Robinson (Sylvia Van Buren), art director Al Nozaki, and first assistant director Micky Moore, amongts others. The documentary was produced for Paramount Pictures in 2005. In English, not subtitled. (30 min, 1080i).

• Wells and Welles -
  
  1. The Mercury Theater on the Air - the classic scandalous radio adaptation, directed and narrated by Orson Welles. The program was broadcast live on October 30, 1938. In English, not subtitled. (58 min, 1080p).
  
  2. KTSA Interview - an archival audio interview with H.G. Wells and Orson Welles, recorded at LTSA radio in San Antonio, Texas, on October 28, 1940. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• George Pal - presented here are excerpts from an audio recording of George Pal's Harold Lloyd Master Seminar at the American Film Institute on February 5, 1970. He discusses his career and the use of special effects in his films. In English, not subtitled. (50 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this archival commentary features filmmaker Joe Dante, film historian Bob Burns, and writer Bill Warren (Keep Watching the Skies!). It was recorded for Paramount Pictures in 2005.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic J. Hoberman as well as technical credits.

The War of the Worlds Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Byron Haskin's The War of the Worlds is a legit genre classic that has been given a new life after it was fully restored in 4K. On my system the film looked astonishingly gorgeous, at times maybe even too lush and vibrant, and to be honest, it had my mind pondering some pretty wild but perhaps no longer crazy possibilities. Criterion's upcoming release features a few really interesting exclusive new programs with some of the people that worked on the 4K restoration as well as informative archival material. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.