It Came from Outer Space (1953)

John Putnam: [Describing the spaceship] I tell you from its size and its appearance this thing come from outer space. I even have reason to believe that there's some form of life in it.

The 50’s brought some interesting sci’fi films to the cinema, some of them very highly regarded even today such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), The Thing from Another World (1951), Forbidden Planet (1956), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and of course today’s effort being It Came from Outer Space from 1953.  Whilst 3D technology was being played around with for a few decades, the so called “golden era” was about 1952 to 1954 after which it started to fade out again only to gain a small revival in the 60’s and fluctuated up and down through the following decades until the most successful 3D movie of all-time hit the screens…Avatar, in 2009.  Anyway, It Came from Outer Space was the first 3D feature by Universal and up until October 2016 it was unavailable to see in 3D however the 2D DVD was available.  Being pleasantly surprised by the DVD presentation of the film I jumped on the Pre-Order wagon as soon as I saw that the film had been given a 3D restoration by the company 3D Film Archive (http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/).  

The film was directed by Jack Arnold who also brought other great classics to the big screen such as The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Tarantula and The Incredible Shrinking Man.  It begins with John Putnam (Richard Carlson) and girlfriend Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush) having a casual night at John’s house when they spot what appeared to be a meteor passing through the sky then plunging into the ground.  Curiously they go to the crash site the following morning and John discovers that the object that crashed was a ship of some sort and as he gets a closer look before the walls of the crater begin to fall in covering the spacecraft.  Naturally everyone things he is bonkers until strange things start happening in the town.  Why are they here?  What is happening to some of the people in the town?  Is it war?  

Interestingly, this film had a heavy influence on Stephen Spielberg when he made Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and those who remember the TV show Gilligan’s Island will recognise a much younger version of “The Professor” Russell Johnson as one of the characters in the movie.   It’s also interesting to note that two aliens were made for the movie, the one that got rejected was later used in the 1955 film This Island Earth which I will review after Noirvember.   

The movie is actually well-made and whilst there is a bit of the campy feeling at times it is generally a well thought out and acted film that is kept to a taunt 81 minutes.  For its time the effects are quite good but more importantly the story is well written and directed.  There seems to be a focus on the powerlines throughout the movie almost giving the idea that the aliens are using them to be able to “see” what is going on around them which is quite original.  I really enjoyed the film when I watched it on DVD and it only got better when seeing it on Bluray in 3D, but the 2D presentation on the Bluray also trumps the DVD.  There are some great 3D effects shown to us which are not overly gimmicky and in many ways it transforms the film through the intelligent use of depth.  This is no fake 2D to 3D conversion but was actually filmed in 3D which enhances the effects dramatically and adds greater feel to the movie as opposed to just adding the “wow” effect, though that is certainly present at times with some items feeling as though they are in front of the TV screen.  

 

The disc reviewed was both the Australian DVD (above left) and the imported UK Bluray (above right) that contains both a 2D and 3D version of the film.  Apart from the opening scene overlooking the town which is quite soft, both the DVD and Bluray have a sharp image, though the Bluray is a good leap above the DVD in terms of contrast and sharpness and can contain a lot of detail even in 3D.  Both versions are shown in the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio however the DVD has 2 channel Dolby Digital audio and the Bluray has the original 3 channel audio in a DTS Master Audio format which naturally sounds much better than the DVD.  The Bluray has a somewhat brighter image than the DVD and they have also restored the Intermission in the film that has been missing since its release, some 63 years ago.  The DVD can be purchased on ebay for even less than $10 and the Bluray imported from the UK for about $20.  Personally I would go for the Bluray if you’re a fan of the film or 50’s Sci-fi, or the DVD if your more curious about it, unless of course the price drops on the Bluray.

The DVD and Bluray share the same extras being:

• “The Universe According to Universal” An Original Documentary on It Came from Outer Space (about 30min)
• Feature Commentary with Film Historian Tom Weaver
• Theatrical Trailer

I was happy with the DVD but ecstatic with the Bluray release of this great classic as we are seeing the film in the way it was filmed and in such good quality!  Overall it is a “must see” film for fans of 50’s sci-fi and well worth its place in that movie collection.  Highly Recommended for 50’s sci-fi fans!  

Note: Screen caps are not from the Bluray but the DVD version. The Bluray is somewhat better than the DVD image shown.

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