20 Million Miles to Earth Blu-ray offers solid video and decent audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Special effects genius Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans) brings you one of his
earliest groundbreaking films, now available for the first time in vibrant color! When an American spaceship crash-
lands off the coast of Sicily, a rescue team discovers that the crew has brought back a gelatinous mass that soon
hatches and evolves into a strange bi-ped creature which increases in size rapidly. Soon 20-feet tall, the creature
rampages through Rome before being destroyed as it seeks refuge in the Colosseum.
Why is it always, always so costly for man to move from the present to the future ?
If the cost of moving from a then-present of moviemaking to what we have now is having to
endure a viewing of 20 Million Miles to Earth, I'm not so sure it was worth it. This is
cheese
at its most scrumptious, a delectable smorgasbord of the finest colby, cheddar, swiss, muenster,
pepperjack, provolone, and brie served up any way you want it. Perhaps no other science fiction
film summarizes the state of the genre in the 1950s as well as this. We've got a completely
unbelievable plot, stiff characters, screaming women, a battalion of worthless soldiers fighting a
losing cause, and, of course, a monster. While this film doesn't delve into the "radioactive" angle
that so many of its contemporary brethren relied on to push their stories along (see It Came
From Beneath the Sea), this one
nevertheless manages to
bring
in the outer space angle, an angle that hearkens back to the true "glory" days of science fiction
when the likes of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials, shows that would be the precursors to
the
likes of Star Trek, Babylon Five, and
Battlestar Galactica, enthralled America's youth.
Clash of the Titans.
The film stars William Hopper (Rebel Without a Cause) as Colonel Robert Calder, the lone
survivor of a doomed mission to the planet Venus. Several of his shipmates perished on the
planet's surface, and the remainder die when their rocket ship crash lands into the sea off of the
coast of Sicily. He is rescued by local fisherman, including a boy named Pepe (Bart Bradley,
From the Earth to the Moon) who eventually finds an odd container washed up ashore
that
came back on the ship from Venus. Young and curious, Pepe throws caution to the wind, opens
the container to find a squishy green substance, and sells it to a local scientist named Dr.
Leonardo (Frank Puglia,
The
First Texan) for 200 Lira, enough to buy an authentic Texas cowboy hat. Dr. Leonardo is
taken
aback when a creature emerges from the gelatinous goo and grows exponentially, beginning as
the
size of a pencil and becoming as large as a man in mere days. While Dr. Leonardo is taking the
creature to Rome
for further study, the creature escapes and it's up to Col. Calder to find and capture the creature
before it destroys the countryside.
20 Million Miles to Earth proves to be a most odd choice for release on the young Blu-ray
format. Regardless of the quality of the film itself, it's very nice to see Sony digging way back into
the vault and testing the waters with a release such as this one. I for one love old science fiction,
and just because this movie wasn't one I would consider one of the "better" ones, I certainly
applaud its release. Obviously, having recently celebrated the film's 50th anniversary didn't hurt
matters and, for me, the most intriguing aspect of the release is the inclusion of both the original
black and white version as well as the newly created colorized version. I'm a purist and preferred
the black and white version, but I certainly respect Ray Harryhausen's artistic decision to colorize
this and several other films that he has worked on. Harryhausen is a legend in cinema lore, and
perhaps an apt description would be to call him the Stan Winston of his time. Cheesy though
they may now be, Harryhausen's effects in films like Clash of the Titans, Earth vs.
the Flying Saucers, and 20 Million Miles to Earth were groundbreaking and ushered
in a new era and standard for the look, feel, and artistic license behind the use of such effects in
cinema. This film is respected in many circles for the visual effects work, and as such, it's well
worth your attention.
Please note: no creatures from Venus were harmed during the making of this motion picture.
20 Million Miles to Earth is presented on Blu-ray in 1080p high definition with a 1.85:1
aspect ratio. The film offers viewers the opportunity to view it in either the original black and
white
version or the colorized version. During the movie, viewers may choose to switch versions by
pressing the "angle" button on their remote controls. After a slight pause, the movie
immediately
picks up again in the other format. The film is quite grainy throughout, but the print is
remarkably
clean for a film of this age. It's certainly not pristine, but given the age, it looks great. Detail is
remarkably high as well. Although not as breathtaking as other classics seen on Blu-ray -- for
example, The
Searchers, -- the film looks very good. As for the color vs. black and white issue,
I felt the film felt more natural in its original colorless version. Oftentimes colors looked slightly
off.
Many skin tones looked "peachy" and unnatural. Some color reproduction looked great, such as
the
green of the monster and the tans of the army uniforms, but on the whole I much preferred the
black and white version. I'm glad both are on here, and Harryhausen's decision to colorize the
film
carries a lot of weight. The end product cannot be eschewed out of spite for the colorization
process.
This release of Columbia Pictures' 20 Million Miles to Earth features a Dolby TrueHD 5.1
soundtrack. Obviously not the original mix, this is nonetheless a fine sounding remix that comes
across as neither forced nor phony. Surrounds are used to good effect, though at times the sound
is often
muffled and slightly undefined. Dialogue is clear and well defined, and there is no extraneous noise
or otherwise unwelcome sound overlaying the track. It's very clean and pleasant. Some of the
sound effects, of course, are out of date and come across as rather tacky by today's standards, but
such effects only add to the charm of a movie such as this.
Fans of 1950s science fiction should be happy with the supplements included on this disc. First
up
is a very informative commentary track featuring Ray Harryhausen and visual effects artists
Dennis
Muren and Phil Tippett, and Arnold Kunert. Quite a bit of the discussion revolves around shooting
in
both Italy and the United States, and there are some great anecdotes throughout. Harryhausen
is
very pleased with the colorization of the film and discusses the reasons why it was originally
filmed
in black and white. The commentary is brought to us via a satellite hook-up between California
and
London (where Harryhausen is) and there is no lag or discernible hic-ups. This is a solid track.
Each of the following features are presented with optional Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.
Remembering '20 Million Miles to Earth' (480p, 27:01) is a basic piece that mostly
discusses the technicalities of making the film, notably the special effects and makeup. The
Colorization Process (480p, 11:02) is a discussion with Ray Harryhausen and Barry Sandrew
of Legend Films about the most recent colorization of the film. Harryhausen always wanted
many of his films produced in color, but certain restraints prevented it from the outset. He
defends the
colorization of certain films, including some of his own, and he also discusses his reaction to the
final
results. Tim Burton Sits Down With Ray Harryhausen (480p, 27:09) proves to be
one of the best features on the disc. The pair enjoys the look back at Harryhausen's work on this
and other films.
Moving on, there is also an Interview With Joan Taylor (480p, 17:29), a chat with the
actress that played Marisa Leonardo in the movie. She reminisces about her role in the film and
her childhood influences that led her into acting. David Schecter On Film Music's Unsung
Hero (480p, 22:33) is a look at the way certain films were scored by Columbia in the 1950s.
'20 Million Miles More' Comic Book is a preview of a comic book inspired by the film.
Finally, still galleries, original ad artwork, and the trailer for Close Encounters of the Third Kind conclude
this extensive group of supplements.
20 Million Miles to Earth is a prime example of 1950s science fiction filmmaking. It offers
up a thin plot, thin characters, some laughable moments (even for a film of its era) and a somewhat
lethargic pace. However, it's remarkable in that it offers a fine example of 1950s special effects by
one of the masters of his or any other era. This is a mostly good looking disc, looking just about as
good as one could expect. Sonically, it doesn't disappoint, but it doesn't distinguish itself, either. An
inclusion of the original soundtrack rather than just the remixed TrueHD track would have been
most welcome. Fans of both the film and of Ray Harryhausen will not be disappointed by the
extensive special features found on this Blu-ray disc. Recommended.
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