Invaders from Mars (1953)
Science Fiction, Horror • 1h 18m
Overview
In the early hours of the night, young David Maclean sees a flying saucer land and disappear into the sand dunes just beyond his house. Slowly, all of the adults, including his once loving parents, begin to act strangely.
Director: William Cameron Menzies
Cast: Jimmy Hunt, Arthur Franz, Helena Carter, Leif Erickson, Hillary Brooke, Morris Ankrum, Walter Sande, Bert Freed, Max Wagner, Charles Gibb, Milburn Stone, Douglas Kennedy, Charles Cane, Fay Baker, Janine Perreau, John Eldredge, Barbara Billingsley, Richard Deacon, Gil Herman, Luce Potter, Lock Martin, Max Palmer, Todd Karns, Frank Wilcox, Robert Shayne, William Phipps, William Forrest, Peter Brocco
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: John McTiernan
Director: John McTiernan
Director: John Ford
Director: John Ford
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
Director: Alfred E. Green
Director: Alfred E. Green
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Akira Kurosawa
BFI 4K Blu-ray has excellent master and grade, no DNR and tasteful HDR
Restored original mono mix: Toho Japan 4K Blu-ray
Unrestored original mono: 2014 BFI Blu-ray
BFI 4K Blu-ray has OG Perspecta (in 5.1 container) and a stereo downmix of it; no original mono.
The unrestored track on BFI's earlier release appears to be an almost entirely unmanipulated transfer of the original mix. It suffers from a distracting low-frequency hum. The 4K restoration comes with a restored track, which appears to be the same transfer, but which appears to be cleaned up with a moderate amount of noise reduction and some EQ, nicely opening up the high-end, and which is likely to be preferable to most listeners. All earlier releases sound poor.
Perspecta isn't a discrete surround format, instead only relying on manipulating volume and panning of the mono track across L/C/R channels, based on embedded control tones. As such, even the Perspecta track is technically just the mono mix, though the omission of the proper mono on BFI's 4K is still unfortunate.
Director: Akira Kurosawa
BFI 4K Blu-ray has excellent master and grade, no DNR and tasteful HDR
Restored original mono mix: Toho Japan 4K Blu-ray
Unrestored original mono: 2014 BFI Blu-ray
BFI 4K Blu-ray has OG Perspecta (in 5.1 container) and a stereo downmix of it; no original mono.
The unrestored track on BFI's earlier release appears to be an almost entirely unmanipulated transfer of the original mix. It suffers from a distracting low-frequency hum. The 4K restoration comes with a restored track, which appears to be the same transfer, but which appears to be cleaned up with a moderate amount of noise reduction and some EQ, nicely opening up the high-end, and which is likely to be preferable to most listeners. All earlier releases sound poor.
Perspecta isn't a discrete surround format, instead only relying on manipulating volume and panning of the mono track across L/C/R channels, based on embedded control tones. As such, even the Perspecta track is technically just the mono mix, though the omission of the proper mono on BFI's 4K is still unfortunate.
Director: Mike Hodges
Director: Mike Hodges
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Director: François Truffaut
Director: François Truffaut
Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray upcoming
New 4K restoration without Ritrovata color timing
Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray upcoming
New 4K restoration without Ritrovata color timing
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or 2018 Olive Films/BFI or 2012 Olive Films/Italy Sinister Films Blu-ray, all three are not ideal.
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or 2018 Olive Films/BFI or 2012 Olive Films/Italy Sinister Films Blu-ray, all three are not ideal.
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has frozen grain, sharpening, lots of debris, and handles lesser materials. The supposed non-Superscope version is false advertising. It merely reveals more picture information.
1992 Republic Pictures LaserDisc PCM Mono
Criterion LaserDisc has exclusive commentary. Olive Films Signature Blu-ray and BFI Blu-ray each have exclusive extras. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has exclusive commentary.
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or 2018 Olive Films/BFI or 2012 Olive Films/Italy Sinister Films Blu-ray, all three are not ideal.
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or 2018 Olive Films/BFI or 2012 Olive Films/Italy Sinister Films Blu-ray, all three are not ideal.
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has frozen grain, sharpening, lots of debris, and handles lesser materials. The supposed non-Superscope version is false advertising. It merely reveals more picture information.
1992 Republic Pictures LaserDisc PCM Mono
Criterion LaserDisc has exclusive commentary. Olive Films Signature Blu-ray and BFI Blu-ray each have exclusive extras. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has exclusive commentary.
Director: Jack Glenn
BFI 720p Streaming: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/the-march-of-time no longer available
BFI 720p Streaming: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/the-march-of-time no longer available
Director: Jack Glenn
BFI 720p Streaming: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/the-march-of-time no longer available
BFI 720p Streaming: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/the-march-of-time no longer available
More Science Fiction on Blu-ray
Director: James Cameron
Disney 4K Blu-ray's artificial smoothening of facial textures making actors look unnatural, grain reduction and other changes to make the film look less like a product of its time
Old WEB-DL or HDTV rip for non AI version
Director: James Cameron
Disney 4K Blu-ray's artificial smoothening of facial textures making actors look unnatural, grain reduction and other changes to make the film look less like a product of its time
Old WEB-DL or HDTV rip for non AI version
Director: Peter Medak
Imprint 4K Blu-ray scheduled for August 2026 release
Director: Peter Medak
Imprint 4K Blu-ray scheduled for August 2026 release
Director: Roger Donaldson
88 Films & Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray
Imprint 4K Blu-ray scheduled for August 2026 release
88 Films tied with Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray (88 Films is FiM encoded)
88 Films and Scream Factory have exclusive extras
Director: Roger Donaldson
88 Films & Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray
Imprint 4K Blu-ray scheduled for August 2026 release
88 Films tied with Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray (88 Films is FiM encoded)
88 Films and Scream Factory have exclusive extras
Director: Gordon Douglas
Director: Gordon Douglas
Arrow 4K Blu-ray see caps
Info: Arrow 4K Blu-ray is scanned from interpositive film, thus having a softer than the first title.
Original: Arrow 4K Blu-ray vs New Line LaserDisc
Arrow 4K Blu-ray see caps
Info: Arrow 4K Blu-ray is scanned from interpositive film, thus having a softer than the first title.
Original: Arrow 4K Blu-ray vs New Line LaserDisc
Arrow 4K Blu-ray see caps
Dolby Stereo: Arrow 4K Blu-ray or New Line LaserDisc for line absent on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray releases
Info: Arrow 4K Blu-ray is scanned from interpositive film, thus having a softer than the first title.
Arrow 4K Blu-ray see caps
Dolby Stereo: Arrow 4K Blu-ray or New Line LaserDisc for line absent on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray releases
Info: Arrow 4K Blu-ray is scanned from interpositive film, thus having a softer than the first title.
Director: John Woo
Director: John Woo
Director: John Badham
Director: John Badham
Director: John Carpenter
Fabulous Films 4K Blu-ray, some caps
Director: John Carpenter
Fabulous Films 4K Blu-ray, some caps
Edit History
5/17/2026
Best English-Friendly Release
From
Ignite 4K Blu-ray
To
UK BFI 4K Blu-ray or Ignite 4K Blu-ray
From
Ignite 4K Blu-ray
To
UK BFI 4K Blu-ray or Ignite 4K Blu-ray
Best Video Release
From
Ignite 4K Blu-ray
To
UK BFI 4K Blu-ray or Ignite 4K Blu-ray (BFI has more extras)
From
Ignite 4K Blu-ray
To
UK BFI 4K Blu-ray or Ignite 4K Blu-ray (BFI has more extras)
4/22/2026
12/23/2024
