Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about…™ Invaders from Mars – in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[RolandL]

 

[Malcolm R]

Odd that there are so many differences in the packaging. Some report easy-peel stickers, some are stuck with super glue, and others have no stickers at all. Were these manufactured by three different sources?

 

[Reed Grele]

Odd that there are so many differences in the packaging. Some report easy-peel stickers, some are stuck with super glue, and others have no stickers at all. Were these manufactured by three different sources?

Just a feeling, but I suspect that the stickers are all from the same manufacturer. It is each person's patience factor that determines how difficult it is to remove them.

 

[uncledougie]

My order number 1936 arrived just now, a day earlier than the shipping notification estimated. The discs are hard to tell apart from the slipcase, tiny designations on the back cover lower right differentiate the regular Blu-ray from the Ultra HD, but the UHD is in a black case while the Blu-ray is clear. The round sticker on both top and bottom was only on my UHD copy, not that difficult to remove, just be sure and start peeling gently with a fingernail from the inner sleeve area and work it slowly to the edge so as not to pull against the edge of the slipcase and risk tearing it. At long last looking forward to watching this still vivid childhood memory. One discrepancy stands out though: the IMDb running time is 78 minutes, with an alternate version from a British release with added footage listed as 83 minutes. On the disc information for this Ignite release it states a running time of 73 minutes. Is that accurate?

 

[Robert Crawford]

My order number 1936 arrived just now, a day earlier than the shipping notification estimated. The discs are hard to tell apart from the slipcase, tiny designations on the back cover lower right differentiate the regular Blu-ray from the Ultra HD, but the UHD is in a black case while the Blu-ray is clear. The round sticker on both top and bottom was only on my UHD copy, not that difficult to remove, just be sure and start peeling gently with a fingernail from the inner sleeve area and work it slowly to the edge so as not to pull against the edge of the slipcase and risk tearing it. At long last looking forward to watching this still vivid childhood memory. One discrepancy stands out though: the IMDb running time is 78 minutes, with an alternate version from a British release with added footage listed as 83 minutes. On the disc information for this Ignite release it states a running time of 73 minutes. Is that accurate?

I don't feel like loading my disc again, but I believe the runtime is closer to 80 minutes as I noticed that discrepancy too.

 

[uncledougie]

Once I open it up and play it I will confirm what it is; supposedly there was some additional footage that was required by British censors to change the ending (included in the extras). The excellent William Cameron Menzies biography by James Curtis (which, again, I cannot recommend too highly) in the filmography index lists it at 78 minutes originally, which is what I had expected this release to offer. Perhaps that’s just a typo (changing an 8 to a 3), but after all this time and delay, how odd nobody caught it if it’s incorrect.
Edit: “Ignite’s box says 73 minutes, but the encoded movie is the full 78-minute feature.” - Trailers From Hell website review

 

[johnmcmasters]

The gods of Cinema and the USPS just delivered the package to me at work. I had order No. 1611. The 4K UHD version. Stickers have been peeled off and discarded without trauma. The poster remains in its tube depending on whether or not I invest in professional framing for it. Now to watch the damn thing! I also received the 4k "Touch of Evil" today so it is a true embarrassment of riches. I may or may not have received emails from Ignite concerning shipping -- I somehow managed to screw up my gmail account and deleted most of my gmail history a week or so ago, including the emails that were segregated as "promotional" which is where previous emails from Ignite had gone -- I was getting updates until recently. But there was nothing after my deletion massacre. So argh for that, but yay for this!

P.S. I almost threw out the lapel pin as it had moved under the bottom flap of the box out of sight. Luckily when I was breaking down the box it fell out. Cool pin!

 

[jayembee]

One discrepancy stands out though: the IMDb running time is 78 minutes, with an alternate version from a British release with added footage listed as 83 minutes. On the disc information for this Ignite release it states a running time of 73 minutes. Is that accurate?

The exact runtime is 1:19:32. That includes a 5-second Ignite Films card and 42 seconds of restoration notice/credits at the beginning, and a 20-second Ignite Films © card at the end. So, subtracting all that, the film itself is 1:18:25.

 

[uncledougie]

The exact runtime is 1:19:32. That includes a 5-second Ignite Films card and 42 seconds of restoration notice/credits at the beginning, and a 20-second Ignite Films © card at the end. So, subtracting all that, the film itself is 1:18:25.

Thanks for checking, that sounds correct then.

 

[Gerani53]

I always found it interesting that 20th Century-Fox did not mount their famous logo/fanfare at the beginning of the movie. Yes, we all know IFM was a pick-up, but Twentieth Century-Fox is proudly spelled out in the IFM domestic end title, so the releasing company's involvement wasn't exactly a secret.

 

[Camps]

Watching it now. What a difference -- picture and sound.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

I just received my 4K Blu-ray today.

Color me disappointed with the packaging decisions made. I took photos while opening it as the tape used to secure the case inside the slipcover can’t be removed without damaging the art! For a premium-priced product, I just can’t understand why this tape was applied…

To Ignite:

My order arrived today with the collector’s slipcover quite damaged. It was also impossible to remove the case because the top and bottom had been secured with tape that peeled off some of the artwork on the slipcover.

Photos are attached to this e-mail.

Whoever decided to affix this tape to the slipcovers and discs made a poor decision and, I wager, will result in many e-mails like mine from disappointed customers.

Sincerely,
Chuck Pennington

 

[John Sparks]

My gawd, not one poster had thought to use s razor blade…DUH!

It’s the first thing I did…

Totally enjoyed the movie watching it on a a 123” screen thru a JVC with the best audio I’ve ever heard in a home theater.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

My gawd, not one poster had thought to use s razor blade…DUH!

It’s the first thing I did…

Totally enjoyed the movie watching it on a a 123” screen thru a JVC with the best audio I’ve ever heard in a home theater.

A mono film from a 1953 optical track is the best audio you’ve ever heard?

A razor blade wouldn’t have prevented the shipping or sticker damage, Mister.

 

[John Sparks]

deleted by me and we'll see how one function works here.

 

[AFILMDUDE]

Got mine today. No stickers; so no problems, The pin is cool. As for the film itself - Watched the first half and have to agree that the picture is not as good as restored films like War of the Worlds. But it's the best THIS film has ever looked. Glad to have it in my collection.

 

[obscurelabel]

Yikes, the stickers were a chore to get off. Fortunately I had warning from the posts here and started out very cautiously. I used a hair dryer (on low) to warm things up, then carefully used a small piece of ordinary 20# bond paper to "chisel" the sticker away from the edge of the slip. From there, I "rolled" the sticker away with my fingertip against the sticky side, using a cotton ball to pat down the adhesive so that it wouldn't stick if it accidentally rolled back against the slip. Each "roll" of the sticker likely pulled away only 1/64 of an inch of the sticker, if that much. Complication: the second sticker didn't go across the end of the slip, but was folded down onto the inside (unprinted side) of the slip (surely by accident). Fortunately my steps worked on the outside part, and the inside part wasn't pressed down firmly and came loose with minimum effort.

Luckily I have had some experience removing price stickers from the covers of my LP collection (not allways successfully, alas).

Thanks to all for their information, it was very helpful.

 

[disctrip]

With all the damage from the stickers, shouldn't Ignite have a program to send replacement copies of the slip-case for all those who did not get them off correctly? How about it ignite?

 

[JoshZ]

Y'all know that future resale value of the slipcover is gonna go way down without those original stickers attached!

 

[johnmcmasters]

It should've been a steelbook with a lenticular cover that was housed inside a full-size replica of the alien head.

The film looked better than I imagined possible -- a real treat. Thank you to the restoration team and to Ignite for the hard work involved in this release. Really amazing.