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Coming to Blu-ray just a few months after the 50th anniversary DVD, the format does justice to the film. Extensive grain and dirt are noticeable throughout, but expected. The black and white version offers stunning clarity and sharpness. The colorized edition suffers from a digital look, making details flat, though the boldness of the color will make up for it for some. This is a definite upgrade from the DVD edition, though hardly the HD experience we’ve come to expect from modern films.

Remixed into 5.1 for Blu-ray, the Dolby TrueHD mix lacks fidelity, and the explosions of rockets sound strained. There is no bass to speak of. Dialogue is clear and mixes nicely with the action. Mild surround speaker use can be heard clearly, even if it has a rather unnatural split from the front channels.

The Blu-ray release comes on one disc, and contains all of the extras from the 50th anniversary DVD. Sadly, these are all in standard definition.

A crowded commentary begins the features set on disc one with Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Arnold Kunert, and of course Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen speaks most of the time, as the others ask questions as to how things were done. It’s highly informative in terms of the industry at the time and how the effects were done on a shot by shot basis.
Remembering 20 Million Miles to Earth begins the second disc. It runs close to a half hour, with interviews and comments from people around the film industry. Harryhausen is featured extensively. The Colorization Process is a great look at how the new version came to be, though it feels like an extended infomercial. It also addresses why it was done, and how Harryhausen feels about this new edition.

Article Author: Matt Paprocki

Matt Paprocki is a 12-year movie and game critic. He currently freelances for Blu-ray review site DoBlu.com and video game site MultiPlayerGames.com.

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