It Came from Outer Space - Imprint Collection 4K Ultra HD + 3D

Like I said before, It Came From Outer Space is still an awesome flick! As this is my third pass on this film, I'll again reprint what I said previously because I just don't have anything else to add. 

"If we've been seeing things, it's because we did see them!"

You've got to hand it to Hollywood for grabbing onto the hysteria of an era. When people are at their most fearful, they're that much easier to entertain! By the end of the 1940s and into the 1950s, Americans were on the edge of their seats with news of atomic weaponry and the looming threat of communists. While we had our own weapons, we were still open to attack. School kids were taught to duck and cover and at the height of the Red Scare, people were building flimsy ramshackle bomb shelters in their backyards just to feel some sense of security. Through it all, Hollywood was there to exploit it. Movies with mysterious alien invaders threatening to end our way of life proved to be a popular sight at movie theaters and Drive-In screens. Jack Arnold's 1953 film 'It Came From Outer Space' was no exception. As Universal Studio's first 3-D feature, it hit on all of the popular paranoia aspects of the era while providing an interesting twist thanks to legendary sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury. 

Sand Rock, Arizona is a quiet sort of place. The people keep to themselves and have their own private way of doing things. They don't take to city life or trappings and that's just the way writer and amateur astronomer John Putnam (Richard Carlson) likes it. The people of Sand Rock, including Sheriff Matt Warren (Charles Drake), haven't quite warmed up to John, but the beautiful young schoolteacher Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush) has. As the romance between John and Ellen blooms, some uninvited visitors threaten to spoil things. 

One evening while the pair are doing a little stargazing, John spots a gigantic meteor slam into an old mine out in the desert. When they reach the massive crater, John goes down alone to see what he can find. What he sees is the greatest discovery by man, a large spherical spaceship, and one of its doors is open! For a brief moment, John thinks he can see something alive inside - but when the door closes, a rockslide buries the spacecraft. When he tells the sheriff and the local newspaperman of what he saw, they write him off as the mysterious crackpot they've always taken him for. As the butt of jokes in the paper and on the radio, John is the only one that knows the truth. Alien visitors are here on Earth! When various townspeople start to act strangely or disappear altogether, the right people finally start to listen to John, but it may be too late to save humanity from a technologically superior alien race. 

Like 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers,' 'The Earth Dies Screaming,' 'The Day The Earth Stood Still,' or any number of other science fiction films produced during the late 1940s and through the 1950s, 'It Came From Outer Space' tapped into the fears of an era. At a time when people were excited about the future, they were equally afraid of the unknown, afraid of a different political ideology and the threat of invasion. Hollywood stoked those fears with some terrific entertainment. While the vast majority of films stuck to the tried and true route of humanity triumphing over an evil invader, Jack Arnold's 'It Came From Outer Space' played things a tad differently. Working from an original story by Ray Bradbury, 'It Came From Outer Space' paints the titular alien race not as malevolent or benevolent but indifferent to us. These creatures, no matter how horrific they may appear, actually want nothing to do with us. Their landing on earth was an accident and their actions are strictly intended to facilitate their escape from the planet. 

While the cycloptic alien invaders take the form of humans in order to go about their work, this is the rare case where they have no intention to assimilate or destroy. What's particularly fun and exciting about this film is the idea that we must take them at their word that their intentions are entirely peaceful. When you get right down to it, the film is actually a perfect mirror to the politics of the time. Just as much as people were afraid of being nuked out of existence, people were itching for a fight because that would at least provide some finality to the situation. The few people willing to sit down and negotiate were cast off as sympathizers or discredited because the only way to deal with any problem no matter how small is to pick up a rifle and force the desired result. Richard Carlson's John Putnam is that sympathizer, an educated man who only wants to learn and understand. He's put in the middle of two forces, one who wants to destroy outright and the other who will destroy when provoked. He must force both sides to see reason and it's a difficult task when they're both armed and extremely dangerous. 

As much fun as it is to examine and dissect the intricate story ideas and characters, the true fun of 'It Came From Outer Space' is finally being able to see the film in 3D. There are some incredible uses of the format where objects protrude from the screen or the vast desert vistas that look like they go on into the distance for miles. Some of these little bits can feel like gimmicks or tricks, but the added sense of depth and dimension really goes a long toward sucking you into the film. It makes watching 'It Came From Outer Space' an experience rather than just another science fiction film you sit down and watch for 80 minutes of diverting entertainment. I have vague memories of seeing this movie as a kid but didn't remember much of it. While that bug-eyed creature is iconic and leaves a lasting impression, it was the story that caught my attention this time around. I loved how it played with familiar science fiction themes but had a unique spin on them. I appreciated the idea that humans could be just as much of a threat as an alien and how rational-minded individuals are stuck in the middle. 'It Came From Outer Space' is classic science fiction at its best, and now that it can be seen as intended in 3D. The experience feels complete and genre fans should get a real kick out of the visuals. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
After getting a 3D Blu-ray and a deluxe 4K UHD release here in the States, it's Australia's turn to score an excellent release of It Came From Outer Space. As #394 of the Imprint Collection, Imprint Films gives this one a three-disc outing, a 4K UHD, a stand-alone 2D Blu-ray, and a stand-alone 3D Blu-ray disc. A BD66 for the 4K, a BD50 for the 2D version and the bulk of the extra features, and a BD25 for the 3D version. All discs are region free. Each disc loads to a static image main menu. The 3D disc triggers a 3D main menu. 

For this edition, we get something for everyone. My thoughts and feelings about the respective transfers in 4K and 3D haven't changed a lick, both are great in their unique presentations. So I won't be rehashing my thoughts again. However, I do have to make a quick note about the 3D Blu-ray disc. There's a slight encoding error on this disc that's relatively simple to fix on your own. Typically, when your player and television recognize a 3D signal, it automatically presents the stereoscopic eye fields in Left/Right order. Somehow that got flipped here, the eyes are reversed and when the film starts it can look kinda buggy. But between your Television/Projector or your player, you should be able to switch that over so the signal comes in Right/Left. Once I did that I had no issues with this 3D presentation which is otherwise the very same as what was initially released in 2016. 3-D Film Archive did a miraculous job with that transfer. It might not be as sharp and clean as the newer scan for the 4K UHD version, but it holds its own beautifully. The eye signal flip is the only issue with this disc and as I said, it's very easy to fix in mere seconds so I can't see the need for a disc replacement since there's no other fault to mention. Here's what I had to say about this film in 2023 on 4K UHD and Blu-ray:

Back in 2016, I gave a glowing review of It Came From Outer Space in large part to the magnificent work of 3-D Film Archive’s efforts restoring the film to full 3-D glory. And I still stand by that assessment - for the 3-D version of the film. Time, technology, and what appears to be a fresh scan later, the new 2D 4K UHD HDR10 transfer is quite impressive. The first thing I noticed was how much better resolved the film grain was. It’s still present without the appearance of smoothing, but it isn’t quite as noticeable and has a more cinematic appeal. Details are sharp and crisp as they were previously, but I felt like simple textures in Richard Carlson’s tweed suit or the floral pattern in Barbara Rush’s dress were much more prominent. Some soft scenes for optical effects persist. Optical effects or the various split-screen photography during a climactic confrontation still show their limitations but still look markedly better than the previous 2-D transfer. The HDR10 grading is on point as well showing off the film’s lovely Black and White grayscale heightening black levels, whites, and the shadows in between. Blacks are deep and inky without crush, and whites a bold and brilliant without blooming. 

Now with my own personal biases for 3-D, I’ll still be revisiting that disc more often because it stands as one of 3-D Film Archive’s best efforts. That said, I can’t deny that this new 4K transfer is an impressive visual experience, especially over the 1080p 2-D transfer. If only we could have gotten 4K 3D Blu-ray we could be enjoying the best of both worlds. If you’re not 3-D enabled at home, this 4K disc is definitely the way to go. The shame here is 3-D Film Archive has had great success transferring to Anaglyph 3-D for those folks without 3-D televisions or projectors. I’d love to see them be able to rerelease this film for that reason so folks can experience this film multi-dimensionally as intended. It works well in 2-D but it really pops in 3-D.

All three discs offer It Came From Outer Space with the magnificent DTS-HD MA 3.0 audio track and that's the one to aim for. I'll include my thoughts from 2016 shortly. The curious piece to this home video puzzle is that for the standard 2-D 1080p Blu-ray, Imprint Films has also included a very strong LPCM 2.0 audio mix. Now this is a good track for sure, if that's all that was it'd be a top contender and it stands strong on its own. But, I do feel that the DTS-HD MA 3.0 track is stronger and gives a more impactful imaging spread. You get both tracks on that disc so it's up to you how you want to listen to the film. Both are great, I just have a preference for one over the other. And to clarify, the 4K and 3D Blu-ray only feature the DTS-HD MA 3.0 track. Here's what I had to say back in 2016. 

Let's hope you don't have easily irritated neighbors! 3-D Film Archive gives 'It Came From Outer Space' an incredible English DTS-HD MA 3.0 mix. This sucker gets loud in all of the best ways. When the film needs to be quiet and conversational allowing the characters to set themselves up or state their fears, the mix is nice and even allows the background effects to provide a nice sense of space and atmosphere. When the action picks up, that theremin score kicks in, expect your system to get a little extra workout! Restored from the original stereophonic elements, this track is loud in all of the best ways. From the first big impact explosion to the rock slide to the thrilling conclusion, this track punches up the LFE tones giving the audio an unsettling sense of immersion. In all honesty, you may feel compelled to turn down the film during these moments - don't do that! Even if your neighbors are knocking on your door -  keep the movie loud! While the audio has it's notable ebbs and flows, it doesn't overpower the mix. Dialogue is still audible without any interference and the rich background audio only complements the impressive 3D experience. 

For the bonus features, we get a mix of the materials we saw before on the U.S. Blu-ray and 4K releases but now with a couple of other extra treats for this release. The first exclusive extra that's very attention-worthy is an interview with Jack Arnold from 1983 by a German film crew at his office on the Universal Studios lot. Most of this interview only appeared as a transcript for a book so this is the real footage newly edited for this documentary/interview and it's a nice retrospective of Arnold talking about his career. Next is a 2004 interview with Kathleen Hughes justifiably called "The 3-D Girl" who appeared in this film as well as Jack Arnold's The Glass Web (recently released on 3D Blu-ray from KLSC). It's a bitter-sweet addition as she passed away this week on Monday (5/19/25) at the healthy age of 96. Her thoughts on her 3D films are delightful to hear, especially as she humorously describes her characters as "bitches." Rounding out the package is something I never even knew existed - the made-for-TV 1996 film It Came From Outer Space II and well... it's a movie! Not one you need to see, but it's there. As a fan of the needless TV sequel, this was up my street, but it's not a good movie on its own terms!

4K UHD Disc

• Audio Commentary featuring Tom Weaver
• The Universe According to Universal (SD 31:36) 
• Theatrical Trailer (HD 2:41) 

Blu-ray Disc

• Audio Commentary featuring Tom Weaver
• The Universe According to Universal: (SD 31:36) 
• Jack Arnold Remembers It Came From Outer Space (HD 24:15)
• The 3-D Girl: 2004 Interview with Kathleen Hughes (HD 6:20)
• It Came From Outer Space II (SD 1:27:55)
• Theatrical Trailer (HD 2:41) 

3D Blu-ray Disc

• 3D Theatrical Trailer (HD 2:41) 

I didn't need another copy of It Came From Outer Space on 3D Blu-ray. I didn't need another copy of It Came From Outer Space on 4K UHD. But Australia's Imprint Films didn't care what I needed and made one anyway and I'm glad they did! Jack Arnold's sci-fi epic is a splendid piece of filmmaking and a delight on any format. I might have my preference for the 3D version, 3-D Film Archive did a magnificent job with that restoration, but I can't deny the 4K is a delight in its own right. Again for this 3D disc, you'll have to flip the eye signal on your screen or player, but that's pretty easy. A small very fixable issue. Not content with simply rehashing the discs already available here in the States, Imprint went the extra mile to break out each format on its own disc and include past extras while also digging up some new-to-disc treasures including old interviews with Jack Arnold and an interview with the recently departed Kathleen Hughes that is a real hoot. Topping off this grand experience is the pretty bad but oddly entertaining made-for-TV sequel It Came From Outer Space II - which was a first-time watch for me. If you've been meaning to add this film to the collection, this is your best overall value. Highly Recommended 

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