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Jim Milton

The War of the Worlds (1953) and When Worlds Collide (1951) 4K UHD Blu-ray Double Feature Movie CoverThe War of the Worlds and When Worlds Collide

The War of the Worlds (1953) and When Worlds Collide (1951) 4K UHD Blu-ray Movie Review, Starring: Gene Berry and Ann Robinson (War of the Worlds) – Richard Derr and Barbara Rush (When Worlds Collide). Produced by George Pal

These are two of the most iconic Sci-Fi movies ever made, and certainly some of the most influential from the 1950s. Paramount has painstakingly remastered these films for this 4K release, and they have never looked better. As a kid, War of the Worlds was one of my favorite movies and the scene where man meets alien in the front house scared the wits out of me! This film got an Oscar for special effects and the quality of those effects still holds up after over 70 years. The Martian war machine designs were amazing, and they were made of real brass (unfortunately, all 3 were eventually scrapped and melted down, so no originals exist anymore). As fun as the Spielberg re-make was, I much prefer the organic feel and straightforward storyline of this film.

War of the Worlds martian war machines destroying everything in their path across the landscape

The picture and sound quality are very good, though the sound is front speaker heavy, there are some nice surround effects and some real heft to the army cannon fire in the bass. Dialog is very clean and crisp. The picture can be a bit grainy in dark scenes, but in general, it is sharp with vivid colors and details. Dolby Vision helps both in the dynamic contrast and punching up the primary colors, too. Both films were shot in Technicolor and look sumptuous.

War of the Worlds Martian War Machine close-up view of cyborg eye

When Worlds Collide is based on the premise that another gigantic planet was streaking toward Earth and along behind, a smaller Earth-like planet. Scientists have a limited time to make spaceships and select people via lottery to colonize the smaller planet as it passes by. The gigantic planet would destroy the current Earth. Of course, choosing who goes and who stays presents an ethical dilemma. If selected, would you go if it meant someone you loved didn’t get selected? Technically, the special effects are not quite up to the later War of the Worlds, particularly the matte shots of the new world, but they still, look impressive for their times. You have got to love the rocket launch as the massive rocket slides down a mile-long rail on a rocket-propelled sled. One can get a feel for the gravity of the situation (pun intended).

People carry their luggages watching as scientists and engineers work on/construct a spaceship in the background from the When Worlds Collide movie

This two-disc set is a must for sci-fi lovers who want the very best picture quality for their new 4K TV they got for Christmas.

People are sitting inside a spaceship bracing for impact and gravity of the situation from the When Worlds Collide movie

Blue HawaiiBlue Hawaii

Blue Hawaii (1961) 4K UHD Movie Review- Starring Elvis Presley, Angela Lansbury, Joan Blackman, and Nancy Walters. Produced by Hal Wallis

Another iconic film from Paramount that was shot on location in Hawaii and looks wonderful in Technicolor and shot in Panavision. Some say this is the penultimate Elvis movie, with The King singing 14 songs throughout the production. The story has Chad (Elvis) coming home after a two-year stint in the army where his parents expect him to assume leadership in the family pineapple production business. Not wanting to be told what to do, Chad strikes out to start his own business as a tour guide. After a lot of surfing, singing, and luaus, he marries his sweetheart and combines both tourism and pineapple production, so everyone is happy in the end. Man, movies were so much easier to follow back then.

The character Chad (Elvis as the actor) marries his sweetheart after a lot of surfing, singing, and luaus that combines both tourism and pineapple production

The picture and sound are once again universally good, with excellent color and plenty of tanned flesh. Primary colors pop off the screen and the sounds (songs) are dynamic with a wide soundstage. Seriously, there is a song every 10 minutes or so throughout the film, but that sort of is the whole point. I am not a big fan of Elvis as I never really cared for his voice and style (Blasphemy!) and he can barely act as he has no emotional range other than being Elvis. That said, if he is your thing, you’ll be very pleased with this production. The soundtrack was Grammy nominated and spent over 20 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200. So much for my taste…

All of these films are from Paramount Presents and the science fiction films are number 35 and Elvis comes in at 36. Not many studios are releasing their classics in UHD like Paramount, and I commend them on their effort to re-master them and make them available to the consumer market. Bravo!

Pulp FictionPulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction (1994) 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review- Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, Ving Rhames, Uma Thurman. Run time: 2 hours and 34 minutes. A Quentin Tarantino film.

I snagged a new Steel Book edition from Paramount of this cult favorite film that includes a regular Blu-ray disc as well. Funny to think of a Blu-ray as regular, but in this case, the better picture quality goes to the UHD version for being a bit sharper and a lot more colorful and punchier with the UHD version. Over the years I have seen large excerpts of this movie, but never from start to finish. Tarantino has a particular style that leaves me both mesmerized and occasionally repulsed. He combines snappy, intricate dialog with some vicious violence and copious amounts of foul language that sometimes makes me want to take a bath after watching his films. Admittedly, it really sets him apart from other directors/producers, but when my wife said, “Oh! I’ve heard of this movie. Can I watch it with you?” I suggested politely that she might want to skip it. She doesn’t even watch Hitchcock movies with me (Thank you, Psycho!).

John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson star alongside each other in business suits as both of them are pointing a gun in the direction toward another individual

In any case, this movie boasts a stellar cast and some of the scenes are classics, like Travolta and Thurman dancing and the retro restaurant. Samuel L. can go from cool and collected to insane hitman in 3 seconds. And my favorite squirming-in-my-seat scene with Ving Rhames being “anal-ized” by a leather-clad freak in the basement of a pawn shop. Still, as the end credits roll, you sit there thinking about what an experience you just had and have to marvel yet again at the power and emotion of a good story set to digital celluloid. Tarantino movies may be over the top, but they are usually never dull. If you like his oeuvre, you’ll want to add this to your Christmas wish list.

The picture and sound are exemplary. The UHD version has more detail in the overall presentation and the DV really makes the neon light gleam. The black shadows and contrast are excellent, though I did notice some camera work that can show facial details while having soft and fuzzy edges out of the main focal points (earrings or necklaces), but this is a stylistic choice, I am sure. So, do I recommend this film? Certainly, in its UHD form, it looks and sounds beautiful. But for the uninitiated, proceed with caution.