Director: William Cameron Menzies
Screenplay: Richard Blake
Starring:Â Jimmy Hunt, Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Leif Erickson, Hillary Brooke
Country: USA
Running Time: 78 mins
Year: 1953
Rating: PG
Gee whiz! Invaders from Mars (1953) sure is an odd movie. It takes place in a dreamlike world of 50s America, told from the perspective of a teenage boy who sees a flying saucer land in his backyard.
Like straight out of a comic strip, the alien spacecraft lands at night as young science buff David MacLean is looking through his telescope. He alerts his angelic doe-eyed parents of the peculiar vision. His father, startled by his son’s report goes out to investigate in his dressing gown (it all feels very Hitchhiker’s Guide) …but returns substantially changed. He’s a lot meaner than he used to be. This pulpy flick is all about a small town being invaded by sinister forces.
The BFI is releasing the film in 4K and Bluray, restored by Ignite Films, from the original camera negative and master positives. It feels like the perfect type of movie to be restored as: the production design and shot composition is visually very interesting and distinctive; and the colour absolutely pops with the vivid and striking flair of the old-school three-colour process of ‘SuperCinecolor’.
It’s an unnerving sci-fi with surreal and expressionist elements which, converseley, depicts a bright fantasy of American 50s hope. It’s a mostly a fun ride peppered with ponderous moments. It was the first film to depict alien mind control – tapping into themes such as paranoia and fear of the unknown.
The lead actor, 14-year-old boy Jimmy Hunt played David with a sense of earnestness and authenticity. He seemed a great child star who had some real presence. Leif Erickson and Hillary Brooke as George and Mary MacLean were marvellous as the once delightful parents gone bad. They were truly sinister in that film. Helena Carter as Dr. Pat Blake, seemingly the film’s moral authority figure, held it together well and gave a delightful performance. Arthur Franz also gives a fun performance – I particularly enjoyed his dated pronunciation of “mutaaants”.
The dreamlike movie was helmed by director and production designer William Cameron Menzies, who has the most star-studded CV ever. He designed films such as Gone with the Wind (1939), The Thief of Bagdad (1924 & 1940), and would go on to work on Around the World in 80 Days (1956). These are but a few mentions of the wealth of his work in the Golden Age of Hollywood, which saw him alongside the likes of Raoul Walsh, Mary Pickford, John Barrymore and Douglas Fairbanks, in the silent era. A truly influential filmmaker who decided to go into indipendent B-movie flicks.
Menzies exudes the movie with a sense of surrealism with his set design influenced by German expressionist masterpiece The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). The film was a seminal work, influencing the likes of Steven Spielberg and John Carpenter. His shot composition and set design is very impactful.
It’s one of those films I take a more forgiving lighter view on, however, as I appreciate it in a more of scholarly sense, taking the rough with the smooth. I’m inclined to forgive its at times ponderous pacing issues, the vast amounts of stock military footage (used to bulk up the running time), and some of the awful, yet very funny, alien costumes, along with alien lair and tunnels barnacled with inflated condoms.
It’s also clearly all shot on a set (which would have been less apparent if shot in black and white) and there doesn’t seem to have been any extras, giving the film’s atmosphere an unreal dead quality. However, the fact this dream-like atmosphere turned out to be intentional, makes the deliberate choices by Menzies seem almost genius. This felt reminiscent of John Sturges’ approach in Bad Day at Black Rock two years later in 1955.
The film is admittedly a bit of a rush job and the low budget of its ramshackle indie outfit doesn’t help – but its themes are expertly crafted. Plus, it’s the first punt at an alien mind control movie and in colour, so it’s well worth checking out if you’re keen on the genre. The fact Menzies orignally intended it for a 3D release makes his vision even more impressive.
Film:
Special Features:
- UHD: Restored 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation (HDR10 compatible), from the original camera negative and master positives
- Blu-ray:Â Restored in 4K and presented in High Definition
- Newly recorded audio commentary by Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
- Not Just a Dream: Designing Hope in Invaders From Mars (2026, 16 mins): filmmaker Nic Wassell explores how legendary production designer and director William Cameron Menzies infuses the paranoia of atomic age science fiction with hope for the future
- William Cameron Menzies: Architect of Dreams (2022, 16 mins): Menzies’ biographer James Curtis interviews the director’s granddaughter Pamela Lauesen
- Jimmy Hunt Saves the Planet (2022, 11Â mins): interview with the actor
- Terror From Above (2022, 22 mins): filmmakers John Landis and Joe Dante, editor Mark Goldblatt, visual effects artist Robert Skotak and preservationist Scott MacQueen discuss the film
- Restoring the Invasion (2022, 7 mins): before and after clips of the restoration
- TCM Festival Introduction (2022, 7 mins): by John Sayles
- Ernest Dickerson on Invaders From Mars (2022, 5 mins): the award-winning cinematographer introduces a new trailer
- European observatory sequence (1953, 9 mins)Â
- European ending (1953, 3 mins)Â
- Original 1953 trailer
- 2022 trailer
- Extensive image gallery including posters, press book pages and publicity materials, plus previously unseen images from the BFI National Archive
- **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Dr Deborah Allison and Barry Forshaw, a short piece from Monthly Film Bulletin, November 1954, notes on the special features and film credits
Audio Commentary: Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw are a pair of film scholars who clearly have a passion for fun movies. They speak in great length about Menzies, the key actors, context and provide analysis of the themes. But they keep it light throughout, they know Invaders isn’t the greatest but still marvel and find joy in its innovations. They point out how influential it was on future filmmakers like Spielberg and J Carpenter, despite not being that well known. Their commentary is a must listen to fully appreciate this movie. There’s no dead air.
Nic Wassel video essay: Excellently told.  He speaks about the film’s traits and conflicting themes. He speaks about Menzie’s career and pathway to science fiction. Provides analysis of shot compositions and deliberate choices made by Menzies. He speaks about the film’s sense of disconnection, with shot composition featuring a narrow focal depth of field, and visual motifs throughout the movie.
James Curtis interview on the life of William Cameron Menzies: A thorough interview into the life of Menzies with some great stories about working alongside some of the greats, like Fairbanks. It also features Menzie’s granddaughter Pamela, although, rather briefly which is a shame as her nostalgia for her grandfather is wonderful to behold and it would have been fascinating to have heard more first-hand stories about him.
Jimmy Hunt interview: Delightful fun interview of an old actor reminiscing his glory days as a child star. Â He speaks about his illustrious child acting career, working with the likes of Fred MacMurray and Robert Mitchell. He also speaks what was it was like working on Invaders and why he chose to leave acting behind.
Terror from Above: Wonderful set of interviews. The filmmakers reminisce about seeing the film as a kid. There’s discourse on the themes of brainwashing and paranoia. They also speak about Menzies’ economical use of set design and how the special effects were achieved. Really fascinating.
Restoration process featurette: Informed featurette on the restoration process with clips of the old film prints and camera negatives. This comes along with explanation on how each type of film were utilised and combined. It’s entertainingly told, and we see the comparison shots of the footage.
John Sayles intro: You can fast forward through the first few minutes before Sayles comes to the stage. He repeats a lot of the stuff already in the features – but if you’re a fan of Sayles, you will get a kick out of this.
Ernest Dickerson trailer intro: The cinematographer speaks of the production design and nightmarish images made in the movie, and the success of the restoration, before showing quite a rough looking zany trailer.
European Observatory Sequence: The BFI makes it clear this scene was tacked on about a year after the film was completed and executed poorly. Like they’ve warned, the pacing is languid and hurriedly executed, and the scene is completely superfluous to the plot. Good restoration work, however.
European ending: Again, good restoration job – but the scene leaves a lot to be desired.
Trailers: Original trailer is gloriously whacky with visual flair and of its time with a 1950s style trailer announcer. The restoration trailer is far more psychedelic and is visually interesting – but doesn’t seem to match the tone of the movie.
Image gallery: Large selection of high-quality stills, comic strips and title cards of the movie. Glad I took the time to watch them.
Disc/Package:
The BFI is releasing Invaders from Mars (1953) in 4K and Bluray on the 11th of May, 2026.