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20 Million Miles To Earth: 50th Anniversary Edition

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Released: 12/04/07

Review By: Joshua Noyes

Picture Quality – 4.5/5

Audio Quality – 4.5/5

Special Features – 4/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Comments: After watching 20 Million Miles To Earth it is clear that Sony put A LOT of effort in to this release. Sony used an AVC encode on to a BD50 disc and the results for PQ are very impressive. There were no hints of noise, macroblocking or banding. The colors and flesh-tones also were excellent. There is a bit of grain as that is how the Director intended the film to look and I personally feel it added a lot to the overall viewing experience. Watching this movie grain-free would have been awkward. Needless to say, this film has never looked better. For a film 50 years old, this is quite an experience!

In-terms of AQ, this too was a very impressive showing by Sony. I listened using the Dolby TrueHD track and the results were AMAZING for a film of its age! This is one of the best older film soundtracks I have heard thus far on HDM. The Center Channel presented the dialog perfectly. It was as though the characters were sitting on your couch with you. The Surrounds too were used to perfection, although used infrequently. Finally the LFE was used to perfection as well, albeit in a more discrete manner. It really added a “fullness” to many scenes and clearly enhanced the overall viewing experience.

The Special Features on this release are solid. Here is a look at what is included:

Feature Available in Original B&W and Color (Chromachoise to Toggle Between B&W and Color)

Audio Commentary with Ray Harryhausen, Visual Effects Artists Dennis Muren and Phil Tippett, and Arnold Kunert

Remembering 20 Million Miles To Earth

The Colorization Process

Tim Burton Sits Down with Ray Harryhausen

Interview with Joan Taylor

20 Million Miles More Comic Book

Original Ad Artwork

David Schechter on Film Music's Unsung Hero

Video Photo Galleries

In conclusion, the purchase of this disc simply put, is a no-brainer if you are a fan of this film. It has never looked or sounded better and it is full of interesting special features. I highly recommend this purchase.