On September 27, get ready for an old school, classic science fiction double feature when 1953’s The War of the Worlds and 1951’s When Worlds Collide arrive together in a collector’s edition bundle. Fans will finally have the chance to see both films as they never have before, with The War of the Worlds invading on 4K Ultra HD and When Worlds Collide making landfall on Blu-ray.
Who could possibly forget the movie that followed the infamous broadcast that sent the country into a tizzy? Based on the legendary novel by H.G. Wells, the 1953 Byron Haskin directed sci-fi flick centered around an alien invasion in present day southern California. When the Martians make landfall, there’s only one man who can stop them - a scientist named Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry). Struggling against time, Forrester will stop at nothing to uncover the answer in putting an end to the Martians before it’s too late. The feature starred other Hollywood greats of the time including Ann Robinson and Paul Frees, and took home three Academy Award nominations that year, winning for Best Special Effects.
Predating The War of the Worlds by two years, When Worlds Collide set the stage for what was possible in science fiction filmmaking and fandom. Rudolph Maté directed the production which saw its leading players during Earth’s final days. A star named Bellus is on a collision course with Earth, causing a wave of fear and panic to spread around the globe. With the end of days looming, scientists are hatching a plan to send a ship to the star’s only planet, Zyra, in hopes of continuing human life elsewhere.
Just like The War of the Worlds, When Worlds Collide was also based on a novel of the same name that was co-penned by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie in 1933. Again, the film boasted a lineup of talented stars including Richard Derr, Golden Globe recipient Barbara Rush (It Came from Outer Space), Peter Hansen, and John Hoyt. The feature would earn itself the Academy Award for Best Special Effects, winning one of the two Oscars it was nominated for at that year’s ceremony.
Each disc comes with a load of bonus content with The War of the Worlds boasting a fully remastered version, and also including commentary from Robinson, Barry, and more, as well as a copy of the original on air reading by Orson Welles. As for When Worlds Collide, the Blu-ray release will include a digital copy as well as a theatrical trailer.
Keep scrolling to learn about all the bonus features included in the 4K UHD release of The War of the Worlds and check out the trailers for both films below.
War of the Worlds Bonus Features
- Commentary by actors Robinson and Barry
- Commentary by film director Joe Dante, film historian Bob Burns, and Bill Warren, author of Keep Watching The Skies!
- Featurette: The Sky Is Falling: Making The War of the Worlds
- Featurette: H.G. Wells: The Father of Science Fiction
- The Mercury Theatre On The Air presents The War of the Worlds radio broadcast
- Original Theatrical Trailer