NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (August 2021): Kino have also transferred William Witney's Master of the World to Blu-ray. It is on its own dual-layered BD, as in Shout! Factory's The Vincent Price Collection III. But the Kino has almost 50% higher bitrate. You can tell it's from the same source with the same marks, but the Kino 1080P is a notch superior in terms of video. It's improvement is small but it is there with flesh tones having a slightly more natural hue, colors are a bit tighter, it is slightly darker, but the superiority may show up for some most in-motion. A small upgrade for the newer Blu-ray.

NOTE: There was a pricey MGM DVD, HERE, that we don't own to compare.

NOTE: We have added 35 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, like Shout! Factory, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track but at 16-bit, where Shout! went 24-bit, both in the original English language (The KSM DVD adds a German DUB.) Master of the World has some effects but they aren't dominant in the soundstage. I found the score by Les Baxter (How To Stuff a Wild Bikini, Switchblade Sisters, The Man With the X-Ray Eyes,  The Comedy of Terrors, Panic in the Year Zero, US version of Baron Blood, The Beast Within) to be more impacting - with serene chords emphasizing the aerial beauty and open-sky freedom. There is a volcano etc. but most effects in Master of the World are rather mundane. Like Shout!, Kino also offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Tom Weaver - having fun and sharing anecdotes. He brings in, like tag-team wrestling; David Schecter, Richard Heft and Vincent Price Biographer Lucy Chase Williams (The Complete Films Of Vincent Price.) Much is discussed from the airship model, the score and much more. It's filled with Master of the World-related factoids and production stories. Kino also include the commentary from the 2016 Shout! Factory Blu-ray with actor David Frankham (Phillip Evans from Master of the World), moderated by actor /composer / illustrator Jonathan David Dixon. Frankham tells an amusing story regarding Henry Hull daughter, Shelly, and getting a guest spot on Tales of Wells Fargo TV show - and it was directed by William Witney. Both the Shout! and the Kino have the 1 1/4 hour extended cut of “Richard Matheson: Storyteller” which the iconic writer's frankness is also refreshing. Kino include a theatrical trailer and the package has a limited edition O-Card slipcase.

William Witney's Master of the World isn't the most effective 'Verne-to-screen' fantasy sci-fi but I have fond memories of it as a boy (nothing beats Mysterious Island for me.) Stalwart Bronson, conniving Price and crotchety Hull add good flavor alongside the ambitious effects. I do like the Baxter score as well. Nostalgia was, personally, high for me and others may enjoy the Captain-Nemo-esque-"destroy the warships" story. The Kino Blu-ray is the one to get, superior video, and two commentaries (one new, one old) and it includes the lengthy Matheson documentary plus the packaging. The Weaver et all commentary alone may be worth it to double-dip. To the niche of fans of this genre, it is recommended for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Gary Tooze