I was very keen to see Corman's It Conquered the World. In the annals of 'it's-so-bad-it's-good' cinema - this film is iconic. I finally found a DVD release - in Japan! And befitting the charmingly weak film is a dynamically weak transfer.

The image appears anxious to break-out into full blown chroma but I, surprisingly, only found it obvious in one sequences (Van Cleef's tie - see last capture). This is till heavily riddled with artifacts similar to those found with an incorrect standard's conversion. Despite the peaks and valleys of the bitrate this could very well be from analog. There are speckles, haziness, poor contrast - the feature takes up barely 2.5 Gig. So while anything would be better - there isn't anything for It Conquered the World out on DVD. Regardless of the weaknesses - I loved every minute.

Similarly troubling audio but it's easy enough to make out the story details and dialogue. There are optional Japanese subtitles and no extras at all.

Obviously the 'Run' DVD, at just under $20 USD, leaves a lot to be desired - but as for the film I couldn't have asked for more with three decent stars; Van Cleef looking young and passionate, Peter Graves appearing scholarly in a suit one-size too large, and reliable sweater-girl/honey Beverly Garland posing pleasingly throughout. The actual Venusian monster is one of the hokiest ever - looking like material from a defunct car wash. However, the film itself still shines. Hopefully Shout Factory will get this and the original Not of This Earth (made the following year) for one of their spiffy double-feature editions. So far though this is the only game in town for this pinnacle of minor-budget 'B' creature-feature quickies.

NOTE: The climax of IT CONQUERED THE WORLD was featured in ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK, the hostess' star vehicle from New World Pictures. (Thanks Eric!)   

Gary W. Tooze