The Brain From Planet Arous (1957) {Blu-ray Review}

Reviewed by Jason Lockard

1950s Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres of film. Looking at the films now the storylines seem a bit absurd at times but they are so much fun to watch. Atomic creatures, Mad Scientist, goofy looking aliens. These are just some of the things we would witness in these 50s sci-fi films.

Now the great folks at The Film Detective have released a new 4K scan of the 50s sci-fi film The Brain from Planet Arous, and with that title you know you are in for a crazy good time.

The evil alien brain named Gor from planet Arous, arrives on Earth and inhabits the body of scientist Steve March (John Agar). His intention is world domination! Now another intergalactic brain, named Val, has arrived to offer assistance to March’s girlfriend, Sally (Joyce Meadows), in stopping Gor's plan. How? By using Sally’s dog!

Now as you can see from that synopsis you are in for b sci-fi movie greatness. The absurdity is off the wall, but in an amazing fun way. As with most B movies of the 50s the actors play it straight and you believe they really feel their in trouble. The special effect are pretty impressive for 1957.

The Brain from Planet Arous arrives on both Blu-ray and DVD and the film has been restored in 4K. One cool feature on this release is you get both the Full screen and the widescreen versions of this film. WOW! SO if you want to see the theatrical version the widescreen version is for you, or if you remember fondly watching this film on TV you are covered with the full screen version.

This new 4K scan is truly a remarkable achievement! The picture is crisp with no signs of damage and the audio is as clear as a bell. I would agree with what the films co-star Joyce Meadows said, “The Film Detective’s magnificent restoration of The Brain from Planet Arous reminds me of when I saw the movie on the big screen back in 1957....an amazing achievement, and I’m so pleased this picture is getting the respect it deserves.”

Now an absolutely stunning looking 4K scan of this film is not where The Film Detective stopped no way. They added some really cool bonus features to this release. Take a look at what is included on this Blu-ray release.

* Full Color Booklet with original essay by Author/ Historian Tom Weaver

* Full commentary track by historians Tom Weaver, David Schecter, Larry Blamire, and PLANET AROUS star, Joyce Meadows

* The Man Before the Brain: Director Nathan Juran : an original Ballyhoo Motion Pictures production

* The Man Behind the Brain: The World of Nathan Juran : an original Ballyhoo Motion Pictures production

* Now including a special, all new, introduction by Actor Joyce Meadows!

As you can see The Film Detective loaded this Blu-ray release with so much good material. You will be entertained for hours. The Ballyhoo features are always great and the new introduction / mini-movie by Joyce Meadows is a must see.

If you are a fan of 50s Sci-fi films the new Blu-ray release of The Brain from Planet Arous is a must add to your Blu-ray collection. I highly recommend it! Head over to Amazon and order your copy today.