Invasion, U.S.A.: Special Edition

America certainly loves to capitalize on fear. Hell, we’re capitalists, it's what we do! As we’ve gone to war, we’ve turned our various enemies into entertainment. In the Great War, the Kaiser was a horned-helmet punchline. In WWII, Hitler was a punching bag for everyone from Captain America to the Three Stooges. So on and so forth, one conflict to the next. But the Red Scare, those Russian Commie bastards, was the threat to end all threats. As schools (comically) showed film reels of how to survive a nuclear blast, and our government rooted out red agents and sympathisers, Hollywood did their part, delivering countless films about our imminent invasion and annihilation. 

First up is Invasion U.S.A. from 1952. Now being the eternal immortal of martial arts that he is, Chuck Norris was sadly unavailable for this particular Invasion. It could have used him! Have you ever been stuck at an airport bar waiting for a flight that keeps getting delayed so all you can do is watch the news while slugging drinks and talk to the stranger sitting next to you? That’s this film in its entirety. While the bombs are supposedly raining down upon our great nation, we watch as a group of people see the events playout on TV. It was supposed to be a commentary on American preparedness in the event of a firefight with the Soviet Union. It’s certainly tantalizing, but the premise wears thin and even at a scant 73 minutes, it overstays its welcome. But it made for a hell of a sixth-season episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. 

Our second feature of the day is 1958’s paranoia propaganda feature, Rocket Attack, U.S.A. Credit where it’s due, this film at least gets out of the airport as two American agents attempt to thwart an ICBM attack on US soil. In a race against time, the agents’ attempt to sabotage the missile fails, and the Soviets use this provocation as justification for launching the missile at New York City, as our underfunded missile defence system is powerless to stop the big bomb. While it was clever to pitch this film’s plot on the back of the space race and the Soviets’ successful orbit of Sputnik, the rest of the plot is so obnoxiously pandering that it loses all tension or thematic thrust. It may as well have had intercards between acts asking Americans to buy war bonds or write their congressmen to invest in missile defense. This film would also earn a legacy as a hilariously daffy feature and make for a great MST3K episode, #202 during the early Joel years. 

Hollywood had decades to feed the Red Scare machine. There are countless feature films about how those damned Commies were gonna get us. Some good, most of them were pretty bad. Film Masters collects two of the better bad films out there. While on their own, they’re not much. They may dance and play around with the real-world politics of the time while dipping a toe into some daffy propaganda, but they also weren’t entirely effective. Low budgets, lack of star power, the films tried to make a lot out of very little through exploitation rather than earnest discussion. 

Admittedly, I came to these films several years after the Berlin Wall fell. The Red Scare was over. If you hadn't guessed already, it was because of Mike, Joel, and the bots aboard the satellite of love that exposed me to these films in their fully riffed glory. I never really experienced the Red Scare. Capitalism, a fully-grown 1980s Chuck Norris, and our Olympic hockey team had beaten back any potential of Russian invasion. So I didn’t grow up with Russia as a constant enemy mindset; I grew up with that cultural panic as a joke. I’m sure if I were some 30-40 years younger, these films might have been more effective. Since I discovered them entirely through the riffs of a lunkhead trapped in space and his two robot pals, these features remain a punchline. Artifacts of a time when rational, intelligent thought gave way to fear in all its stupidest forms…

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 
Like a number of their releases, Film Masters digs deep in the cinematic vaults for another two-disc double feature event for Invasion U.S.A. Special Edition and includes Rocket Attack, U.S.A. The two films each enjoy their own Region Free BD50 discs. Housed in a two-disc case, each gets its own tray and loads to a static image main menu with a standard navigation system. Also included in the set is a 22-page booklet featuring essays from Toby Roan and Don Stradley.

A case of two different films is a matter of two very different video transfers for this release. Invasion U.S.A. enjoys the benefits of a strong new 4K scan of 35mm archival elements, Rocket Attack, U.S.A. simply lives on with a “New HD Print,” which serves its purposes nicely.

Given that it’s the main feature and key selling point here, Invasion U.S.A. delivers what I think is the best 1.37:1 transfer I’ve seen for this film. Usually, this movie looks like a dog on video, often stuffed on a disc with about a dozen other films from the era. And since it’s not generally regarded as a “classic,” its appearance has never really been much of a priority, so kudos to Film Masters for putting a leg of work into this set. While I wouldn’t call it perfect, it’s at least detailed, stable, and in far better shape than anything I’ve seen outside of the MST3K episode. 

On the flipside, Rocket Attack, U.S.A., may be a new HD Print, but it’s not altogether amazing. I’m not sure of the element origins, but the 1.85:1 aspect ratio just doesn’t look right. The included 1.37:1 option certainly looks much more stable, less murky, with a better sense of detail clarity. Grayscale might be a tad hot, whites can be very bright, and blacks never quite approach true black. For what it is, it’s at least better than simply “watchable.”

Both films in the set come home with DTS-HD MA 2.0 tracks. Again, Invasion U.S.A. enjoys the better mix of the two with healthier dialogue exchanges and music cues. Given so much of the action plays out on television screens, the sonic demand isn’t exactly robust. The track plays well overall. Now for Rocket Attack, U.S.A. it’s about as good as it can be, which serves its use but not much else. Dialogue can be a bit muffled and muddy. At times, it can sound like the cast is communicating via tin can and string. There’s a good bit of hiss throughout, and music cues can be quite shrill. But then there are stretches where it can sound pretty darn good. It’s the vascilation in quality (I’m guessing a source issue), that makes the experience a bit iffy. But through these issues, I’ll say it’s still the best I’ve heard for this feature.

Invasion U.S.A. - 3.5/5
Rocket Attack, U.S.A. - 2.5/5

What I really enjoy about these sets from Film Masters is that they don’t skimp on the extras and live up to that designation as a “Special Edition” release. Because it’s listed as the second option feature, I’m listing Rocket Attack, U.S.A. amongst the extras. But even without that designation, this is still a packed slate of bonus materials. We get a collection of propaganda shorts, an insightful documentary, additional shorts, theatrical trailers, and of course, the excellent Rocket Attack episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. It’s a shame they couldn’t also get the Invasion U.S.A. episode, too, but here’s a YouTube link if you’re so inclined to check it out yourself and have a good laugh. The propaganda shorts are a good bit of fun, but the lack of Bert the Turtle is unfortunate.

Disc One

• A Matter of Minutes: Remembering Gerald Mohr Documentary (HD 18:00)
• Better Dead Than Red: Hollywood vs Communism in the 1950s (HD 36:06)
• Atomic-Era Shorts Vol 1:
• A is for Atom (SD 14:43)
• A New Look at the H Bomb (SD 10:14)
• About Fallout (SD 23:35)
• Stay Safe, Stay Strong (SD 22:34)
• Atomic Alert (SD 10:38)
• Fallout (SD 14:13)
• And A Voice Shall Be Heard (1951) Short
• Re-Cut Theatrical Trailer
• Gallery of Stills

Disc Two

• Rocket Attack, U.S.A. (1.37:!/1.85:1 - HD 1:03:37)
• MST3K #202 Rocket Attack, U.S.A. (SD 1:37:35)
• Atomic Era Shorts Collection Vol 2:
• Our Cities Must Fight (SD 8:46)
• Warning Red (SD 13:50)
• Re-Cut International Trailer

In a weird way, you could almost view Film Master’s gathering of Invasion U.S.A. and Rocket Attack, U.S.A. as the best examples of our worst entertainment. At the time these features were made, the threat of nuclear destruction felt imminent. It took one little provocation, and the U.S. and its greatest enemy would be locked in a nuclear shooting match. So, it’s only natural that studios would create a slew of features that would succker susceptible audiences out of their cash to put butts in theater seats. Some of these features were certainly better than others. These two films aren’t great, but they’re also perversely entertaining in their own ways - and also made for great MST3K episodes, which is how I first discovered them and why this set was so appealing. I've been on a slow crusade to own all of the unriffed films featured on MST3K, and each year that collection grows a little larger thanks to releases like this set.

All thanks to Film Masters for digging these two films up and giving them an HD refresher. Invasion U.S.A. comes out on top with the vastly better HD transfer and audio mix. Rocket Attack, U.S.A. has always looked like a sick dog and sounded worse on home video, so it was surprising to see it looking and sounding better than watchable! The main films are one thing, but the big win for this set is the excellent extra features. If these films are your bag, consider this set a worthwhile pickup. Recommended 

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