Für 2010 sind bereits die Steven-Spielberg-Filme “Minority Report” und “Der Soldat James Ryan” auf Blu-ray angekündigt worden, seine beiden “Jurassic Park“-Streifen sollen angeblich im Laufe des Jahres folgen. Nun gesellt sich offiziell ein weiterer seiner Filme hinzu, der Science-Fiction-Kracher “Krieg der Welten / War of the Worlds” [USA 2005] nach dem Roman von H.G. Wells, bei dem Spielberg sich aber eher auf den Überlebenskampf eines Vaters (Tom Cruise) und seiner beiden Kinder (Dakota Fanning und Justin Chatwin) konzentriert, als auf die Alien-Invasion an sich. Durch diese Erzählperspektive zog Spielberg viel Kritik auf sich und diesen Film, mir persönlich hat diese andere Sichtweise überaus gut gefallen. Kritik hagelte es auch bei der Veröffentlichung der DVD, bot diese doch ein körniges, sehr kontrastreiches Bild mit überstrahlenden hellen Flächen. Ein Fehler (bei der Erstellung) des Masters oder doch Stilmittel des Kameramanns Janusz Kaminski? Das konnte in etlichen DVD-Foren wohl letztendlich nicht geklärt werden. Man wird sehen, was die am 1. Juni 2010 in den USA erscheinende Blu-ray von Paramount in der Hinsicht bietet. Neues Bonusmaterial gegenüber dem 2-DVD-Set gibt es schon mal nicht.

Die Pressemitteilung von Paramount:

TOM CRUISE STARS IN A THRILLING RENDITION OF THE CLASSIC H.G. WELLS TALE DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG, ARRIVING ON BLU-RAY FOR THE FIRST TIME

WAR OF THE WORLDS

Visually-Stunning and Action-Packed Sci-Fi Thriller Debuts on Blu-ray June 1, 2010 Featuring Over Two Hours of Special Features

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. – When the Earth is suddenly invaded by menacing aliens in giant fighting machines, one family struggles for survival in the eye-popping adventure WAR OF THE WORLDS, directed by Steven Spielberg and landing on Blu-ray for the first time ever June 1, 2010 from Paramount Home Entertainment. A DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures co-production, WAR OF THE WORLDS stars Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a father who is desperately trying to protect his teenage son (Justin Chatwin) and 10-year-old daughter (Dakota Fanning) from the relentless alien onslaught that is destroying everything in its path. Fueled by the desire to reunite the children with their mother, Ray battles to shepherd his family from New Jersey to Boston, all the while fending off the mysterious and deadly aliens.

Filled with stunning visual effects and non-stop action, the WAR OF THE WORLDS Blu-ray features the finest picture and sound quality to further enhance this sci-fi classic. The Blu-ray also features over two hours of bonus material including in-depth production diaries following the crew from the east coast to the west coast, featurettes on H. G. Wells’ legacy, scoring the film, the characters and previsualization, multiple photo galleries and more.
 
WAR OF THE WORLDS Blu-ray

The WAR OF THE WORLDS Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital along with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Special features are presented in standard definition except where noted HD:

• Revisiting the Invasion
• The H.G. Wells Legacy
• Steven Spielberg and the Original War of the Worlds
• Characters: The Family Unit
• Previsualization
• Production Diaries
  • East Coast—Beginning
  • East Coast—Exile
  • West Coast—Destruction
  • West Coast—War
• Designing the Enemy: Tripods and Aliens
• Scoring War Of The Worlds
• We Are Not Alone
• Galleries
  • Sketches by Costume Designer Joanna Johnston
  • Production Stills
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Production Sketches
• Theatrical Teaser Trailer (HD)

 
About Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. PHE is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Paramount Famous Productions, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS and PBS and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.