User reviews

To be an effective thriller, a sci-fi film absolutely must impart to the viewer a sense of --- coldness, either the physical coldness of outer space or other worlds, or the emotional coldness of science.

Cedric Hardwicke's opening narrative in "The War Of The Worlds" is brutally cold, and the added images uninviting. The martian machines, vaguely resembling "legless swans", are both beautiful and terrifying. They move slowly, in a graceful but calculating manner. They warn of their approach with an eerie, unearthly "pinging" sound.

In the scene where the priest walks toward one of the "swans", the aliens do not impulsively open fire. Instead, they wait. The cruel "eye" peers down on the priest, studying him, in a foreboding prelude to his inevitable annihilation.

Other scenes in the first half also convey this needed sense of alien coldness. We can, therefore, forgive the film for its somewhat corny plot.

The film's second half is weaker because the aliens have to compete for screen time with Los Angeles mob scenes, a showy and irksome display of American military hardware, and dry narration of military war tactics. But even in this second half, suspense filters through, as we watch the heartless "swans" eject their heat rays on a helpless Los Angeles.

For sci-fi films made before "2001: A Space Odyssey", "The War Of The Worlds" is one of my three favorites, along with "Robinson Crusoe On Mars" and "Forbidden Planet".

The film adaptation of the H.G. Wells story told on radio of the invasion of Earth by Martians.

So, you know, most of the backgrounds look like matte paintings, creating a set that is only about ten or twenty feet in depth. But that is unimportant. The colors, the impressive meteor and alien technology... few films -- maybe none -- were able to look so incredible in that era.

The story has been told multiple times, and most people are probably aware of the basics. But this version may be the best, far better than the Tom Cruise version fifty years later, and maybe even better than the original radio drama.

Somewhere out in the American West, a huge meteor-like projectile crashes in the soil. Everyone initially believes it to be nothing more than a meteor, but soon all learn it is really an investigative ship from the planet Mars out to destroy anything and everything in its path. This film directed by Byron Haskin, based on a script by Barre Lyndon, and produced by George Pal is one of the quintessential science fiction films of the 50's, otherwise known as the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Based on the novel of the same name by H. G. Wells, this film keeps the spirit of the book intact while changing some things like the setting. The book takes place primarily in and around London. All of the talents in this film help make The War of the Worlds an innovative, intelligent, and evocative film that tries to get one thinking about alien invaders and their intentions. The earthlings in this film are the good ones...trying to be friendly, yet, treated as nothing more than impediments in the Martians' way. So many scenes in this film are strong: the army fighting the Martian space ship while a man of God tries to make peace with the strangers, the old farmhouse, and the ending as the aliens attack Los Angelos. Acting is strong too as leads Gene Barry - doing a very good job as a scientist who just happens to be nearby - and Ann Robinson convincingly portray what life might be like in a world with such horrific news. But despite a first-rate script, solid direction from Haskin, and good acting, The War of the Worlds owes its greatest debt to producer George Pal. Pal knew how to put films like this together and was a driving force in the film's innovative and unique special effects. Who could forget those bright green Martian ships or that figure of a Martian?

All right, here i am again on my "fed up with CGI & remakes" odyssey.

I can barely remember the first time i saw this film because i was 5 or 6 years old back then, in the 80's. The thing i remember very well though is that i had nightmares because of this film, waking up in the middle of the night rushing to the windows with apprehensions, great memories!

Of course the effects looks dated but the sounds engineering is very effective in my opinion. One thing i like from movies of this era is that everything is straight forward, fast transitions, extra flamboyant dialogues, no fluff, perhaps not enough i might add. The montage and editing seems rushed and rough compare to today's blockbusters but it didn't bothered me at all, i've even found it refreshing and it made me realize once again how generic most of the movies are these days.

The acting is a bit stiff but it was totally expected considering the standards of the epoch, everything is black & white including the emotions, no place for ambiguity. Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry) always have the answer to everything right away, no doubt ever, he knows all and i've found that hilarious and even charming.

I had a great time watching this classic and i'm now ready for the 2005 version. That's very big shoes to fill so i have low expectations...

In one word: classic!

This is one of the few times when I've been glad that Hollywood decided to remake a "classic" movie. It's not that I thought this one was bad. It did, however, come across as very typical of the 1950's, and therefore very dated. It's a good story, and so it did need an update.

Standing on its own, this movie had both strengths and weaknesses. On the negative side first, the acting didn't come across as particularly noteworthy. Neither of the leads - Gene Barry as Dr. Forrester and Ann Robinson as Sylvia - really took command of this in my view. The story also had a few too many "cornball" moments. Just a couple: the happy coincidence that a group of scientists just happened to be fishing in the same area where the first Martian spacecraft landed, and the decision of Dr. Forrester to head off with Sylvia to a square dance shortly after. I was also disappointed that the movie didn't open with one of the better parts of the H.G. Wells story: the sighting of strange explosions on the surface of Mars that leads to suspense right off the top. Going right into the Martian landings (even though they were thought at first to be perhaps asteroids) seemed to be jumping into things too fast. On the scientific side of things, as the movie opened with a survey of the planets in our solar system and why only Earth was hospitable for the Martians, it became clear that someone should have checked some simple facts: it's declared that Jupiter is the closest planet to Mars when Earth is actually a lot closer to Mars than Jupiter.

On the positive side, the Martian ships are wonderfully portrayed, and I appreciated that this never became a "monster" movie. There are only a couple of very brief glimpses of the Martians themselves, which increased the sense of mystery about them. The movie establishes a real sense of hopelessness. After absolutely everything has been thrown at the Martians they're still going, and if you didn't know how the story ends, you'd wonder how they're possibly going to be stopped. As an adjunct to that, there are some very believable scenes of panic and looting as the Martian onslaught continues.

It's a decent 50's sci-fi effort, but it's also a very 50's sci-fi effort.

George Pal redeems himself after the appalling special effects from "When Worlds Collide" by giving us one of the best science fiction movies from the 1950's. Without the use of Industrial Light & Magic or THX, George Pal created the near-perfect illusion of flying swan-like Martian machines attacking the Earth. (Near-perfect because you can faintly see the wires) Ann Robinson gives a BRILLIANT performance as "The damsel in distress". Sandro Giglio (from "When Worlds Collide") returns as one of the scientists. Also Leith Stevens returns from "When Worlds Collide" to provide the music. You'll notice too that some of the footage from this movie comes from "When Worlds Collide". I must add...look for George Pal & Byron Haskins as the hobos listening to the radio.

The picture narrates how a scientific (Gene Barry) and his sweetheart (Anne Robinson) must confront an invincible and impassive alien invasion ; neither army , nor air force or bombs manage to defeat them . No mind how many weapons are used facing them , the death dealing with the flying crafts and horrible destruction are unalterable and imperturbable . The destroyed urbanizations , the deserted towns with the inhabitants getting away and the large lethal rays which emerge from aircrafts and the martians themselves, come joined and brought to life in astounding special effects and exciting spotlights .

It is based on H.G.Wells novel that stays as landmark in the sci-fi history . However , there have been made various changes , thus the war machines in the type of walking tripods have been substituted by creepy flying saucers . Equally has been changed the location of original novel since London 1890 year to California , in year 1953 . It's an overwhelming movie but there's also a sub-plot of the wonderful couple : Gene Barry and Robinson developing a agreeable love story.

The picture deals about the survival of human being , the basic issue results to be humanity fighting an extraordinary event : a terrible martian invasion . It's an imaginative treatment of the science fiction's classic by director Byron Haskin , and producer George Pal , making fulfilment justice to the nightmarish remarks of a interplanetary war . Exceptional and breathtaking special effects of destruction caused by aliens war machines were stunningly realized by Gordon Jenning . The motion picture was competently directed by the great filmmaker Byron Haskin . The yarn'll appeal to science fiction moviegoers , it is truly a classic movie . Rating : Above average . It's essential and indispensable watching.

My Take: One of the first and very best version of H.G. Wells tale of alien invasion.

George Pal's adaptation of H. G. Wells "The War of the Worlds" is, without a shed of doubt, the most influential version of the tale. Not only is it highly acclaimed, but also made an unseen mark on Hollywood on how to do sci-fi films. Wells' story have introduced a number of inventive and prophetic material and stories that has forever changed scientists' minds about our future. George Pal, though, has also shared Wells' vision, with his wide imagination and great in-touch sense on the real world. Combining his and the great author's vision, this classic was born. And a vision of grandness it was. Never has the story been shown with mind-ticking interest in this George Pal wonder. Mix an awe sense of wonder, some chilling teeth and a feel of realism, you get a classic, that would set the pattern for many other filmmakers to come.

This acclaimed adaptation is followed by many other adaptations, usually with more budget to extend Wells' vision. But only this strikes the mark of being the best. Not only as an adaptation, but also as one of the best films ever made in the genre.

Rating: ***** out of 5.

Okay, so it isn't exactly very faithful to the novel.

Okay, so the acting is questionable, and the forced love story between the characters Sylvia and Dr. Forrester is not very believable.

So what!

I think that 'The War of the Worlds' deserves a lot of praise, for not only being the first film adaption of the novel after forty-five years since it was first published, but for its great special effects. Although in our stupid world in which the computer dominates the special effects you see on screen, people would label the visuals in this film 'unconvincing', you still have to appreciate this film, which was made in a world where computers couldn't do squat for the film-making industry.

They were all done with miniatures, people!

I don't care what anybody thinks, I still think this is slightly better than Steven Spielberg's remake.

This '50s adaptation of the H. G. Wells novel transplants the action from Victorian-era Britain to a contemporary Los Angeles, doing away with the mechanical tripods in favour of hovering alien ships with heat-rays designed to evaporate the enemy. As a fine example of '50s-era science fiction, there's little to dislike here, as it's a film that set the template for many other alien invasion flicks to come: there's a chisel-jawed hero (singer Gene Barry), a pretty heroine, an indomitable foe and absolutely tons of destruction rendered in a loving fashion.

I can't help but feel that producer George Pal had a big influence on this film. From watching Pal's later movies as director, it's clear that he was blessed with two qualities: first a sense of imagination, which led him to make all manner of films with wondrous subject matters (such as ATLANTIS, THE LOST CONTINENT and my personal favourite, THE TIME MACHINE), and second a real command of special effects and an ability to integrate them into the storyline. The special effects in WAR OF THE WORLDS are wonderful and still hold up today, and the snake-like heads of those alien ships were still enough to provoke a shudder or two in this viewer.

Spielberg made the inevitable remake but that film – alternatively ponderous, sentimental and stupid – can't hold a torch to this well-remembered classic.

I decided to watch this version of "The War of the Worlds" after being unimpressed by Steven Spielberg's recent remake. It follows the same basic storyline of Martians attacking the Earth, but is amazingly even more boring than the recent remake.

This film does have two commendable points, the sharp narration of Cedric Hardwicke and the special effects, which are impressive for their time. Unfortunately special effects aren't a great benefit because the film has little story beyond the fact that aliens attack the Earth and no tension, which even the Spielberg remake had at points. The acting in this film is fine, but the characters are superficial and don't help make this film interesting. However, I did learn a valuable lesson from one of the lead characters: scientists tend to have handy Geiger counters ready in their car.

The scene where the preacher walked into the field was decent, but for the most part this film is consistently boring. The religious overtones near the end of the film are laughably over-the-top as the people of America seek to survive the Martians by clustering in churches and praying. This film does have one key advantage over the more recent version: it is only 85 minutes, so it comes to its abrupt ending much sooner. However, this film resulted in George Pal having free reign to adapt other H.G. Wells novels to film. Luckily this led to the production of "The Time Machine" (1960), which is an infinitely more interesting adaptation than this film.

HG Wells' futuristic novel responds well to the Technicolor splashed on it in this 50s B classic. Gene Barry over emotes in the lead now and then but the martian invasion is handled very well and the tension rises to the final scenes where the surviving populace huddle in the church as the buildings crash and burn around them.

'War of the Worlds' deserves its place as both a highly regarded novel and a well-remembered movie. Byron Haskin and George Pal did a great job in visualising the apocalyptic bits of Wells' text, while still making the end result enjoyable and interesting for the viewer.

Recommended for fans of intellectualised science fiction.

The fertile imagination of author H.G. Wells who peered into the future and saw a lot of what came to pass and was purposefully vague enough about said developments. Vagueness allowed his work to be adapted for a 1953 version from Paramount of a book written in 1897.

The original novel was set in the United Kingdom and here it is in southern California. What was thought to be meteors turn out to be space ships from Mars containing Martians whose planet's resources are being depleted and look to a fertile earth as a new home.

No big stars were used in this film it all went to a budget for George Pal and it netted an uncontested Oscar for War Of The Worlds in 1953. In subsequent remakes said effects were copies.

Gene Barry and Ann Robinson head the cast as the scientists who have an idea what might be the Martian weakness. What happens to them in the end as blind panic at the thought of the end of humankind grips the masses is frightening indeed. A lot of familiar character players are all over the cast.

For the sake of the earth both in the novel and the film and incredible failsafe mechanism from Mother Nature is the planet savior.

War Of The Worlds is dated with the advance of new technology and once again a science fiction classic does not factor in the development of the computer which was just coming into being. It's still a classic and great entertainment.

"What IS that gizmo?" Residents of a rustic town near Los Angeles have their square dance interrupted after a meteor lands in their backyard and produces aliens from Mars. H.G. Wells' story, originally (and infamously) turned into a radio show which caused widespread panic in the U.S. upon its airing, gets the sleek, handsome George Pal treatment, with exciting action and frantic human drama filmed in eye-popping color. The Martians, freezing on their planet and looking for a warmer climate, have no pity for us Earthlings, and the initial violence is cruel and unsettling. For about three-quarters of the first hour, this science-fiction package provides gripping entertainment (with folksy characters and even some joshing humor)--but once the country goes to war, we lose much of that early spirit. The hardware is beautifully designed and displayed (courtesy of the large special effects team, who won an Oscar), and the pungent commentary on the human race turning animalistic in the face of destruction is still extremely relevant. But I missed the close-knit intimacy of the first act, which leaks away too soon to make room for more wide-scale concerns. Remade in 2005. **1/2 from ****

For it's day; and, even this day, this is classic, almost perfect, masterpiece. Brilliant design work on the alien ships, incredible sound effects, and sharp, vivid colors. Pacing in this film is tight, and Barry's performance as a scientist in giddy awe of the alien's capabilities is masterful. Finally, the realism of the story telling is unrivalled in most modern science fiction films. All right, it's not true to Wells' original, but what's wrong with updating the story, especially when it is this effective.

I first saw this when it was released, I was in high school, and was immersed in science fiction. I thought it was so good, I convinced my father to see it.

Overall, it's a good film, entertaining, and with a prologue embellished with a Chesley Bonestell tour of the Solar System. For its time, the special effects were good, and it was relatively easy to suspend disbelief.

I still like the film. I have it on both VHS and DVD.

(Minor spoilers) One thing that was frequently present in early science fiction stories was present in the film. When the "skeleton ray" weapon is used for the first time, Dr. Forrester takes a single look at it and comes out with a detailed technical explanation of its mechanics! Also, when the Martian TV camera is carried to the lab, it's "hooked up to an epidiascope" so that the earthmen can get a Martian's point of view. An epidiascope is a passive optical projector: they might as well have hooked it up to a slide projector.

Interestingly, a YB-49 Flying Wing was used to try to nuke the Martians. That really dates the film, since that bomber was passed over to the B-36. However, it looked more like the Martian craft than any other aircraft. (Why to people say they look like swans? Check out Manta rays.) There have been far worse films. This one's still enjoyable.

In contrast to the recent Spielberg War of the Worlds, this one has a clearer plot. The scientist on vacation learns of one of the earliest invaders, and brings back data to his colleagues. He and they try to take action against the invaders, and one even discovers a hint as to how they could be defeated (the sample of the aliens' blood). The more recent film bypasses this completely, and just has the protagonist running away with his children.

I agree, Speilbergs remake was a disappointment. Here's what I think was wrong with the movie: 1. The dysfunctional family crap should not have been introduced into a science fiction movie. 2. Who wants to watch a movie with some ill mannered children. I went to see a science fiction movie not a movie about a smart mouth kid and a burnout making their dad's life difficult while he's trying to save their lives. 2. The basement scene with Tim Robbins never seemed to end.

The original movie is over 50 years old now but it still a great movie. In the original movie I wanted the characters to survive and triumph over the aliens but with the remake I wanted the movie to end.

This original screen adaptation of H.G. Wells' classic story of interplanetary war offers plenty of special effects, and floating spaceships of death. While dated by todays standards, the effects do not detract from this film, which offers a multitude of readings into the general mindset of America during the 1950s when paranoia and the possibility of nuclear annihilation by the reds was at its highest. Though the medium's technological limitations change certain aspects of the novel, the overall themes remain. An exploration of humanity's vulnerabilities and ultimate fears that is still applicable to our contemporary world.

Martians have used up the resources of their planet and they're looking for other planets. A suspected meteor lands outside the Californian town of Linda Rosa. People have gathered to put out the fire and then to enjoy the sight. Noted atomic scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester who is fishing nearby comes to take a look. Sylvia van Buren teaches library science at USC. They decide to go back to town and wait for the meteor to cool down. The Martians war machine activates and starts its killing spree. Other landings occur around the world.

It is an iconic sci-fi and a marvel of its era. It is still a compelling narrative today. The special effects are fun. The miniatures are terrific. The design of the aliens are timeless. What is even better is the sound design. The alien sounds and the weapons fire are truly memorable. There is a lot of stock footage used. The wires are very much visible. Nevertheless this is not some cheap B-movie. They use some real action effects and stunts. They have lots of extras and the two leads are acceptable as actors. The battle in L.A. is no small matter. The prevalence of the religious tone is something different from the material and more fitting for the time.

Cheesy, Yes! But...

Probably the creepiest and most horrifying scenes in Filmdom was when the Martian crept up behind our heroine and clamped its tarsier-like fingers on her shoulder.

She freaked, but not immediately. She paused. Reacted to that touch. Slowly turned her head around and LOOKED at the offending appendages.

This entire moment of horror and violation took about four to six seconds.

Her mind - finally - comprehended it. IT had touched her.

Then she lost it.

One of the best screams in film history. Great acting and just overwhelming.

For that one scene, I love this movie. Creepy as hell!