The War of the Worlds

Rating:
Summary: Captures feeling of helplessness
Review: The Martian machines look like street lamps. The sound effects and special effects are phenomenal for 1953. But most importantly, this sci-fi classic captures the feeling of facing an enemy of hopelessly superior technology. In the opening battle scene, the Earth armies are unable to even scratch the Martians while the Martians proceed to massacre the most well equipped soldiers on Earth. It is like the story of David and Goliath except Goliath wins. I now use "War of the Worlds" as a metaphor for certain matchups in sports.

This movie is based on a book H.G. Wells (not to be confused with Orson Welles whose 1938 radio adaptation was thought by many to be real resulting in panic) wrote in 1898 when Europe dominated the world and used firepower to conquer far less advanced civilizations throughout the world. European empires partitioned Africa like birthday cake ignoring the wishes of those who already lived there. The United States, dominated by people of European descent, repeatedly pushed back the American Indians who had been living here for thousands of years but were still in the stone age when European settlers first arrived. They could not hope to resist the guns and cannons of the Europeans.

The Martian death rays and electromagnetic shields would seem to anyone on Earth as the gunpowder based weapons and advanced ships of the Europeans would have seen to the natives of lands the European empires were conquering. Wells apparently wanted Europeans to know how it would feel if they were invaded by a technologically superior enemy.

Today we know Mars has no life capable of such an invasion and that scientists would be lucky to find evidence of microscopic life there, past or present. It is interesting that nonetheless people still find "The War of the Worlds" to be exciting and frightening.

Rating:
Summary: The War Of The Worlds
Review: I haven't seen the DVD version but do own the VHS of the movie. I saw it in a theater when I was 7 years old and I will still have dreams about it. Good Flick!!

Rating:
Summary: Usually this is stepping on sacred ground, but...
Review: ...come on, people! An old(!) classic perhaps, but the greatest sci-fi-movie of all times? I don't think so.

I watched it, with some expectation of course, keeping in mind that I couldn't compare the effects with todays' standard, but I've seen the 58th-version (perhaps wrong year, but it's about the same "age" of War Of The Worlds) of Journey To The Center Of The Earth, and it was by far better than this movie. Better story, better effects based on a little imagination required from the makers of it. For example the eagles used as dinosaurs by the ocean of the underworld. They looked real. The aliens of War Of The Worlds make even E.T look scary! So compared to "Journey" it's really simple, and not much to look at. I can understand why Journey To The Center Of The Earth became so big in its' time, and why it's still a classic. And watchable not least! But War Of The Worlds was just boring, to use a covering word. So not interesting at all. So stupid, even for an adventure-sci-fi-movie, and for its' time. I know it's a famous book, and the adaption of it therefore must be awful.

At least I have no idea why so many people still(!) speak so highly of it. As mentioned -want to see a classic, rent (or even buy) Journey instead, that's an adventure -and an exiting story. Fun to watch.

Rating:
Summary: I love this movie
Review: Hind sight is always 20/20...the first time I saw this movie as a child it was more than halfway through, and the ending blew me away. However, I didn't know the title of the movie! So years went by, every time I seen a 50's sci-fi on I thought, is this that one...? Now it's obvious, I own it and seen it countless times. One of the best 50's sci-fi movies or of all sci-fi for that matter. It's sort of "unsettling" in the beginning cause there is this wholesome old square dance going on...the mood is about to be spoiled by an evil force from outer space. Very good special effects. Signing off for the "War of the Worlds".

Rating:
Summary: Not faithful to Wells but good as it's own thing
Review: It's pretty good in it's own right but it's loosely based on what Wells did, sort of like how some Shakespeare plays have been re-done with modern settings.

The Martians invade the whole world but California is the area focused on. The first battle with the Martians is in the Sierra mountains near my house but later it shifts to Southern California with Los Angeles being invaded and razed by the flying Martian machines.

The Martians crush the humans pretty badly. The humans suck even more in this than in the book. The British managed to blow up a couple of tripods and kill a number of Martians with guns and the Thunder Child. But the Martians have invinco-shields (Which Independance Day stole later) that make them completely indestructible. They replace the black smoke with green distengration beams which aren't as cool in my opinion. The red weed is absent, too bad because that was cool stuff.

It's a fun hookey old movie. I liked the old world feel though I know that at the time the special effects must have been pretty amazing. There is a sense of wonder (Which this movie has) about old sci-fi that is lost in ID4 and some other contempary stuff.

The reason I'm not whoelly satisfied with the movie is that they turn it into a religious thing. This is absurd because in a universe with many sentinent races wouldn't the Martians also have been created by God?

Rating:
Summary: They have invaded our World and in a Non-Friendly Manor
Review: the Earth is a dangerous world, but outside of it is even more dangerous when mankind and extraterrestrials collide in a war between worlds. Before ID4, the original invasion was "The War of the Worlds" this 1953 sc-fi thriller based on H.G. Wells' 1898 novel is still today a action packed blast and great classic film for sc-fi fans, it's imaginative hollywood filmmaking,a fun filled cyber slam, the visual effects are pretty good for 1953 from the eyes of 21st century person. I recommend this classic thriller for sc-fi fans. It will still blow you away, away and out of this world. So bring this classic to your world and enjoy the original war between the earthlings and the martians.

Rating:
Summary: The Smallest Thing Kills The Biggest Threat!
Review: This is a great movie but I don't understand how it got through editing with the puppet strings on the space ships so visible in certain scenes. (Am I the only one who sees them?) There could easily be a remastered version of this movie on today's market in which the scenes with the suspension cables are 'erased' from view using modern computerized editing.

Rating:
Summary: C'mon doodes! - It's a Sci-Fi Classic
Review: Books, music, films become engrained in our lore for good reason. At the time they were produced, they touched a common nerve in so many people that it was clear that they represented an achievement that would have lasting power. So it is with "The War of the Worlds". I remember this film as a child and how it gripped and scared the bejeesus out of me. For what it was in the time it was made, it was, and still is, really something.

But alas, technology takes over just like the Martians and nothing can stop it. Viewers consistently insist on judging past achievements in the eyes of the present. For many, this is a necessity due to their age. For the rest, it is the price of the techno drug. If the theater doesn't shake to the ground with THX sound, and the visuals don't practically blind you, then the product really must suck.

I have recently learned that Spielberg is remaking this classic for release in Summer '05. I am generally excited by this because he is a very talented filmaker, having genuine ability to frighten us (as you MUST do with this film) with craft as opposed to computer-assisted gimmicks. While he must augment the production with the latest that his art can offer, I truly hope that he uses his gift more to exploit the potential creepiness and hopelessness of the book and and original film, than to cop out totally to an effects-crazed audience. To wit, I believe that some of his best films were done with minimal effects ("Duel" for example).

But I digress (sorry about that Chief). If you choose to watch the original production and are doing so for the first time, please approach it with as much imagination as the people who produced it. But do so in a manner that urges you to analyze it as best you can in the eyes of the people that witnessed it when it was first released. Judge it for what it was, not for what it should be in a contemporary setting. You won't be disappointed.