The War of the Worlds

Starring: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne
Directed by: Byron Haskin
Rating: G
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
1953

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A meteor hits in a small town. What begins as excitement turns to horror as the meteor reveals itself to be for the transportation of alien creatures who proceed to wage war on Earth.

Review:

Tim: This is a classic sci-fi movie. While it might be tempting to skip over this because of the remakes and the reinterpretations- don't- this one is still the best. Sure the special effects aren't as impressive as the 2005 version, but this one is still remarkable, especially considering it is from the early 1950s. This movie is creepy, scary, and has an overall frightening atmosphere all around it. When the aliens first rise up with that scary sound and those eerie colors, you'll find yourself shuddering, even though you are used to far more realistic scenes thanks to contemporary special effects. If you remember that this film is from 1953, then the quality of this film's special effects will absolutely blow you away.

You should really see this movie, as it is a very scary sci-fi classic. The whole film is made so well, and everyone involved really pushed their filmmaking to the forefront of the times. This film won a 1954 Academy Award for Best Special Effects, and it completely earned the honor. It is really impressive to see.

With the many alien invasion movies coming out of Hollywood, it is easy to overlook this classic. That would be a mistake, as there is so much here to enjoy and marvel. This movie is as close as you can get to Orson Welles' infamous radio broadcast of 1938, and both forms of media are frightening in their own right. While Steve Spielberg did a good job updating this in 2005, he still couldn't top this film's strengths and this remains the best War of the Worlds movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: War of the Worlds, Independence Day