Setting a standard rarely matched in its decade, the 1953 screen version of The War of the Worlds is one of the true genre classics. Its unforgettable regardless of changes made from the original H.G. Wells novel, becoming its own masterpiece of science fiction. Everything, from the Martian space ship design to the performances of Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, make this unforgettable.
It works on multiple levels, mostly because of the eerie, lethargic, yet never boring build up. The slow reveal of the first Martian craft is a cinema classic, pulled together with fantastic dialogue and cold war fears ("Bombs don't unscrew!"). The freakish sound of the ship charging its deadly ray is forever burned into the minds of those who have seen this masterpiece. The brief, powerful pulsating noise is unlike anything you'll ever hear again.
The entire film is, of course, based around the special effects, winning an Academy Award. Just for the ship design alone someone deserved accolades. The bright greens, oranges, and blacks combine to make a fierce and strangely believable fighting machine. The swan-like neck maneuvering around to incite fear in whatever it's looking at is a brilliant touch.
One of the stranger moments in the film is the brief appearance of the actual alien(s). It's a creepy, ugly, abomination, and the slow moving hand as it grazes Sylvia's shoulder is another brilliant piece of filmmaking. After that comes the full reveal, and it's almost impossible to figure out what you just saw. It's a bizarre design, with a pulsating head that looks like it contains a brain twice the normal size and colorful window for an eye. It's not mobile and it's not on screen very long which is probably for the better. Still, that brief moment when you realize it's in the same room as the lead characters holds up today.
Pulling off a great performance for the human race is Gene Barry. His demeanor, changing from the intrigued, excited scientist to a lonely, nearly crazed lunatic by the end is pulled off believably. Ann Robinson performs admirably too, screaming as her uncle is one of the first casualties of the alien takeover in one of the classic "scream queen" moments.
The finale is handled with care, narrated ominously by Vittorio Cramer. Staying true to Well's novel, it's a shocking finish if you don't know where the story ends, and the creeping alien hand that signifies it's over is a great touch. It caps one of the best science fiction films ever made, and definitely one of the most memorable of the era (and there's a ridiculous amount of competition). It ranked in on multiple AFI "best of" lists, and it deserves it. (***** out of *****)
This new DVD brings a new transfer, one likely to be as controversial as the first. The Technicolor process that was originally used has been taken over, and in its place is a new color mix. The problem with this and the original DVD release are the strings holding the ships are blatantly obvious. They were impossible to detect in other versions because the color was perfectly adjusted. Here you can count the numerous ropes supporting these ships and providing them with their glow.
Article comments
1 - Sterfish
Great review of a classic sci-fi flick.