The War of the Worlds is relatively short and to the point but it is a fine example of a well-made science fiction film that stands the test of time.
Adapted from H. G. Wells’ 19th century novel, The War of the Worlds transplants the action from Victorian England to Linda Rosa, a small town in California in the 1950s. Meteor-like cylinders have landed nearby, arousing the curiosity of the locals. Rather than impacting and leaving a crater, the cylinders appear to have been guided to land. This is confirmed when one of the cylinders opens and it unleashes three spacecraft. Someone theorizes the craft and their inhabitants must have come from Mars since the planet is the closest its been to Earth in twenty years.
Each of the Martian craft are equipped with a heat-ray that can vaporize anything at which it’s aimed. As the Martians’ superiority over man’s most powerful weapons becomes apparent, more cylinders fall from the sky all over the world; each of them carrying deadly cargo. Unless the military can come up with something to thwart this alien menace, the world will be overrun.
Taking place less than a decade after World War II, the film resonates with a serious tone that’s usually missing from 1950s science fiction flicks. Stock footage of cities bombed out in the war is used to depict the destruction caused by the Martians. Occasional somber narration by Sir Cedric Hardwicke further adds to the grave mood. The dialogue is peppered with religious references, including an observation that it will take the Martians six days to destroy the Earth, which is exactly how long God took to create it.
For all its seriousness, though, The War of the Worlds is massively entertaining. The special effects, which won an Academy Award, still pack a punch today. The scenes of the manta-like spacecraft, hovering over the California landscape and dealing death with their heat-ray, are truly awesome. The sound effects, also nominated for an Academy Award, will be familiar because they’ve been re-used time and again since the film’s release in other films and video games.
Of course, because it is a 1950s science fiction film, there has to be a female for the male protagonist to fawn over and rescue. Here that role falls to Ann Robinson, who plays Sylvia Van Buren, a library science teacher. She’s quickly paired up with Gene Barry’s atomic scientist, Dr. Forrester, and they remain inseparable for most of the movie. Although the character is depicted as being smart, she still screams bloody murder at the most inopportune times and faints into Dr. Forrester’s arms. She also serves coffee to the soldiers and makes breakfast for Dr. Forrester. Her makeup is always perfect, even after narrowly escaping death. I know the film is a product of its time but these shallow depictions of women always bother me.
The War of the Worlds is relatively short and to the point but it is a fine example of a well-made science fiction film that stands the test of time.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
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