a5c7b9f00b Producer George Pal's and director Byron Haskin's landmark adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells novel that focuses on the invasion of the Earth by Martian war machines. H.G. Wells' classic novel is brought to life in this tale of alien invasion. The residents of a small town in California are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills. Their joy is tempered somewhat when they discover that it has passengers who are not very friendly. Why does film work? Schmaltz drips, the schlock never stops, the characters are two dimensional, the acting frequently over the top, the dialog corny - all as noted by other reviewers. Yet the film works. Why.<br/><br/>First, a word about the special effects: they may not meet todays CGI "3-D" standards, but even when not entirely believable, they remain visually impressive. And Los Angeles (a personality-less city lacking a memorable skyline) always looks best when it's getting destroyed.<br/><br/>Second, the pacing: It's just about perfect, with an intense drive that never goes out of control. When confronted by the schmaltz or a line of corny dialog, we aren't given the chance to smirk or cringe, we're pushed into the next moment, on the edge of our seats to see what happens next, even when we know what happens next. There are plenty of shocks and chases and explosions to keep us from noticing the film's weaknesses while watching it.<br/><br/>Finally, about the characters: as noted, 2-dimensional. Unfortunately, most Americans just happen to be 2-dimensional, and the shrewd Pal (who actually tried for a higher aesthetic in his early animation shorts) quite rightly presents characters that are very much like his intended audience, thus increasing the paranoia-derived fear of the alien and of total destruction that, curiously and unfortunately, Americans so enjoy that most of our heartland culture is built around it.<br/><br/>Being American, I'm not happy admitting that; but understanding it allows me to both enjoy the film and recognize its brilliant craftsmanship. Pal and his cast and crew do exactly everything right to produce the intended results. And the film remains a small but important monument to a kind of Hollywood professionalism we rarely see these days. Sorry, this really didn't work for me. Two problems: I, like most people, know the famous ending. And the characters lacked depth. Gene Barry was pretty good, and brought Richard Feynman to mind. But all the rest was run of the mill acting. <br/><br/>My favorite parts were the introduction and the second radio reporter wandering around with a Kudelski windup reel to reel recorder running at 15 ips. The intro did a good job of setting the story up. You really could imagine aliens wanting to take over the Earth. I mean, here we are with an extraordinarily beautiful planet, probably as fine as any created in the galaxy, and we're just messing it up. <br/><br/>So it would make sense for some more advanced aliens to decide to wipe us off the face of the Earth and move in. Makes you wonder why it hasn't happened. Trouble is, if it did happen, an advanced civilization would find simpler ways to get rid of us, perhaps so subtle we might not know what hit us. Then again, how do we know it hasn't already started? <br/><br/>There were several movies along this theme back in the Fifties that were much better, namely, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which, unlike War of the Worlds, was genuinely scary. I love science fiction, but I'm not as much of a die hard fanatic as some of these reviewers. <br/><br/>What makes this interesting is trying to get inside of the Fifties mindset, and the 1890s mindset of H.G. Wells. There must have been a time when people genuinely wondered if there were people on Mars. If this were possible, it would be reasonable for them to colonize Earth.<br/><br/>This is a movie that is best seen from the seat of a 1950 Chevy convertible in a drive in theater with a cheeseburger, fries and a Coke, with your girl cuddled up by your side. Maybe if you found an old car seat and added it to your home theater setup, preferably a back seat. Then add one hot to trot chick, and start the flick.<br/><br/>On the other hand, viewed on the screen of a laptop, solo, kinda undermines the Fifties ethos. But don't let this, or my criticism, from watching the movie. The War of the Worlds is a work of great historical significance, in all its incarnations. <br/><br/>Spoiler alert: <br/><br/>The Martians don't win. But they do, eventually, get the last laugh when humans destroy their own planet.
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