War of the Worlds (1953)

The Golden Age of science fiction has to be the 1950s. Sure, there has been a sort of resurgence the past few years, especially considering thoughtful stories, but the spectacle and amount of films produced concerning Martians and monsters did have its peak back then. So naturally the classic tale by HG Wells was turned into a film.

But instead of a fairly cheap, black-and-white film, as was wont in those days for sci-fi, producer George Pal pulled out all the stops for a large scale (and large budget) depiction.

It pays off. Oh, how it pays off. If there is one of those quintessential sci-fi films that leaves indelible imprints on the mind, this is one of them.

Forgive me, I got ahead of myself.

The story is well known and if not, it's about time you read the novel first. The Martian society is dying and they are looking for a new world. They chose Earth and an invading force arrives to crush the humans and make Earth completely Martian.

Sounds eerily familiar to some of the invasions we humans have done as countries in the past, right?

Some things have been changed, so this is not the most faithful adaptation of the story. For starters, this time the story takes place in the 1950s, as opposed to the 19th century. Also, the locale has been changed to the area around Los Angeles whereas the novel takes place in Britain, even though these events do take place all around the world.

It is rather cool to have a scientist be the leading man and hero, instead of a military man. Usually, scientists either preached the gospel in these films or were evil and the cause of much of the havoc. Here, Gene Barry is Clayton Forrester, a scientist specializing in astronomy (more specifically comets and meteors). When something crashes near Los Angeles, he is asked to investigate. Shortly after that, the Martians leave this 'meteor' in their warships and begin annihilating everything in sight. Can they ever be stopped?

Well, yes, actually. But maybe not how you imagine.

If you consider this a spoiler, then where have you been all these years? The story is pretty bloody well known. Read some more!

What always struck me, is the design of the Martian warships. Instead of the tripods as described in the story, these are sleek gliding machines, sort of like rays (the fish) with a flexible perisocope at the front. You will have seen them on numerous occasions. Also, the sound design is top notch and the eerie laser sounds the warships make when they fly and fire will be imprinted upon your brain forever.

Cool.

In the end, the Martians do perish, thanks to bacteria in our atmosphere against which they have no immunity. That's how the original story also plays out. The religious angle that is played up here near the end, does feel forced and out of place. Especially since early on a priest tries to communicate by reciting a prayer and gets zapped into oblivion. But I assume that they wanted to play it safe for 50s audiences. Maybe they wouldn't agree that science and nature defeated the monsters instead of a deity.

This adaptation is a clear example of how great science fiction can be when the budget and vision allow it. Its colours are vibrant, the sound design is off the charts, the special effects still look beautiful today (albeit a little aged, naturally. After all, they're seventy years old! But there is CGI from last year that looks worse than this) and the story in itself is fast paced and engaging. You'll even quickly forget that actor Gene Barry almost has no facial expression, thus confirming the cliché that leading actors have a chiseled face. As in: made of wood.

This is a must see for lovers of all things science fiction. No question about it.