Rent The War of the Worlds (1953)
3.7 of 5 from 119 ratings
1h 22min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Doomed by diminishing oxygen and falling temperatures on their own planet, the Martians covet the rich atmosphere and fertile fields of the planet Earth. One night, a huge, flaming projectile lands near the little Californian town of Linda Rosa. Similar objects have landed in other parts of the world. The war of the worlds is on!
- Actors:
- Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne, Robert Cornthwaite, Sandro Giglio, Lewis Martin, Houseley Stevenson Jr., Paul Frees, William Phipps, Vernon Rich, Henry Brandon, Jack Kruschen, Cedric Hardwicke, Peter Adams, Eric Alden, Hugh Allen, Ruth Barnell, Edgar Barrier, Russ Bender, Paul Birch
- Directors:
- Byron Haskin
- Producers:
- George Pal
- Voiced By:
- Cedric Hardwicke
- Writers:
- H.G. Wells, Barré Lyndon
- Others:
- Loren L. Ryder, Paramount Studio, Everett Douglas
- Studio:
- Paramount
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers
- Collections:
- Films & TV by topic, Giant Leap for Mankind: A History of Astronaut Films, Pig Power: Animal Farm At 70, Top 10 Films Turned Into TV Series, Top Films
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 07/11/2022
- Run Time:
- 85 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM Stereo
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Exclusive Audio Commentary by film critics Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman
- Audio Commentary by actor Gene Barry and actress Ann Robinson
- Audio Commentary by "fans" Joe Dante, Bob Bums and Bill Warren
- "The Sky is Falling: Making The War of the Worlds" documentary
- "H.G. Wells: The Father of Science Fiction" featurette
- "The Mercury Theatre on the Air Presents: The War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast" from 1938 (with stills of Orson Welles)
- Theatrical Trailer
- Photo Gallery
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 07/11/2022
- Run Time:
- 85 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Parisian Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, German Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
- Subtitles:
- Castillian, Dutch, English, English Close Captioned, French Parisian, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin American Spanish
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Commentary by Actors Ann Robinson and Gene Barry
- Commentary by Film Director Joe Dante, Film Historian Bob Burns, and Bill Warren, author of "Keep Watching The Skies"!
- The Sky Is Falling: Making 'The War of the Worlds'
- H.G. Wells: The Father of Science Fiction
- The Mercury Theatre on the Air presents 'The War of the Worlds' Radio Broadcast
- Original Theatrical Trailer
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Reviews (3) of The War of the Worlds
wow, they sure don't make them like they used to! - The War of the Worlds review by CP Customer
I can remember seeing this film for the 1st time when i was only 6, and it scared the hell out of me! I remember peeping behing the sofa, and wondering if this could really happen, and thinking "why have those spaceships got lamp posts on top??" But to watch this film, was a treat, and you can see quite clearly, where SS ripped this film off. But this is the ORIGINAL - no mistake about this one. My score 8 - 10!
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
It may unsettle adults too! - The War of the Worlds review by CP Customer
When I was a kid I used to love this film, partially because I was probably too young to watch it, and partly because it scared me so much.
Now, twenty or so years later I saw it again, and it shocked me. So many films today rely on CGI to prop up an otherwise mediocre production, this suffered none of that.
It's a well composed piece, each individual section hits the right notes, and the sum is remarkably sinister and powerful. It sums up the spirit of the original novel in ways that seem lost on todays film makers.
In summary this film is one of the best Sci-Fi films ever and should justly stand ashamed of it's modern peers.
"Parental Guidance - general viewing but some scenes..." etc etc. Some children will find it unsettling, but then again so will the adults.
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Sci-fi Classic. - The War of the Worlds review by Steve
George Pal's legendary production steered clear of the more reflective implications of HG Wells' classic novel and offered pure, magnificent spectacle. This was a leap forward for the visual reach of science fiction just as King Kong was for horror in 1933. The sets, effects (sound and visual), models and costumes are phenomenal.
The theme that would most inspire future film makers was a depiction of the breakdown in society. Law and order vanishes in an instant. The mobs actually smash the instruments that were going to be used by scientists to combat the invasion. There is looting. The ordinary people behave uselessly, resorting to panic, prayer and brutality. The blitzkrieg of the militarily superior invaders is brief. Soon, all the cities are abandoned, the left behind vaporised under the close scrutiny of the space ships.
Wells' estate was so impressed that they offered Pal access to any other of the writer's works. But while the film is a visual wonder, including the gorgeous technicolor, there are weaknesses in the script, particularly the lacklustre dialogue. The characters are archetypes and the unheralded cast does little with them. The pious religious sentiments are badly misjudged.
But this is a film of action, the one sided conflict between the civilisations pumped by Leith Stevens hyper-dramatic score. The War of the Worlds invented many of the future rules of cinema science fiction and it still works as a screen filling blockbuster and a landmark disaster film. And yes, the invaders' biological flaw which dooms their conquest is now more pertinent than ever.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.