War of the Worlds (1949)

War of the Worlds (1949)
After the success of 1950's Destination Moon and 1951's When Worlds Collide, visionary producer George Pal brought the classic H.G. Wells story of a Martian invasion to the big screen, and it instantly became a science fiction classic and winner of the 1953 Academy Award for Best Special Effects. It's a work of frightening imagination, with its manta-ray spaceships armed with cobra-like probes that shoot a white-hot disintegration ray. As formations of alien ships continue to wreak destruction around the globe, the military is helpless to stop this enemy while scientists race to find an effective weapon. Gene Barry and Ann Robinson play the hero and heroine roles that were de rigueur for movies like this in the '50s, and their encounter with one of the Martians is as creepy today as it was in '53. It finally takes an unseen threat--simple Earth bacteria--to conquer the alien invaders, but not before War of the Worlds has provided a dazzling display of impressive special effects. As memorable for its sound effects as for its spectacular visions of destruction, this is a movie for the ages--the kind of spectacular that inspired little kids such as Steven Spielberg (not to mention Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, whose Independence Day cribs liberally from the plot) and still packs a punch. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Review: EXCELLENT GENE BARRY VEHICLE
The story is updated to the 1950s for this film, and the setting is moved from the environs of London to southern California. Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry), a world renowned physicist, is on a fishing vacation in Pine Summit when a giant meteorite lands in the hills above the nearby town of Linda Rosa. Along with the residents, he goes to investigate. At the impact site, he meets Sylvia van Buren (Ann Robinson) and her uncle, Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins (Lewis Martin). Finding the meteorite too hot to examine closely, he decides to wait in town for the meteorite to cool down. Later, after most of the people have gone home, the meteorite (actually a Martian spacecraft) unscrews and opens, disgorging a Heat-Ray device. When the three men who remained behind approach in friendly greeting, it kills them without warning. Forrester and the sheriff are also attacked when they return, but survive. Amid reports of numerous other meteors landing throughout the world, a regiment of United States Marines arrives and surrounds the Martian ship. The meteorite deploys three war machines. Pastor Collins approaches the Martians in peace, but they kill him with their Heat-Ray without attempting to communicate. Afterwards, the Marines pellet the Martians with shells and artillery; however, the Martians are revealed to have an impenetrable forcefield protecting them. After enduring the assault, the Martians fight back with their Heat-Ray and disintegrator rays, vaporizing most of the forces surrounding them and move out. Forrester and Sylvia flee, along with the rest of the civilians. After their plane crashes, they take shelter in a nearby abandoned farmhouse. They are trapped in the basement when another meteorite crashes into the house. The couple comes in contact with a Martian when the creature leaves its war-machine to look around. They manage to fight it off and escape to Los Angeles, eventually rejoining Forrester's co-workers, who are trying to find a way to defeat the aliens. With a sample of Martian blood and an electronic eye from the war machines, the scientists learn a good deal about Martian physiology; particularly, they learn that they are highly intelligent, but physically weak and anemic creatures. They then leave to observe the United States Air Force drop an atomic bomb on the Martians advancing on Los Angeles. This also fails to destroy the machines and the government initiates large-scale evacuations of cities in danger of attack. Refugees head for shelters set up in the Rocky Mountains while the army plans to hold them off for as long as possible. However, widespread panic among the general populace scatters the research group and their equipment is wrecked. In the confusion, Forrester and Sylvia become separated. All seems lost, with humanity helpless before the onslaught. Forrester frantically searches for Sylvia in the burning ruins of a Los Angeles under attack. He finally finds her with other survivors awaiting the end in a church. Suddenly, they see an approaching Martian war machine crash. Upon investigating, Forrester realizes that the seemingly all-powerful invaders are dying. As in the book, they have no defense against Earth's viruses and bacteria. The film opens with a prologue in black and white and switches to Technicolor at the opening title sequence. George Pál originally planned for the final third of the film to be in 3-D to correlate with the final attack by the Martians. The plan was dropped prior to actual production of the film, presumably being deemed too expensive.[1] World War II stock footage was used to produce a montage of destruction to show the worldwide invasion, with armies of all nations joining together to fight the invaders. Wells had used the second half of his novel to make a satirical commentary on civilization and the class struggle. Lyndon did not write the satire into the movie, though he did add a religious theme (in contrast to Wells original novel), to the point that the Martians begin dying shortly after blasting a church. The city of Corona was used as the shooting location for the town of "Linda Rosa". Join the Gene Barry Group hi-5.com
Customer Review: Great Movie
This movie is one hour and twenty-five minutes long and war released on August 26, 1953. The story begins Linda Rosa, California where a comet like ball crash lands on Earth. A physicist comes to investigate the comet, but can do nothing til morning. Meanwhile he is attend a sqaure dance with the local villagers when the power goes out. He goes back to investigate the comet and lo and behold flying saucers emerge from it and Earth is now under attack. It ends with the aliens not being immune to Earth's viruses and bacteria. The special effects are great. Though the soul alien in the movie did not get much air time, it did look a pretty scary for an alien of the 1950s era. The movie won an Academy Awards for Best Special Effects (1954). The would make a great addition for anybody sci-fi collection.