|
|
|
War of the Worlds, The (Paramount: 1953) |
|
Directed By:
Byron Haskin
|
|
Written By:
Barré Lyndon
|
|
Based On:
The War of the Worlds, a novel by H.G. Wells
|
|
Starring:
Gene Barry, Ann Robinson
|
|
Profanity: None |
Violence: Mild-to-Moderate |
Sex/Nudity: None
|
|
Review:
Long before Steven Spielberg had ever considered helming a modern film adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells novel, a "modern" retelling of The War of the Worlds had already been created under the supervision of legendary science-fiction film producer, George Pal. Of course, by today’s standards, this 1953 production of The War of the Worlds would no longer be considered modern; but just like nearly every other War of the Worlds retelling that has ever been produced, the 1953 movie does not take place in the book’s setting of 19th Century England. The War of the Worlds movie instead takes place in 20th Century California, where one of several extraterrestrial cylinders arrive uninvited from the planet Mars. Dr. Clayton Forrester is the scientist who is sent to investigate this strange phenomenon, just before the fallen cylinders begin to open and reveal spectacular alien machinery that are virtually indestructible to all human weaponry. Although the movie has a bit of a cheesy script and a second act which tends to lag as the audience awaits the film’s climax, the crew of The War of the Worlds performs a magnificent job of exceeding the technological limitations of the period. The alien ship designs in the 1953 film are even more memorable than the alien creatures in any of the modern War of the Worlds remakes, and the special effects team for the 1953 film took home a well-deserved Oscar for their creative efforts. Yes, the technological aspects of the film were certainly ahead of their time, even if the final film script was in need of a minor rewrite.
|
|
Score:
|
|
|
|
|
