The War Of The Worlds Chad'z rating: *** (out of 4 = good) 1953, not rated, 85 minutes [1 hour, 25 minutes] [science fiction] starring: Gene Barry (Dr. Clayton Forrester), Ann Robinson (Sylvia Van Buren), Les Tremayne (General Mann), Lewis Martin (Pastor Matthew Collins), written by Barre Lyndon, produced by George Pal, directed by Bryon Haskin, based on the novel by H.G. Wells.
"The War Of The Worlds" is a good film that wonders just how smart and powerful humans really are. Here in the United States we'd like to think we're the most powerful nation ever. We can win wars, but are we prepared to take on invaders from another planet?
Gene Barry stars as Dr. Clayton Forrester, the token genius scientist who is called into a Californian town when a huge meteor crashes in the nearby mountains. The opening scenes are not very intense, so everything seems normal. The dialogue and storytelling style is interesting, as it adds a bit of suspense when we realize the meteor is not all it seems. There is also a good sense of humanism here as we meet Sylvia Van Buren (Robinson), a regular woman who is fascinated by Dr. Forrester's work, and her uncle, Pastor Matthew Collins (Martin), who is one of the most realistic clergy characters I have ever seen in the movies.
Three men are left to watch the meteor as it has been causing some fires in the area in which it landed. One of the men notices a long, metallic probe sticking out of the meteor. The design to this probe is simple, yet it is frightening because of the mood. We know nothing about it, only that it must be extra-terrestrial in nature. A catastrophe ensues but what makes the film so intense is that it doesn't move too quickly. It's obvious what's going to happen in the long run, but it takes the time to establish the necessary details which are quite exciting.
When Dr. Forrester and the local sheriff look for the men, we then see, through their perspective, an alien spaceship in its entirety which proceeds to attack and shows just how powerful and ruthless it is. Obviously these aliens are not friendly, and we get an old fashioned military defense set up for resistance.
Haskin does a good job in establishing the presence of the aliens. We see a reporter talk about similar events happening all around the world saying, "Once the alien crafts move on, no news continues to come out of that area."
Since the story already has a good sense of humanism to it, it uses that element to transition to moods of fear and suspense. When one of the main characters approaches the crafts they are incinerated, after which the military opens fire to no avail. This entire scene might not be completely original, but it is interesting to watch because it shows just how primitive the humans are compared to the aliens.
Dr. Forrester and Sylvia try to escape via an unreliable airplane. They crash land and hide in an abandoned farmhouse, which is later surrounded by three alien ships. This is one of the best scenes in the film and it is really scary because the suspense has been built up. The fear of the unknown comes to a boil when the two find themselves face to face with one of the aliens.
The two escape and manage to make it to the authorities, all the while we have really learned a lot about the invaders through the scientific logic and the characters' rationale. The military resorts to atomic warfare, but even this effort is futile.
The last act starts to crumble a little as Forrester and Sylvia are separated. All we really see are scenes of devastation by the aliens and people fleeing for their lives. The ending can only been seen as either very weak or very strong as it is a case of classic, literary irony, but does give a sense of poetic justice.
"The War Of The Worlds" proves everything in nature has a purpose, but it's far from a work of thematic genius. It's your basic science fiction film and it works.
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