Synopsis

In H.G. Well's 1898 novel, "The War of the Worlds," he invented the myth of invasion from outer space. Martians land near London, conquering all before them, and ruin the metropolis; the fate of civilization and even of the human race remains in doubt until the very last. "The War of the Worlds" is disturbingly realistic both because of its setting -- Wells bicycled the route the Martians take on landing -- and because of its characters: the superstitious curate, boastful artilleryman, and enterprising medical student are believable if not sympathetic figures, as well as signifying types of fin-de-siecle change and vision.

Official Review

I’ll say this: I can’t remember being as flat-out scared in a movie theatre auditorium as I was when watching Steven Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds”. The movie blazes out of the gate and runs hellbent across the countryside, scorching the earth with its downright terrifying vision of a full-scale alien invasion. But unfortunately, I haven’t been as flat-out dissatisfied with a film in almost as long a time. Yes, the movie stays true to its source material, almost to a fault: when the inevitable and decidedly anticlimactic conclusion arrives, it is a sad denoument to the rousing 100 minutes that preceded it, and feels weak, almost even unfinished. They say that some believe the world will end “not with a bang, but with a whimper”, and that’s alright, I guess — but this film is proof that summer action films don’t benefit from a lackluster finale. …Read More