War of the Worlds

-Paramount (1953)

Summary:

Men with hats and ties fight alien invaders from… MARS!

My Thoughts:

War of the Worlds has always ranked in my top ten favorite Sci-fi films ever since I first saw it on TV as a kid. I was pretty excited when the Spielberg version came out in theaters, not just because I think Tom Cruise is dreamy (I um... don't really), I knew the studio would try to cash in and re-release the older film on DVD like the money grubbing giants they are. Sure enough, this edition was born.

The film begins like the H.G. Wells novel does with strange meteors landing all around the Earth. Unlike the novel, the story takes place in the early 1950s as opposed to Victorian England. That’s one thing I’ve enjoyed about every incarnation of War of the Worlds, each one takes place in the time it’s filmed, written, or broadcast. This version also serves as a great look back on a much simpler time, but more on that later. One of the first meteors lands in the outskirts of a small California town. The simple citizens are mystified at it's strange properties. Luckily, there’s a scientist, Dr. Clayton Forester, that just happens to be camping nearby to help them out with some of their questions. Clayton is no normal scientist either, he’s the 1950s film idea of a one. He's a handsome and charming chap who’s ready to solve the problems of the world through his fantastic research. You know kind of like Reed Richards, but less stretchy.

We are also introduced to Sylvia Van Buren, the female lead. Unlike many women in 50s era fiction, she has a master’s degree. Imagine that, a woman with a graduate’s degree! This must be science fiction! Anyway, once the townsfolk decide they’ve seen enough they all head off to a square dance at the town’s social hall. What’s weird is that Forester who was camping shows up at the square dance in a square dancing outfit. Obviously, this guy is prepared for any situation. The kids at the dance have some wholesome and more importantly clean fun until the electricity goes nutty and someone cries “Jeepers!” Unknown to them only moments earlier three townsfolk noticed the meteor doing some funky things. In a scene that was burned into my memory forever at childhood the three get vaporized as they wave a white flag trying to show that they are peaceful. Of course, the military is called in. With another look into a bygone era, the military is depicted in a very 1950s way as a trusted protector that gives its all, but ultimately succumbs to the alien menace. I thought that War of the Worlds was going to feature a different sort of female lead, but that’s squashed almost immediately when she appears with a giant serving platter full of donuts and coffee for all the men folk during the early military scenes. That master’s degree is really put to good use.

Once the aliens begin killing everything in sight, the film becomes a great sci-fi extravaganza of sweet destruction. I can’t get enough of that crazy death ray noise! As the alien invaders continue to destroy humanity the world struggles in vain against the onslaught, but finds itself crushed under its alien oppressors. Clayton refuses to give up while Sylvia screams like an idiot through most of the film. In the end the alien menace is only stopped by a common cold virus (Really, if you didn’t know that by now you’re an idiot. The book is only over a hundred years old). However, this film version is spun from a highly religious angle. Despite the technical limitations (the dated special effects and the fact that most of the film is very obviously filmed on a set) War of the Worlds still holds up as a great sci-fi flick for anyone interested in a great escapist film.  

This edition makes it evident that not everything should be viewed in a higher resolution. I don’t remember ever seeing the strings holding up the Martian ships as clearly as I do on this DVD. I guess that’s the worst complaint I have because the picture is so amazingly clear considering the age of the film, there are little to no scratches or dust grains on the print. The sound is served up in a suitable enough Dolby Digital stereo mix that best fits the feeling of the film, although a 5.1 digital mix might have been fun.

Extras:

This edition of War of the Worlds isn’t super special aside from the sweet picture, but it does pack in a few nice extras. There are not one, but two commentaries for your listening pleasure. The first features leads Ann Robinson and Gene Barry basically reminiscing about the film. It’s more of a nostalgic look, although it does contain some insight into the film that you probably won’t get anywhere else. The other commentary features the director Joe Dante, and a couple of film history types. It’s a much more intensive commentary and I found it to be my favorite out of the two.

The making-of doc “The Sky is Falling: The Making of War of the Worlds” features much of the cast and crew that was alive during it's filming. It gives a much better understanding of how the film was produced in the by gone studio days and provides some great trivia like the fact that Paramount acquired the rights to produce a movie based on the film in 1921 before finally releasing it in the 1950s. Talk about sitting on a gold mine. This is defiantly worth taking a look at if you own this edition.

If you’ve never heard the Orson Wells 1930s broadcast of War of the Worlds now there’s no excuse if you own this edition because it's included. While it’s not very hard to find, it’s still a nice little bonus on this edition.

All and all it's a great edition for an even better film.

Score:

Film: 9.0

Extras: 8.0

Edition: 8.0

-Paul