Scared me as a kid, and the practical effects still work. I still hold this version of the film much more ground breaking compared to the Spielberg green screen fest. I even liked the television show that picked up where the movie left off.
The thing that made this movie above all else was the Martian war machines. The manta-ray "tripods" (they did have three spindly repulsor "legs") were absolutely sinister from the moment they appeared. And from the sound alone, you knew when they were scanning, charging their weapon... and when they'd locked on to you. Combine that with disintegrator torpedoes, and they didn't have to be huge or imposing to be absolutely terrifying. The bombardment scene was absolutely gripping. They didn't even acknowledge the absolute fusillade of kinetic weapons thrown at them. You could see their sensor arms unhurriedly scanning the battlefield and marking targets. And when they finally cut loose, *they did not miss*. Not a bit of wasted effort. We were just insects to be exterminated, and that scene more than any other hammered that home.
I remember, around 1962, one major network showed this movie as a nine'o'clock prime timer. My dad woke me up around 9:30 to see the big battle scene. I'll never forget it. They can remake this movie a dozen times, but, like the original Frankenstein or Mummy, will never be able to re-create the original films with their atmospheres. Yes, you are right; in the battle scene they first appear to be "looking around" for a few seconds, then, after seeing that they are invulnerable, begin their all-out assault. The war-machines move forward, and our army retreats.
I'm 22 years old now, but as a kid this movie both amazed and terrified me as a kid. Of all the War of The Worlds adaptions, THIS ONE topped all of them, as it's my Number #1 favorite "War of The Worlds" film that I really liked watching as a kid. I really liked the ORIGINAL classic, cool, terrifying, and iconic look of the War Machines.
I remember catching this on a cable station back in the early 80's when I was a youngster and it terrified me. Watching it as an adult it's pretty awesome and I can appreciate how much effort went into making it. Great review!
Yes, anyone who listens to the original radio script in the dark is bound to be scared, if not terrified, even today. Just imagine; no TV, no internet, just a radio braodcast...it can still happen.
Bonus fact! Although some may scoff at the wires shown in these clips, on the original three strip dye-transfer process film shown on its original run the wires could not be seen as the celluloid dye 'bled' them out. Later re-mastering jobs did a fine job of sharpening the picture and restoring the sound, but unfortunately brought back the wires that originally would have been largely invisible. So before you scoff about cheesy effects on strings - nope, the film-makers intentionally tried to make it so you couldn't see 'em, and with audiences of the time they genuinely couldn't see them. Anyway, great video sir! Film still holds up today, especially that score. Also has the best instance of drinking coffee in a film ever. "All we know is, that as soon as they begin to move, no more news is heard from that area." *Pause* "Slurp."
The new release version of the film has had the wires erased to approximate the way the film originally looked, meaning without visible wires. (Just saw a screening of the cleaned-up version in the town of Corona, Calif, where, in the film, the Martians' first ship lands.)
Love the Criterion version that fixes the washing out of the filters that reveal the wire work in the dvd version and restores the dark and foreboding atmosphere.
Movies of the early to.mid-50s like "Day the Earth Stood Still," "War of the Worlds," and "Forbidden Planet," REALLY SOLIDIFIED science-fiction as a mainstream genre. Today's "remakes" are EPIC FAILURES when compared to the originals.
This film is such a gem. The acting and set pieces are convincing, and the Art Deco Martian ships are unsettling in their silent onslaught. I was terrified of street lights for many years after.
@BammerD, Haha! I know exactly what you mean! In the town I grew up in, we had these Orange coloured sodium street lights that had a curved neck and a rounded off square head where the light was. They looked almost exactly like the alien ships in this film. It gave me nightmares for years.
Byron Haskin was chosen to direct WAR OF THE WORLDS because of his many years as a special effects cameraman for Warner Bros. before he started directing. He later directed many of the best OUTER LIMITS episodes.
YES! Love you guys! And awesome to see my man George Pal represented, even if his take on the material kind of missed the point of H.G. Wells' original novel. Hollywood and their adaptations indeed!
Gail Lewis If possible, check out the 1970's rock opera version by Jeff Wayne, which is both true to the original book, while also being a thumping good listen.
I wish Paramount would release this movie on BLU-RAY already! 2013 would have been the perfect year to release it on Blu Ray, marking the film's 60th anniversary.
Ray Harryhausen's proposal for the Martians at 2:25 was GREAT! (No surprise there). It not only resembled H.G.Wells' description of the invaders in the novel (far more than the evil version of E.T. that was actually used in the film), but was scary as all get out.
+Eric H. Right! I first saw the movie in 1953 in Korea. Ann Robinson was so pretty. What other movies was she in? I noticed that her back-seams were well kept and straight when we saw her briefly walking the other way just behind Gene Barry inside the wrecked house. Gene Barry was so young & handsome, also. He did so well later in Burke's Law and as Bat Masterson. I liked this 1953 movie better than "War of the worlds 2," all things and modern special effects considered.
This was a great film. Have you ever seen the 2005 British version "H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds", not to be mistaken for the direct-to-DVD release of the American "H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds"? It was an accurate retelling of the novel itself. It was even set in 1898. The special effects were pretty bad, but the movie itself was great, and it was just like the book.
Not the biggest fan of the film (the original Time Machine holds up a lot better), but it's still worth a watch when it's on. That said, it's worlds better than the 2005 version. The one thing the Spielberg version did best is render the Tripods absolutely perfectly (and horrifyingly). Beyond that, it's not worth revisiting - this one is.
Great review. I was not a big fan of this video and I hated the saccharine religious ending but this retrospective makes me want to revisit it and see if I still feel the same about, oh, maybe 15 years, I guess. Great to have you guys back. I hope it won't take this long again for your next review!
My all-time third favorite movie. No remake is worthy of sniffing its shit! However... Pet peeve #2: Hadn’t Venus been discovered in 1953? 🧐🤔 Pet peeve #1: ANY scientist knows - like yours truly from 4th grade science class - that once something hits Earth, IT 👏 IS 👏 CALLED 👏 A 👏 METEORITE! 👏 NOT A METEOR!
Great job kiddo! This is the story and the film that got me into science fiction and owe my total fanboy life to! Did you know that Oscar was the very 1st one given out for Special Effects? It's true! What turned me on was the Martian items that were used, the ships, the spy camera, the Martians themselves all created by a Japanese special effects genius and art director Al Nozaki. I watched this 10 years after it came out when I was 3 and became absolutely fascinated by it! I'm glad to see how much you appreciate these movies and shows. Good for you!
Your comment about this film getting the first Oscar for special effects is not true. It'd been around for decades. In fact, George Pal's films had won Oscars for special effects (today called Visual Effects) before this one: Both DESTINATION MOON and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE won Oscars for their effects. (And, btw, Al Nozaki was a friend of mine. He wasn't really a genius in special effects, but a designer who knew enough about effects to work well with the film's effects supervisor Gordon Jennings. This is not to take anything away from Al, since so much of the film's success owes to his designs, his storyboards, choice of locations and creature design. He had an amazing vision, all the more ironic in that he eventually went blind: He left the film business only few years after contributing to another good film, ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS. He was a wonderful, creative and very modest person. I miss him very much.
Now this is the war of the worlds I know and like most.Sorry steven but you should have stuck with 1953 war machines.The war machines in the 2005 movie did not look alien to me.It looked some like some thing man made.Look at the 1953 war machines sleek greacful looking really from another world.Has down the 1953 movie got right.Steven your going to do a well know scifi favorite take a few clues from the classic.
Scared me as a kid, and the practical effects still work. I still hold this version of the film much more ground breaking compared to the Spielberg green screen fest. I even liked the television show that picked up where the movie left off.
The thing that made this movie above all else was the Martian war machines. The manta-ray "tripods" (they did have three spindly repulsor "legs") were absolutely sinister from the moment they appeared. And from the sound alone, you knew when they were scanning, charging their weapon... and when they'd locked on to you. Combine that with disintegrator torpedoes, and they didn't have to be huge or imposing to be absolutely terrifying. The bombardment scene was absolutely gripping. They didn't even acknowledge the absolute fusillade of kinetic weapons thrown at them. You could see their sensor arms unhurriedly scanning the battlefield and marking targets. And when they finally cut loose, *they did not miss*. Not a bit of wasted effort. We were just insects to be exterminated, and that scene more than any other hammered that home.
I remember, around 1962, one major network showed this movie as a nine'o'clock prime timer. My dad woke me up around 9:30 to see the big battle scene. I'll never forget it. They can remake this movie a dozen times, but, like the original Frankenstein or Mummy, will never be able to re-create the original films with their atmospheres.
Yes, you are right; in the battle scene they first appear to be "looking around" for a few seconds, then, after seeing that they are invulnerable, begin their all-out assault. The war-machines move forward, and our army retreats.
In my opinion, "The War of the Worlds" is one of the greatest science fiction films. Even today, the alien war machines look cool.
+Craig Zimmerman Its like you are trying to upset star wars fans.
Craig Zimmerman - Well said.
Even the so-termed "blisters" were later termed "shields," popularized in STAR TREK, some 13 years later.
Upton Robotics Pty Ltd - Excuse me but, WTF is "Star Wars???"😎
@@stevedandy973 are you okay do you not know what star wars is. This film is good but not as good as star wars
I'm 22 years old now, but as a kid this movie both amazed and terrified me as a kid. Of all the War of The Worlds adaptions, THIS ONE topped all of them, as it's my Number #1 favorite "War of The Worlds" film that I really liked watching as a kid. I really liked the ORIGINAL classic, cool, terrifying, and iconic look of the War Machines.
I remember catching this on a cable station back in the early 80's when I was a youngster and it terrified me. Watching it as an adult it's pretty awesome and I can appreciate how much effort went into making it. Great review!
I really enjoyed this Alex.....Ann Robinson is my Mother. The blood scream was written in after when they found she could scream
Cool
In lieu of a full on Victorian adaptation, I wholeheartedly recommend the 1936 Orson Welles radio version. It's a traditional Halloween treat for me!
Yes, anyone who listens to the original radio script in the dark is bound to be scared, if not terrified, even today. Just imagine; no TV, no internet, just a radio braodcast...it can still happen.
Bonus fact! Although some may scoff at the wires shown in these clips, on the original three strip dye-transfer process film shown on its original run the wires could not be seen as the celluloid dye 'bled' them out. Later re-mastering jobs did a fine job of sharpening the picture and restoring the sound, but unfortunately brought back the wires that originally would have been largely invisible. So before you scoff about cheesy effects on strings - nope, the film-makers intentionally tried to make it so you couldn't see 'em, and with audiences of the time they genuinely couldn't see them.
Anyway, great video sir! Film still holds up today, especially that score. Also has the best instance of drinking coffee in a film ever. "All we know is, that as soon as they begin to move, no more news is heard from that area." *Pause* "Slurp."
The new release version of the film has had the wires erased to approximate the way the film originally looked, meaning without visible wires. (Just saw a screening of the cleaned-up version in the town of Corona, Calif, where, in the film, the Martians' first ship lands.)
Love the Criterion version that fixes the washing out of the filters that reveal the wire work in the dvd version and restores the dark and foreboding atmosphere.
Movies of the early to.mid-50s like "Day the Earth Stood Still," "War of the Worlds," and "Forbidden Planet," REALLY SOLIDIFIED science-fiction as a mainstream genre.
Today's "remakes" are EPIC FAILURES when compared to the originals.
This film is such a gem. The acting and set pieces are convincing, and the Art Deco Martian ships are unsettling in their silent onslaught. I was terrified of street lights for many years after.
When I was a kid, after watching this movie, I never wanted to go outside at night because of the "street light monsters."
@BammerD, Haha! I know exactly what you mean! In the town I grew up in, we had these Orange coloured sodium street lights that had a curved neck and a rounded off square head where the light was. They looked almost exactly like the alien ships in this film. It gave me nightmares for years.
Byron Haskin was chosen to direct WAR OF THE WORLDS because of his many years as a special effects cameraman
for Warner Bros. before he started directing. He later directed many of the best OUTER LIMITS episodes.
YES! Love you guys! And awesome to see my man George Pal represented, even if his take on the material kind of missed the point of H.G. Wells' original novel. Hollywood and their adaptations indeed!
Thanks for turning me onto this. Shame on me for not reading the book, but I have listened to the radio broadcast and seen the 50's flick.
Gail Lewis If possible, check out the 1970's rock opera version by Jeff Wayne, which is both true to the original book, while also being a thumping good listen.
I've added it to the Watch Later list. I'll comment after I've enjoyed it.
I wish Paramount would release this movie on BLU-RAY already! 2013 would have been the perfect year to release it on Blu Ray, marking the film's 60th anniversary.
This is still the best movie version of the novel!
Ray Harryhausen's proposal for the Martians at 2:25 was GREAT! (No surprise there). It not only resembled H.G.Wells' description of the invaders in the novel (far more than the evil version of E.T. that was actually used in the film), but was scary as all get out.
Brilliant film and more moving than the Tom Cruise remake. The Leith Stevens score was just wonderful.
shut up
I thought this was an action/scfi movie when I first saw this, but surprisingly became one of the most terrifying things I've seen in a while.
+Eric H. Right! I first saw the movie in 1953 in Korea. Ann Robinson was so pretty. What other movies was she in? I noticed that her back-seams were well kept and straight when we saw her briefly walking the other way just behind Gene Barry inside the wrecked house. Gene Barry was so young & handsome, also. He did so well later in Burke's Law and as Bat Masterson.
I liked this 1953 movie better than "War of the worlds 2," all things and modern special effects considered.
Great review!
Curious in the sections when you're talking over footage are you wearing a lapel microphone? There's much less echo than when you're talking to camera
Excellent review. Thank you.
This was a great film. Have you ever seen the 2005 British version "H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds", not to be mistaken for the direct-to-DVD release of the American "H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds"? It was an accurate retelling of the novel itself. It was even set in 1898. The special effects were pretty bad, but the movie itself was great, and it was just like the book.
Have you done a review of 1960 Time Machine? "
Nice job, Alex!
Well done, as always
Damn Hollywood's attitudes. Imagine this masterpiece but with added Harryhausen magic.
I love this movie but I do Riff on this for Jollies!
Not the biggest fan of the film (the original Time Machine holds up a lot better), but it's still worth a watch when it's on. That said, it's worlds better than the 2005 version. The one thing the Spielberg version did best is render the Tripods absolutely perfectly (and horrifyingly). Beyond that, it's not worth revisiting - this one is.
Funny how all their technology was explained with them using magnets
Great review. I was not a big fan of this video and I hated the saccharine religious ending but this retrospective makes me want to revisit it and see if I still feel the same about, oh, maybe 15 years, I guess. Great to have you guys back. I hope it won't take this long again for your next review!
I thought the ending was too depressing, but when I saw this first time I was expecting an action movie and it turned into a horror movie.
Arent you the devil of tom cruise religion or something?
nice review will you check out the 2005 adaptation
My all-time third favorite movie. No remake is worthy of sniffing its shit! However...
Pet peeve #2: Hadn’t Venus been discovered in 1953? 🧐🤔
Pet peeve #1: ANY scientist knows - like yours truly from 4th grade science class - that once something hits Earth, IT 👏 IS 👏 CALLED 👏 A 👏 METEORITE! 👏 NOT A METEOR!
what is that film? 0:15
That is from Our Man Flint, a really fun movie. Thanks for watching!
Great job kiddo! This is the story and the film that got me into science fiction and owe my total fanboy life to! Did you know that Oscar was the very 1st one given out for Special Effects? It's true! What turned me on was the Martian items that were used, the ships, the spy camera, the Martians themselves all created by a Japanese special effects genius and art director Al Nozaki. I watched this 10 years after it came out when I was 3 and became absolutely fascinated by it! I'm glad to see how much you appreciate these movies and shows. Good for you!
Your comment about this film getting the first Oscar for special effects is not true. It'd been around for decades. In fact, George Pal's films had won Oscars for special effects (today called Visual Effects) before this one: Both DESTINATION MOON and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE won Oscars for their effects. (And, btw, Al Nozaki was a friend of mine. He wasn't really a genius in special effects, but a designer who knew enough about effects to work well with the film's effects supervisor Gordon Jennings. This is not to take anything away from Al, since so much of the film's success owes to his designs, his storyboards, choice of locations and creature design. He had an amazing vision, all the more ironic in that he eventually went blind: He left the film business only few years after contributing to another good film, ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS. He was a wonderful, creative and very modest person. I miss him very much.
Is that you spectrumpulse?
Love this movie 🍿
We need reactions, not these half-ass reviews. I hope we'll be able call the famous reactors to give this film the awesome justice it deserves.
The best remake of The War of the Worlds is Independence Day. They use a computer virus instead of an actual virus, but it is the same idea.
Pretty decent movie, the alien is pretty menacing, well except that the alien ships fly as fast as my grandmother can move.
In a way their slow relentless advance makes them more terrifying. The Martians had no need for haste -- they knew Earthlings couldn't stop them.
@@danieldickson8591 Touche. Yup they were pretty much invulnerable.
Daniel Dickson But what could they use for food? We all thought that they came to serve man.
yeah, MSTK3000 or whatever- pretty much screwed over all 50s -70s sci-fi.
I'm in my 60's -- I rather the old War of the Worlds rather that the puppet and just really not great remake with Cruise.. ughhh..
Shut up
Good movie 😊
First time watching this channel, my guess is this could be like Brandon cult films due to the thumbnail
The annunaki are going to slaughter us!
Now this is the war of the worlds I know and like most.Sorry steven but you should have stuck with 1953 war machines.The war machines in the 2005 movie did not look alien to me.It looked some like some thing man made.Look at the 1953 war machines sleek greacful looking really from another world.Has down the 1953 movie got right.Steven your going to do a well know scifi favorite take a few clues from the classic.
shut up
Hey great movie for it's time, but I will take the Spielberg version any day of the week over this.....