Movie Review: The War of the Worlds (1953)

The War of the Worlds (1953) directed by Byron Haskin

A meteor crash lands outside a small town in California. The residents are excited for a new road-side attraction. The local authorities bring in some scientists who happen to be fishing in the hills nearby. Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry) knows enough to be cautious about an object that came skidding across a field rather than creating a crater. Something is fishy, he thinks. The meteorite is too hot to investigate and too radioactive to leave alone, so the local sheriff leaves three men to guard it while the scientist heads into town for square dancing with Sylvia Van Buren (Ann Robinson), a local who quickly grows attached to Forrester. The dance is cut short when the power goes out, along with all other mechanical devices. The meteorite has opened up and stuff is starting to come out! At first, just a weird periscope sticks up, but soon enough ships emerge with heat rays and energy weapons to conquer the Earth.

The movie is more of a disaster flick with science-fictional causes. Scientists are called upon to discover what the Martians are like (everyone guesses they are from Mars since the red planet was so close to Earth in its solar orbit). The scientists are hampered by the ongoing attacks by the Martians, which are world-wide, and the utter lack of success on the military's part. Science doesn't really save the day against the Martians. The fact that neither science nor the military saves humanity is striking in a 1950s movie, an era when one or the other (sometimes both working hand-in-hand) would always win against the enemy. Humanity winds up fleeing in helplessness, often getting in their own way as riots break out.

The movie is a bit uneven. The special effects are all over the place. Some are excellent, like the Martian ships flying through the air and the little bit of their technology that viewers see. Some of the destruction looks a bit cheesy by today's standards. The acting is good for the most part. The script follows the spirit of the original novel while successfully moving the situation to the (then) modern day. Overall, there's more good than bad to this film.

Recommended.