classic
Comment
03/02/08
The War of the Worlds (1953)
85 %
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted: 26
Fresh: 22
Rotten:4
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Consensus: Though it's dated in spots, The War of the Worlds retains an unnerving power, updating H.G. Wells' classic sci-fi tale to the Cold War era and featuring some of the best special effects of any 1950s film.
Runtime: 88 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: H. G. Wells' sci-fi classic about the invasion of Planet Earth by aggressive creatures from Mars. Arriving in green-glowing spaceships shaped like metallic stingrays, the Martians blast their... [More]
Starring: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne, Jack Kruschen
Director: Byron Haskin
Get This Movie
Reviews for The War of the Worlds
Definitely a sci-fi classic from the 1950s...great George Pal effects.
02/22/08
As the perfect crystallization of 50s ideology the film would be fascinating enough, but the special effects in this 1953 George Pal production also achieve a kind of dark, burnished apocalyptic beauty.
06/08/07
Top CriticThough it's bogged down by a stiff cast, a yawn-inspiring conventional romance, and a sappy religiosity, it remains a landmark in the history of special effects.
06/08/07
War of the Worlds is a socko science-fiction feature, as fearsome as a film as was the Orson Welles 1938 radio interpretation of the H.G. Wells novel.
06/08/07
Top CriticMind those heat rays!
10/31/06
Top CriticFor a movie that already succeeded in scaring the Grape Nehi out of every ten-year-old in the audience, how disquieting it must have been for the Cold War-agitated grownups to witness U.S. might, tanks and A-bombs alike, brushed away helpless...
04/05/06
peculiarly fifties-bound
03/06/06
Too bad about the wooden cast, the tackily conventional romance, and a draggy religious message; but at least, given the time it was made, it isn't imbued with Cold War hysteria.
01/26/06
A half-century after its creation, the film's best moments are still so enjoyably unnerving that they easily carry a viewer through the necessary but inevitably dated exposition.
12/06/05
Top CriticThis version has more soul than the remake.
12/02/05
...a so-called "classic" that couldn't possibly be more overrated.
11/26/05
No review available.
10/06/05
No review available.
07/23/05
This is vintage Cold War-era sci-fi, and one of the best films in the genre.
01/25/05
No review available.
05/14/04
No review available.
06/14/03
Incredibly overrated version of the Wells novel.
05/29/03
No review available.
04/30/03
Well, it's not called a classic for nothing.
03/18/03
Latest News for The War of the Worlds
July 03, 2006:
Box Office Wrapup: "Superman Returns" to Top of Charts
The Man of Steel conquered the North American box office this weekend as the super hero adventure Superman Returns claimed the number one spot over the pre-Independence Day... More...
Related Forums for The War of the Worlds
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno 
MSN's David Fear and Frank Paiva go head to head discussing the pros and cons of Bruno star Sacha Baron Cohen.
The New Cult Canon
The AV Club's Scott Tobias takes a second look at David Lynch's cult classic, Lost Highway.
Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles
TIME takes us on a 25-year long journey into the superstar's career, giving us a look at his 10 best roles.
A Baywatch Comedy?
BuzzSugar reports on Paramount's plans to rebirth the iconic TV show as a comedy film.
IGN RSS Feeds