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This time around, producer George Pal steers away from the awkward plot complications that marred his earlier apocalyptic epic When Worlds Collide (1951), and the result is a solid, punchy film that’s as sleek and relentless as the futuristic Martian killing machines which inhabit it. Believable characters and a straightforward dramatic context (borrowing heavily from the Second World War) were to prove far more accessible to a general audience than the lion’s share of crazy sci-fi films produced throughout the 1950s. Also contributing to the film's long-standing success are the memorable sights and sounds of the invading Martian fleet.

The menacing, devious-looking Martian ships are designed to look far more streamlined than the monstrous, mechanical hulks envisioned by Wells. The main body, which appears similar to a manta ray, is lit by sickly green lights and supported by almost invisible magnetic “legs”. From its top emerges the cobra-like “head”, which casts about for its prey with a palpable, brooding slowness, before dealing the fiery death-ray with soulless efficiency. The sound effects, likewise, are calculated to inspire a sense of unearthly, dreadful ruthlessness. A far away dynamo hum mixed with a sinister electronic sizzling, like a rattlesnake, creates an uncanny sense of slow motion, and leaves us feeling hypnotized and helpless, unable to break away even as we know that doom is approaching. Then follow the nerve-racking electronic sound barrage of the heat-ray and the meson-neutralizing energy beams. (True, it sounds a bit familiar today, because these effects were reused again and again for everything from Star Trek to video games.)

The careful, artistic styling and ultimate simplicity of these design elements make for a vivid and memorable theatrical experience. Unfortunately, this brand of thoughtfulness and restraint pretty much went the way of the buffalo with the 1977 release of Star Wars. Nowadays, you simply crowd the picture and the soundtrack with so much excessive crap, the viewer doesn’t even know what hit him. (Oops, was that a cheap potshot? Excuse me!)

The other great thing about George Pal’s The War of the Worlds is the way the drama builds and builds. Early on, we find ourselves in a hokey small-town drama, with a vacationing scientist, the parson’s niece, and some light romance at the local square dance. We are blind and unprepared for the mad chaos to come. We have no inkling that we are going to witness wholesale death and destruction, the rout of humanity, pathetic mobs running riot in the streets, whole cities reduced to rubble. Like the general population in Wells’ book, we aren’t fully apprised of the Martian’s total invulnerability until they are right at our doorstep. We figure the scientist will stop them. The army will stop them. The bomb will stop them. But nothing stops them! Gradually the film opens out into a full blown war/disaster epic. It undoubtedly struck a common chord with an audience freshly traumatized by World War Two. But in any era, the bold, dramatic line of this elemental story is bound to captivate the viewer.

The abrupt happy ending has been often criticized, and rightly so. However, it is true that the Martian’s vulnerability was foreshadowed earlier on by the discovery of their anemic blood. Another quibble is that the suggestion of divine mercy has been made more overt than it was in the original Wells, by the introduction of a church motif. But this is at least generally consistent with Wells’ theme of how best to carry on in a completely hopeless situation. Ultimately, the feeling at the end of the movie probably jived with how many people felt about the end of the war –not so much victorious as just plain thankful.

George Pal’s The War of the Worlds is one of the undisputed masterworks of the science fiction genre. It shows few signs of aging (just ignore those funny little strings holding up the Martian ships!). Its visual style remains fresh and striking, and complements a story that effortlessly blends full-bore science-fiction with epic drama. Like Wells’ classic novel, this film is likely to be around a long, long time.

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originally posted: 08/19/05 02:24:15
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