Brandon's Cult Movie Reviews: THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

After the weirdness of "Robo Vampire", time to change things up with George Pal's 1953 sci-fi classic "The War Of The Worlds"!
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[@TheBrandonTenold]

Which do you prefer: the 1953 or the 2005 version of "War Of The Worlds"?

[@DisinterestedHandjob]

There is no 2005 version...

[@randomreviews4278]

@@DisinterestedHandjob yes their is with Tom Cruise

[@randomreviews4278]

Both

[@Toothlessalmighty]

About 1 week ago I studied the 2005 film. Ironic. Haven’t seen this one, feel like even if I saw this one I would still prefer the 2005 one. Love the jokes btw

[@MrBlueSkyof1607]

Have seen neither of them, but I am leaning more towards the 1953 one.

[@robwalsh9843]

The Martian hover craft is still one of the most badass alien warships ever designed. A manta ray crossed with a cobra and a ton of firepower.

[@glenchapman3899]

Interestingly they were not hovering. They were supported by an electromagnetic tripod. You can see it during the first emergence

[@erikramaekers63]

Exactly.Most spaceships at the time look so dated now but not the ones in this classic

[@robwalsh9843]

@@glenchapman3899 I never noticed! I knew the original book version as being tripods, but I always assumed these ones had some anti-gravity drives.

[@ShinGhidorah17]

I prefer the tripods.

[@Avenger85438]

Mantasnake, the rwin sibling of Orangasnake.

[@davidmatoushek9111]

There was one thing that you forgot to mention: this movie was so influential that the Library of Congress included this movie alongside Forrest Gump and Bambi for their historical significance in the National Film Registry in 2011.

[@KRhetor]

A number of Fifties SF movies are in the Registry, including my favorites, Forbidden Planet and The Thing From Another World.

[@jackshittle]

Nothing to do with this, but as a side note regarding the LOC; Metallica's iconic Master of Puppets album has been selected for induction into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. Every year, the Registry selects 25 recordings that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” that are at least 10 years old for preservation.-Mar 23, 2016.

[@matthewdunham1689]

@@KRhetor all classics!

[@Fluoride_Jones]

@@jackshittle Wow, that trivia is really twisting my mind and smashing my dreams! 😄

[@wren7195]

I forget the year, but I assume they continue to do so, every single Twitter message is recorded as well. :) :( *slits her thr----- no wait, I'll... think of something*

[@antonmasters8626]

This movie was waaaaay ahead of it's time. It's stylish and the sound effects were very good. The 2005 one was actually pretty good I thought, but by comparison I find the 50s one more enjoyable

[@DeepEye1994]

Personally my only issues with the 2005 movie are the kids and the reunion in the end being too perfect, but other than that I find it underrated and it makes me wish Spielberg did more suspenseful, horroresque films again.

[@barret-xiii]

@@DeepEye1994 Agreed. The kids (particularly the annoying as fuck emo teen son) were largely pointless, but the scenes with Tim Robbins were marvelously tense, and every moment with the tripods was terrifyingly awesome like the city destruction scene from Independence Day.

[@Chuck_EL]

I fully agree this was a very well done movie , I actually felt the dread throughout the invasion

[@Bootmahoy88]

Yup

[@Alondro77]

There was a trifecta of wonderful sci-fi films in the early 50s: "When Worlds Collide", "The Day the Earth Stood Still", and this film. You can also add "Forbidden Planet". They hold up even today.

[@les4767]

I'd add "The Incredible Shrinking Man" and "The Fly" to that list.

[@fromthecheapseats7126]

I’m surprised he hasn’t done “Forbidden Planet.”

[@jsurovy]

One of my favorite movies ever. Even have a large framed print up on the wall. Thanks for doing this!

[@nickstav08]

This movie Them!, and It! The terror from beyond space are some of my favorite classic scienec fiction movies!!

[@ianbrewster8934]

Agreed it was epic on all levels.....

[@mauricedavis2160]

Your's and mine also, as a child in Pittsburgh a local TV station presented it once a year, and you better believe I never missed a screening, it's truly a classic!!!🙏👍👻

[@mauricedavis2160]

@@nickstav08 dare I add the original Invasion Of The Body Snatchers!!!🙏👍👻

[@keithallver2450]

Same here! It's one of my all-time favorites.

[@the_once-and-future_king.]

I would disagree with the General being 'gung-ho' in this. Unlike many 50s movies, he actually acts like a real General would.

[@gabrielboorom2683]

Les Tremayne was a versatile actor who played a variety of roles, he even appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest as a somewhat conflict avoidant auctioneer getting heckled by Cary Grant.

[@matthewkoch6937]

@@gabrielboorom2683 He's a joy to watch. I know him from his "Perry Mason" appearances. He had a 58-year career and died at the ripe old age of 90.

[@dubuyajay9964]

@@matthewkoch6937 When did he pass away? :(

[@TheRealNormanBates]

"Guns... tanks.. it's like TOYS against them!"

[@gabrielboorom2683]

@@TheRealNormanBates It's a great line. Very 50's style, but he delivers it just right. It's the only time we see him on the verge of any doubt or sense of defeat. When one of the scientists says, "It'll end only one way, we're beaten.", he returns to his confident manner, though partially admitting how bad things look: "No... Not yet. Washington issued orders: in the event the A bomb fails, evacuate all cities in danger of attack; they'll be moving along Los Angeles now. We'll establish a line & fight them all the way back to the mountains! Our best hope lies in what you people can develop to help us." That's his last line in the film. We've already been shown how such a tactic will fare against those machines...

[@metaloverlord7465]

Now that Brandon has done this movie, my hopes that he might eventually do the THEM movie are higher then ever. A geek can dream!

[@scotthardie5141]

*THEM!

[@e-convoy1783]

I am hoping He would fully review a Ray Harryhausen film, even if he did a top ten list. He's done a Godzilla list, and reviewed some of the movies on there. So hopefully we get to see him do some of the movies here!

[@johnbockelie3899]

Those three amigos who get blown away with the white flag is classic.

[@AmityvilleFan]

Was bloody hard to find because of its title, but hell yeah!

[@JamesMC04]

I hope that if he reviews THEM!, he will get round to reviewing plenty of other B/Ws as well. And Forbidden Planet, starring Walter Pidgeon & a young Leslie Nielsen, surely deserves a review. That would be something of a Canadafest. B/W films do not get enough love.

[@killdozer69]

Independence Day was a remake of war of the worlds. There are too many parallels for it not to be. Brandon pointed out a lot of them. But he didn’t mention that ID4 even had a flying wing bomber deliver the bomb. I always thought that surely it was a remake of the 1950s WotW, but something for some reason made them change the title.

[@prehistorichero2755]

If the movie was changed the name to ‘Independence Day’, that’s because while it was set in the 4th of July Weekend, it paid a homage to the American Revolutionary War with the Harvesters representing the British Imperialists attempting to control the country and the humans representing the American Colonists fighting for freedom using guerrilla warfare and strategic combat instead of brute force.

[@thecopperowl8386]

His "Godzilla" movie was also sort of a "remake" of "Beast of 20000 Fathoms". I think that movie would have done better if it was a remake instead of a bastardization of Godzilla.

[@minimalbstolerance8113]

@@prehistorichero2755 Uh... I think you mean the "British imperialists" trying to contain and suppress an armed insurgency led by traitors, terrorists and tax dodgers.

[@prehistorichero2755]

@@minimalbstolerance8113 Or that.

[@mikegrossberg8624]

Re: the "flying wing bomber" The flying wing, at that time, was never operational. They were still experimenting with it, but design flaws caused two of them to crash, and the experiment was abandoned

[@chichiboypumpi]

that alien weapon and ship sound effects became popculture material

[@AgentofLADON]

Voom voom voom voom BEEEDEWDEWDEWDEW!

[@jsl151850b]

My toy raygun's sound chip pays homage to the sound effect, with a nod to Star Trek.. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5qVgpprZ7WqbNk

[@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus]

I can’t help but see the human ash outlines of the three men in the beginning and think about the shadows left from the nukes going off in Japan I wonder how intentional that was

[@rapatacush3]

Half of them went to megas xlr.

[@backedup39]

The 2005 version paid a small homage to the 1953 version by casting Gene Barry and Ann Robinson in small cameo roles at the end of the 2005 movie.

[@anubusx]

I noticed that to.

[@KRhetor]

Ann Robinson once replied out of the blue to a Facebook comment of mine. Hadn't felt so over the moon since the time Brinke Stevens liked one of my comments!

[@ToriArti1]

I wasn’t there to witness it, but when my dad saw the ‘05 movie in theaters, he apparently almost got in trouble for fanboying out loud when he saw Gene Barry and Ann Robinson.

[@DeepEye1994]

It also has the deflector shields too. Though, I think it makes sense because if the Tripods didn't have it, they'd be screwed against 2005 weaponry.

[@jamescampbell39]

Ann Robison showed up in the TV series, she was the adoptive mother of Harrison Blackwood the show's main character She and Forester had gotten married but never had kids due to their exposure to the radiation from the bomb.. Forester was referenced as even warning the scientific community that the Martians or morthrans as they were called in the series may return.

[@GorillaLancaster]

This is a legit classic! Influenced MST3K, and Sci-Fi for over 70 years

[@Lord_Evidar]

The forcefields in this are honestly probably the biggest departure from the novel , and as it's something that the 2005 version kept it also had an impact there. In the book, the tripods not only don't have them, but they're not invincible either. The British army defeats a few over the course of the book, using things like ambushes, landslides and perhaps most famously ramming one with a boat. This creates a pretty important difference in tone IMO, because in the novel the martian response is to stop relying on the iconic "heat ray" and instead to progress to using "the black smoke", what was essentially a powerful chemical weapon. So they go from waging a more traditional war to total genocide because they suffer some losses. It's a pretty important point when you consider that the martians plan isn't just conquest, they want to terrform earth and drink the blood of humanity as a food source, its an abandoning of that plan in part as a reaction to things not going like they imagine. Notably the 2005 version does keep aspects of this whilst this movie dropped them. Fans of either movie, or just War of the Worlds in general should check out Scarlet Traces, a series of graphic novels from 2000ad (the judge dredd people) that serves as a direct sequel to the events of the book and is excellent.

[@sjdrifter72]

Living in L.A. as a kid, the most memorable scene for me was the destruction of City Hall.

[@GnuHopper]

"My God, they destroyed the Daily Planet!"

[@rude73dog]

The church in the final scene is on Lake Ave in Altadena/Pasadena border. Lived nearby for years and recognized right away

[@therealkillerb7643]

That John Wayne quip was dark, Dude; really, really dark. I loved it!

[@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus]

Yup even I went oof at that one

[@lephinor2458]

Great name.

[@treyblack3751]

This movie not having a screaming Dakota Fanning or Justin Chatwin playing a character you're praying for the aliens to kill makes this the superior version.

[@ab5olut3zero95]

Absolute fact.

[@kyon813]

Or Tom Cruise beating Tim Robbins to death with a shovel.

[@Tertullian1971]

In a great irony, man's mightiest weapons had failed against the aliens. But the invaders were defeated, and the earth was saved, by the smallest and meekest of its creatures.

[@couldnotbereachedforfurthe2647]

Seeing this first at the young age, the farmhouse scene gave me nightmares for years. I still find that alien creepy.

[@Uziel787]

My dad used to have this on VHS and it was the first alien invasion movie I saw and loved, the ships were unstoppable and the world really looked completely doomed.

[@eddstarr2185]

That 1953 opening narration by Sir Cedric Hardwicke is still one of the best in sci-fi. You might remember Sir Cedric Hardwicke from Cecil B. DeMille's, "The Ten Commandments", he was Pharaoh Sethi I, father of Rameses. Also, this movie has made the "Flying Wing" bomber forever famous. I've talked to fans who, but for this movie, would never know that aircraft existed.

[@runcible4755]

"And, because it's the 50's, that means every car has to look like if the Griswolds were bank robbers." And that's where I lost it. LOL.

[@dr.burtgummerfan439]

Fun fact: The heat ray sound effects were processed recordings of someone striking a guy wire (steel anchoring cable) from an electrical tower.

[@glenchapman3899]

That's funny. Star Wars did exactly the same thing

[@austintrousdale2397]

Sounds dangerous. Who’s up for it?!

[@PaulIsDeadMissHim]

I think you're referring to the green disintegrator rays.

[@drakeil]

That was Star Wars. As mentioned elsewhere this movie used electric guitars played backwards.

[@dr.burtgummerfan439]

@@drakeil Guess Wilipedia and the old interview I read were wrong. Wikipedia: The machines also fired a pulsing green ray (referred to in dialog as "a skeleton beam") from their wingtips, generating a distinctive sound, also disintegrating their human targets; this second weapon is a replacement for the chemical weapon black smoke described in Wells' novel. This weapon's sound effect (created by striking a high tension cable with a hammer) was reused in Star Trek: The Original Series, accompanying the launch of photon torpedoes.

[@Reverend_Sashimi]

When I was a kid in the 80's I first saw scenes from this movie playing on a TV in the film Explorers. I found out it was footage of a real sci-fi classic and rented it from Blockbuster that weekend. Wasn't disappointed! Great and hilarious review as always Brandon! 😁😁😁

[@aircraftcarrierwo-class]

I remember seeing this film when I was rather young and; having found it years later, I now have it on DVD. Definitely some classic sci fi well ahead of its time and one of my favorite old sci fi films.

[@darkservantofheaven]

I always thought that Independence Day was an unofficial remake with elements of other 50s invasion films

[@godzillagamingboy4785]

War of the worlds was one of the greatest movies I've ever seen,its defenitly in my list of top 10 greatest films I've watched before.

[@44excalibur]

The sound effects for the Martian "skeleton beam" would later be used on Star Trek for the photon torpedo sound effect.

[@ozymandias9797]

When I was a kid, one of the local radio stations would broadcast the Orson Welles version on Halloween. It's amazing what a kid's imagination will do, listening in a dark room, with the green glow of an old stereo radio to add to the spooky atmosphere.

[@itszeronizer597]

Fun fact, in the book the martians had a extraterrestrial plant called red weed, it spread around England before dying. Now that I say that, I kinda wish ray harryhausen didn’t drop out of the project, heck, imagine if a company like toho adapted war of the worlds.

[@sigmacademy]

Then this review would have been struck, you mean? :P

[@sigmacademy]

Also, wasn't it part of their "terraforming" project - the red weed, I mean? :/

[@jasonblalock4429]

My suspicion is that, due to how slow Harryhausen's work was, hiring him for this would have simply been impractical. There are so many super-complicated shots that it would have taken him years to do all the VFX.

[@ConstantineFurman]

"imagine if a company like Toho adapted war of the worlds" They did. It was called "The Mysterians." :)

[@itszeronizer597]

@@ConstantineFurman interesting fact about that movie, moguera was supposed to be a biological kaiju instead of a robot.

[@wstine79]

6:47 It's nice of Brandon Tenold to slip up and use his real voice.

[@kevinthetruckdriver353]

Did you know there was a *"Direct to DVD"* sequel to Spielberg's film called *The War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave??* You should do a review on that film. It's right up your alley.

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

Its not a sequel to Spielberg's movie Its a sequel to the Asylum's mockbuster version of War of the worlds, wich came out the same year as the Spielberg movie Its quite obvious, given the tripod design

[@sigmacademy]

The special effects on that was PRETTY awful, if we are thinking of the same movie? :P

[@kevinthetruckdriver353]

@@sigmacademy - yeah. It was. But not as bad as any of the SFX from the Birdemic films

[@theenclave6254]

It’s not a sequel to Spielberg’s movie

[@jaredmiller7365]

I love this choice from Brandon! Not only one of the top sci-fi films of the 50's but of all time. The Criterion remastering is absolutely stunning.

[@grapeshot]

This is one of my favorite alien invasion movies and the special effects still hold up.

[@jacob7718]

Yeah, me too. I really like the part where they nuke the UFO and its just completely unfazed. Its chilling.

[@ENiceGeo]

@@jacob7718 With all the comparison's made to Independence Day I was expecting him to mention that movie also using another Northrob flying wing bomber using a nuke on the aliens.

[@taptiotrevizo9415]

I love the effects of this one that are so ahead of its time

[@eduardodiaz9942]

Watching this 70 years ago at the cinema must have been quite the experience

[@gabrielboorom2683]

I loved those flying saucers, and yes, I know technically they hovered. That's how you design a menacing spacecraft.

[@garethspotfur1]

This story inspired me twice! The book got me into science fiction, and this movie got me into 50s sci-fi movies.

[@SgtRocko]

1953. The FX hold up, it's well paced, the characters feel real... and it has some absolutely classic scenes (and just THINKING of it makes me crave bacon & eggs LOL). The remake has some STUNNING FX & scenes (the flaming train, the ferry sinking, the first attack) - but the pacing is clunky and the daughter's CONSTANT screaming is thoroughly off-putting. I have DVDs of both... but if I HAD to keep just one, it would be the 1953 one. It's just better.

[@SuperSwordman1]

Literally my only complaint with the 1953 one is the fact the ships are ships, not tri-pod walking tanks. I know it's kind of a nitpick, but I loved the walker element of the original.

[@ab5olut3zero95]

Precisely my thoughts

[@nicolasgarant9124]

I still think the Spielberg one is a worthy adaptation, even if the characters weren't the best. It felt a lot closer to the book and I loved that the actual point of the invasion was there by the inclusion of the red weeds. I love the 1953 movie but it felt like they were kinda just showing up to fuck shit up.

[@pocketsand4404]

This movie will always be a timeless classic!

[@ilejovcevski79]

Loved this movie as a kid, so much style and mystique, probably one of the 50's finest pieces of movie making.

[@evildoughboy7773]

I love this sci-fi masterpiece, but the aliens always look like they had the game of Simon stuck to their heads.

[@sanzibal4167]

That's explain why I got itch to slam their head.

[@nicholaslienandjaja1815]

Also, their design reminds me of Jamila from Ultraman.

[@highlander723]

This came way before Simon in fact Simon probably copied that design

[@thethirdchimpanzee]

it's neat because I always assumed that they were able to combine to 3 different color lenses, RGB, the way that TV pixels combine them to give us color TV. If fact I am sure that was the intention.

[@wstine79]

I love the 1953 War of the Worlds. The alien space ship design and the sound effects were stylish. The 2005 version was fine and Tom Cruise was good. Sadly, it was too depressing for its own good.

[@timrosswood4259]

The 2005 version is just as depressing as the book.

[@JnEricsonx]

Now watch the 1988 TV series that was a sequel to this.

[@sigmacademy]

There was an animated film that was supposed to highlight a second Martian invasion, with humans having retrofitted their Victorian era militaries with Martian technology, even going as far as having armored zeppelins/air ships and scout walker groups of their own. Unfortunately for them, the Martians brought into play upgraded walkers, and even a massive "flagship hover ship" of their own.

[@yoda908]

There was also been a 3 part mini series on BBC Done back in 2019 set in England.

[@e-convoy1783]

Honestly, if people would attempt an adaption, it would reduce the main point of the story and it's effect. The reason why is that we changed things and remove some of the context of the novel, just for quicker pacing to get to the war- machines and get some money. I believe that both the novel, and the Jeff Wayne's version are the better experience. No offence to those who enjoy any other visual versions of the tale, it's just the way that adaptions always miss out on the big points of the original book.

[@sarawelling5271]

That Boomerang, by the way, was the first sighted flying saucer. Civil aviation pilot Kenneth Arnold in July 1947 saw a flight of several such craft that were classified at the time. He described their flight characteristics - not shape - as being like a saucer skipped across the pond. He drew a picture of what he saw and the Flying Wing was it. It would eventually inform the shape of the B2 Bomber that had the advantage of producing a smaller radar cross section, i.e., stealth.

[@Scifogon]

A silly movie, but one of my all-time favorites! Also I’m so in love with this ridiculous martian design...

[@KRhetor]

There's nothing silly or ridiculous about it. Independence Day, on the other hand...

[@Scifogon]

@@KRhetor Yeah, that one is peak silliness.

[@FrenchFryCheese04]

bruh

[@RobinMarks1313]

I love War of the Worlds. I've seen every version. If anyone is interested, there's a musical audio version "Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds." When I was a kid, I must have listened to the album dozens of times. It's really good, check it out. Oh, also, the famous Welsh actor, Richard Burton narrates.

[@SgtRocko]

The portion with "Thunderchild" still gives me chills

[@robertstuart480]

The musical version is great.

[@matthewsmith2979]

I love the musical. There's even a stage show version of it.

[@ShinGhidorah17]

Farewell, thunderchild! God, I love that musical.

[@khoryos1]

The tripod howl still gives me chills.

[@freakyzed8467]

In the book, if I remember right, the Martians drank human blood for sustenance, which made them even more susceptible to Earth's diseases. Always thought it was strange that creatures that had the knowledge and resources to launch an interplanetary invasion didn't think that part thru.

[@EveryoneWhoUsesThisTV]

They were injecting it directly into themselves! :D Mainlining human blood to cure their hereditary anemia, that's how our bacteria got in them...

[@snukastyle]

The heat ray effects and sounds creeped the hell out of me s a kid, they were downright chilling. And now this review has me imagining a younger Jeff Goldblum as Superman.

[@blackc1479]

I was just going to point out that goldblum and the main lead do look a bit alike😁

[@ShinGallon]

I will never not love the fact that the MST3K guys literally did name their "villain" scientist after the character from this movie. I actually remember watching the TV series that was a direct follow-up to this, I enjoyed it until it did the thing where S1 ends, then S2 is so different it might as well not be the same show. Now I'm curious and I'm gonna go look up why that happened...

[@kabob0077]

Of all the adaptations of War of the Worlds this one and the Musical are arguably the best.

[@ShinGhidorah17]

I’d say the musical is better because it has tripods and red weed.

[@srstriker6420]

@@ShinGhidorah17 he should do the Phantom of the Paradise

[@MrBlueSkyof1607]

And the Orson Welles radio drama.

[@HiNickCares]

What about the Pendragon Pictures version?

[@martinfiedler4317]

@@ShinGhidorah17 I know the Musical version from the 90s game. It made what would have otherwise been a mediocre RTS-game into a real experience!

[@ash_durant6071]

The 1953 version freaked me out as a child. The 2005 version confused me as an adult, because it was an incoherent rushjob.

[@zebare726]

I thought the water scene in the 2005 remake was pretty scary.

[@robwalsh9843]

Did you see the late 80's TV show? It expanded on the movie's lore.

[@55Quirll]

@@robwalsh9843 And brought in Duncan MacCloud of the clan MacCloud to continue his fight against invaders. 👍

[@darkapothecary6299]

Which 05 movie did you watch; there were three of them.

[@55Quirll]

@@darkapothecary6299 For me the one with Tom Cruise and Chris Robbins. A waste of time and money.

[@maxsmodels]

Love your opening artwork. Kudos to the artist.

[@madcat789]

Still have this on VHS. I can recite every line from memory, and those Martians haunt me into my adult life. The Matte Paintings are beautiful and timeless, and I can never forget them.

[@toyamwarr]

I’ve listened to the radio drama, read the book, and watched the Tom Cruise movie adaptation. I didn’t know there was an older “War Of The Worlds” movie. I have to give it a watch now.

[@matthewsmith2979]

There's also a musical. 'Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds'. You should check it out.

[@timrosswood4259]

@@matthewsmith2979 my favorite adaptation

[@dubuyajay9964]

Get a move on. You are missing out!

[@danieltempas6062]

I envy you. You will be impressed.

[@cameronmonaghan6883]

Didn't expect Brandon to cover a GOOD, or in this case iconic, films. That said it's great when he covers films I recognise and have seen beforehand Also Brandon should watch The Tripods. A British scifi series from the 80s, it's geeky but the story is interesting and the effects are fascinating for the BBC budget at the time.

[@srstriker6420]

He should also watch the Funnyman, the Phantom of the Paradise and Zombeavers

[@KRhetor]

I remember The Tripods when it played briefly on YTV. Wish I could find a copy of the novel by John Christopher.

[@cameronmonaghan6883]

@@KRhetor there's 4 novels in the series. You can get the set on Amazon

[@johnmcintosh8673]

@@srstriker6420 "Say goodbye to your Golden Retreiver, Zombeaver, Zombeaver". Fantastic film, ludicrous, funny and wat too overlooked.

[@srstriker6420]

@@johnmcintosh8673 what’s that supposed to mean?

[@johnw8578]

I would like to see the novel brought to film set in the 1800s just like the books and follow faithfully to the book. If done right, it would be super awesome.

[@GoGojiraGo]

Fun fact, the Martian ships have shields in this version because when the film producers asked the military how well they would fare against the tripods, they stated that 1953 weaponry would have torn the tripods apart like tin cans in a grinder.

[@michaelk19thcfan10]

I remember watching this growing up when WOR or WPIX would broadcast it on some weekend afternoon. The special effects have stood the test of time.

[@Madbandit77]

I think WNEW (now WNYW) had aired it too.

[@shainewhite2781]

The best adaptation of HG Wells' classic Sci Fi novel. Ray Harryhausen was originally attached to the project for the VFX, but his version was later scrapped in favor of the Martian's bring more believable, and the only thing that survived of Harryhausen's version was test footage. It can be found online.

[@ggrarl]

Thankfully, Ray Harryhausen got to make an alien invasion movie after all: Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers

[@srstriker6420]

@@ggrarl don’t forget about 20 miles to Earth

[@johnoneil9188]

In the second arc of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen the characters actually take on the aliens from War of the Worlds as they invade Britain. It has Mr Hyde take down a walker with his bare hands.

[@lockleeddown7148]

Man this was a cool one to see Brandon go through. I remember seeing this way back as a little kid, and it definitely left an impression.

[@DisinterestedHandjob]

There were a couple of TV series adaptations of this in the last year or two. One was set in turn-of-last-century England, and one was a tad more modern (in France I think).

[@ajclements4627]

There was a US series as well in the 90s that was a sequel of sorts to the ‘53 film.

[@brothersgt.grauwolff6716]

there's also the animated War of the Worlds Goliath movie

[@ajclements4627]

@@brothersgt.grauwolff6716 Marvel comics had a weird spin on the WotW as well in the 70s or early 80s iirc.

[@stephenhershey1414]

@@ajclements4627 I loved that show as a kid!

[@ajclements4627]

@@stephenhershey1414 I can’t find it on dvd anywhere unfortunately.

[@dumbgeniusesfilmpodcast8879]

Has very great special effects for the 50s

[@minimalbstolerance8113]

One effect that I really liked that I haven't seen mentioned in the comments is that when the military are firing on the Martians, you can see a brief "shield flare" effect around them whenever they take a hit. A lesser film would have been content to just have a scientist say "It's protected by an invisible forcefield." (I'm looking at you, The Giant Claw.)

[@vicpalmen585]

I'm really happy you covered this one because I have the poster in my bedroom and I really like the thumbnail art for this one.

[@michaelgreene4748]

This film had two characters who didn't get a credit. The Ranger was played by Robert Rockwell, who previously played Jor-El in the first episode of "The Adventures of Superman", shot in 1951 but not shown until 195, and would play the hunky teacher in the "Our Miss Brooks" TV series. The Sheriff was played by Walter Sande, who played the passenger on the fishing trip in "To Have and Have Not", and on 3 occasions, played Jack Webb's CO on the first Dragnet TV series

[@ellnats]

from the moment the movie was reviewed on your show, it was doomed to suffer wisecracks, but i cant deny most of them are funny as hell

[@ShinGhidorah17]

I was a fan of War of the Worlds. I read the book and I love both movies. I also listened to the Jeff Wayne Musical.

[@damnationdan5253]

hell yeah

[@martinfiedler4317]

The chances of anything coming from Mars, are a million to one.. but still... they COME!

[@guillaumebabey4484]

The statue was not Jesus but Joseph, since he carries baby Jesus in his arm. Still got heavy on the make-up I'll admit.

[@agentepolaris4914]

Was about to mention that

[@annvictor9627]

I remember reading about a pastor of one of those "dancing is sinful" churches seeing a girl from his congregation at a dance. When he asked her how a praying knee could be connected to a dancing foot, she replied, "By the fatted calf?" Good girl!

[@bezoticallyyours83]

Okay, that was a pretty clever answer lol

[@Estorium]

03:00 I just love the look of matte paintings from that era through to the 70s. Even if they don't always look realistic, they have this beauty to them that I prefer to realistic CGI renderings.

[@glenchapman3899]

They were done a famous space artist Chesley Bonstell.

[@Estorium]

@@glenchapman3899 Thanks. I will check out his work.

[@bag-manbaron2547]

Personally I think the manta designs of the ships as well as the aliens are pretty unique compared to something like flying saucers and green men

[@jamescampbell39]

The Manta design was also used in a minor classic with Paul Mantee Robinson Crusoe on Mars.

[@remliqa]

@@jamescampbell39 There was an old (was it the 70s or the 80s?) Titan Mecha (where one giant Mecha fight against Kaiju and giant alien robots) anime where the aliens (depicted as humanoid with angel wings) used the same manta cobra design.

[@DrForrester87]

That little shot a 9:26 of the war machine and the explosion just gives off such a aura of strength and power.

[@Rako_the_Awesome]

Idk why, but I almost died laughing at Brandon’s stereotype Canadian accent.

[@tylerdurden9520]

It was so funny

[@M3TR01DFANBOY]

I love war of the worlds and its adaptations!

[@RH1812]

The Time Machine Is a true classic of its day

[@hr1meg]

Technical point: The statue at 14:53 is St Joseph carrying baby Jesus.

[@toyfreaks]

It's great! You can see when the burning stunt man hits the "table" in the tent, all the soldiers behind him already have fire extinguishers in their hands!

[@robertstuart480]

Yes! Yes! Yes! This movie is awesome! Thank you, Brandon!

[@MichaelDisney]

I liked them both, preferring the imagery of the 53 film, but I think the 1978 double album and illustrations are my favourite War of the Worlds version.

[@JimParshall]

No doubt. Awesome album Jeff Wayne nailed it

[@1mezion]

The special effects in this movie was very well done given the time it was made

[@darrylmars]

A masterpiece. Story & acting are what counts, effects are good enough. I lived next door to the church where they waited for the end in Hollywood. Only a halfwit thought the Welles radio show was real.

[@robertjohnson9187]

For a late 80s show the first season of the TV series was pretty great and took more of an Invasion Of The Body Snatchers turn. Didn't care for it after the first season when they basically rebooted it and made it into a completely different alien invasion story.

[@KRhetor]

I liked the ensemble cast of the first season and hated it when they killed off the three most interesting characters.

[@blackc1479]

Underrated show. Ironhorse was my favorite character 🤘

[@robertjohnson9187]

@@blackc1479 Hell yeah!!

[@multitudeofidols]

What I liked about the first season was the aliens. They made them genuinely alien, especially with everything about them being in threes. And while you understood their contempt for humanity ("a world you don't deserve; a paradise your kind treats like a toilet"), they were never humanised (like they did in the second season). Even Quinn, lone alien left to fend for himself in his bacteria-protected human body for 35 years, was such a complex character. Plus, I loved Billy Thorpe's score. My favourite TV soundtrack. Nice incorporation of Gustav Holst's "Mars, the Bringer of War" as a leitmotif throughout the season.

[@jasonjimerson7046]

Love the MST3K reference there! I need to re-watch this movie again. It has been a while!

[@nathancook1404]

I've gotten the DVD of the Movie during last fall and I've seen the 1953 War of the Worlds a number of times and it would later get its own TV Series in the 1980's.

[@atariboy9084]

Fun Fact: Albert Nozaki was a Japanese American art director who worked on various films for Paramount Pictures. He is perhaps best known for his memorable design of the Martian war machines from the 1953 film The War of the Worlds he took ideas from aquatic style shapes like Manta rays shape ships.

[@ianbrewster8934]

Thanks for reviewing this film....one of my favorite films of all time...

[@Mark-nh2hs]

Love this film. I remember it being shown on UK repeats during the 1980s and seeing as a child. The alien effects are still amazing and way better than the crappy Spielberg aliens. And the dull thudding beat before the heat ray fired used to get me all the time. Aaaahhh memories

[@ShinGhidorah17]

But I like the tripods in the Spielberg movie better.

[@Mark-nh2hs]

@@ShinGhidorah17 oh I agree the Tripods were great in the 2005. When I was referring to the aliens I wasn't referring to the Tripods but the physical aliens lol. As the 2005 aliens were crappy and when I saw them I was disappointed lol. There was something different about the 53 aliens - esp for that time period

[@ShinGhidorah17]

@@Mark-nh2hs yeah you’re right. I like the octopus like Martians from the book and Jeff Wayne musical better.

[@Mark-nh2hs]

@@ShinGhidorah17 Jeff Wayne Music was the soundtrack of my childhood lol love it. The aliens in the book I agree were great as there was only a very vague description of them from what I remember. Leaving your imagination to run wild. My fav part in the book is when you first see the tripod during a storm - creepy as hell. Also the lone dying tripod standing alone in London at the end. Been to that actual hill and the view is amazing and you can sort of work out the direction the Narrator came. Lol

[@ShinGhidorah17]

@@Mark-nh2hs “How could I describe it? A monstrous tripod, higher than many houses.” I just love that line. By the way, on my channel I made a fan made tripod design for a school project. of War of the Worlds last year. Unfortunately I forgot to add the tentacles but It looks like how it mostly should In the novel. Or at least the Alvin Correa versions. Though it’s missing a hat.

[@soelo592]

Brendon telling aliens to “deal with the cold you ETs.” Is just funny because he is not worried about the cold, cause he’s Canadian.

[@sigmacademy]

Also, because he knows the Martians like their planets hot and terraformed, so he's safe where he is at the moment? XD

[@mousetreehouse6833]

For any of us old enough to get this Fun Fact: the the war movies at the beginning, and the announcer when they dropped the a-bomb, where done by Paul Frees, who was Boris Badenov on "Rocky and Bullwinkle" (+ their various show titles). (Frees also had a small role as a scientist in "The Thing from Another World").

[@darrenheideman2546]

One of my favorite movies, one of my favorite reviewers, and a title card by one of my favorite artists. It's a triple crown. I remember covering this in 5th grade, when we read the original novel, listened to the Orson Wells version, and then finally watched this. I then began a hunt for a copy, eventually finding a version with packaging that advertised it as for anyone who loved Independence Day.

[@transformersrevenge9]

Yeah, it's a good movie and all, but what pisses me off is that we could have had a Ray Harryhausen War of the worlds movie, if they didn't go behind his back, to make this instead. Imagine the martian tripods, in glorious Harryhausen stop motion. He even did tons of concept art and a short test. It was his dream project, and from what I remember, he was screwed over...

[@thEannoyingE]

One of my favorites! I had the pleasure of meeting the star Anne Robertson a few years ago at a screening. She said the ships were made of copper, including the electronic eye, sadly they were all scrapped for a Boy Scout metal drive, a year or so after filming wrapped.

[@shadowleon659]

I enjoy this movie. Independence Day will always be the best War of the World's remake.

[@stephanieschanel4710]

This movie is great and keep up the great work

[@ellesmerewildwood4858]

Did anyone notice at around 16:58 the electricity power lines in the street get vaporized by the heat ray. Way to go SFX team ! All the times I've seen this movie and it's the first time I noticed that.

[@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures]

Woah - you're right, I never did notice that before! So eerie, reminiscent of A-Bomb test footage. Kudos SFX guys!

[@madcat789]

I always had a theory on the Martian Fighting Machines: why were they all bunched close when the Atom Bomb was about to be deployed? Chances are, since they've been studying humanity up to that point, that they'd also know to tap into our communications and figure out they're about to drop one. We've never seen a Martian Shield collapse from under heavy fire, but seeing them all bunched up makes me think that they knew a few of their Ships couldn't take a bomb. So they all huddled up, creating a shield strong enough to withstand the bomb.

[@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures]

That's kind of what I thought as well. If you look closely you can see that beyond the individual Martian shields there's a general larger shield glow that surrounds them all - as if they are all combining their power. The attention to detail in this movie is pretty great!

[@Deephouse_Gent66]

One of my fave rewatchable sci-fi flicks. Great snarks, btw! Loved "This fatguy cop looks like his first and last names are both Barney."

[@tuckerbowen4626]

one problem i've always had with this story is that when i saw them reference it on Invader Zim, it gave me the impression that humanity would discover and find some way to exploit the Martians' vulnerability to disease, meaning they still had to use their brains to win the war, but instead Earth just kinda gave up and lucked out

[@sigmacademy]

The problem is that the combined armies of the world threw their combined might against the Martian invaders, and got royally destroyed in the process. Even when they threw their most mightiest weapons against them, it did NOTHING to them. Also, the one thing that the story actually highlights, is that germs can do what atomics cannot. So for all the bluster and military prowess that humanity would boast with, it was microscopic germs that actually saved the day, NOT the efforts of the humans whose actions were all pointless and irrelevant. :/

[@tuckerbowen4626]

@@sigmacademy again, I'm talking about a victory based on intelligence, not brute force

[@edwardscales5503]

Heard the musical version when I was younger, it terrified me, to the point I was affraid to watch movie for years afterwards

[@stewartbladensb]

Gotta love the 50’s movie music. Nothing else like it, it gives me so many flashbacks of being a kid at my grandmas when I hear it.

[@DasDeadpool]

You briefly mentioned the TV series from the 80's. It's dated as hell now, but the basic concepts were cool and it would be a great reboot candidate.