The War of the Worlds (1953). Cloudy with a Chance of Martians.

[@josemoreno3334]

No one will ever top this all time classic SCI-FI movie. I never get tired watching this over and over.😀🛸

[@donnakeizer1468]

Read my comment. Soon taking over

[@ActivePuck]

Great sci-if classic. I saw it as a young kid back in the 80s and I’ve loved it ever since. Plus that ship design is so iconic - and awesome!

[@WilmerCook]

Me to!

[@crescentmoon256]

ur still alive ? holy sheet

[@nigeh5326]

One of the best sci fi movies of the 20th century imo 👍. Superior to the later Tom Cruise version in many respects. Unlike many lesser sci fi movies they don’t just show the aliens as super beings but instead give us brief views of creatures that are inferior physically to humans but are superior in their technology. This and the day the Earth stood still (another example of a film where the later remake is inferior with the Keanu Reeves version being a poor attempt) are both stand outs of their time. They reflect the fears and uncertainty of the 50s and the Red scares of the time. Thanks for this video I’ve been waiting for you to cover it for a while.

[@Alondro77]

Humans are much the same. We're physically CRUSHED if we try to go up barehanded against MANY species of animals. But our weapons can obliterate them with no effort. And, like the Martians, we found out how helpless we are against germs. Humans should be more humble, lest we be humbled by the TRUE power in the cosmos.

[@ianbrewster8934]

Couldn't have said it better....this is a genre defining film

[@Formakiwi]

Hugely influential, since it defined the look oversaturated of Sci-Fi film and television until at least mid-1970's.

[@Nicksonian]

Spielberg’s version was a disappointment and definitely near the bottom of his mostly great output. This version scared the crap out of me when I was a kid.

[@trekkieraccoon3343]

I definitely prefer this movie over Spielbergs version the effects were awesome but the main characters mostly the girl were pretty annoying she wouldn't shut up lol and machines being buried was pretty dumb

[@stephenevans6070]

Mad to think this story was written in 1895 and was already 58 years old when this was done

[@theangrygamer1008]

1898

[@ellesmerewildwood4858]

Take a moment to recognize the power lines in the street vaporizing on contact with the heat ray. That was some serious attention to detail by the effects crew. 10:30

[@oobrocks]

I still recommend this masterpiece…Oscar for Special Effects and the sound effects were Oscar worthy 🎉❤😊

[@patrickflaherty5914]

Love the shoutout to Jeff Wayne's rock opera.

[@clintbrew]

Got the cd and the vinyl and wished they could turn the musical into a movie somehow

[@WillCamx]

I must have watched this film dozens of times over the years and it only just dawned on me watching this that the alien war machines are supported by three rays, just like the three legs of the originals. It's little details like this that make this the great film that it is.

[@PointyTailofSatan]

The three legs/rays were a tribute to the original tripods in the book. But the post filming effects work required for the rays/legs was so expensive and time consuming, they only used it that one time.

[@doctorlolchicken7478]

I never knew the ships had legs in the original, and when I heard the first thing I thought was how goofy it sounded and that this film had way better ships.

[@cujoedaman]

They even say this in the movie, but since they're mostly transparent and the line only lasts a couple seconds, it's not hard for people to miss it :D

[@Capohanf1]

AND in some shots you can see the wires that supported the models!

[@cujoedaman]

@@Capohanf1 Yep, they're really evident in the bluray/4K versions of the movie. You can even see them wiggling a bit as they ride along the track because it isn't 100% smooth. Still one of the best sci-fi movies, though.

[@shallendor]

It is the best movie version of the story! The series was good!

[@tomstanziola1982]

I had the honor of meeting Richard Chaves, who played Col Ironhorse in the series. He appeared at a convention I attended. One HELL of a nice guy!!! My friend's young daughter (at the time) cried bitterly when his character was killed off in the show. He gave a special inscription on a photo, just for her, assuring her that he was alive and well!! He was very approachable and took a moment to chat with everyone in the autograph line!! A true gentleman!!! 👏👏👏👏

[@shallendor]

@@tomstanziola1982 That is the kind of stuff i love to hear!

[@nigeh5326]

Stam Fine your wit is hilarious and you combine it with a script that gives people all they need to know about the film or tv series your video is about.

[@clyde9803]

Now you gotta do George Pal's THE TIME MACHINE. Pleeeeeease?

[@mdrumt]

Probably my favourite film as a kid, along with Forbidden Planet, Them, and The Earth vs the Flying Saucers.

[@paulmicelli5819]

Remember seeing this at the movies in 1953, still watch!

[@alanmoss3603]

Someone all the way from Australia slagging off Essex - some how makes it SOOOO much worse!😂

[@alanmike6883]

Hes not wrong though. I know 🤣👍

[@SupremeCleave]

I liked your quip about the Stanley Cup finals. It reminded me about the old joke; I went to a fight last night and a hockey game broke out.

[@2remik]

Love this film. The rattling, rasping sound the ships make still gives me chills.

[@andrewtaylor940]

I never made the connection about the Martian's until seeing them overlaid with Stam describing the complicated Technicolor Film Process. That film process actually factored into the design of the Aliens and their machines. How they saw the world. Their eyes were the Technicolor Cameras.

[@SgtRocko]

This is an absolute masterpiece. The scene where the machine emerges from the fog from the bomb is chilling. I don't think any kid the late 60s/early 70s can deny that some of the lamps of that era ALWAYS brought the movie to mind LOL It has humour, chills, great F/X, and a human STORY. Our kids are teens and they've had friends over for movie night & shown this - a lot of the kids fall in love with it ("Wow, that's an olde tymee movie? It's really good!"). Love watching it... though I am forever in the hunt for such magnificent, perfect fried eggs *sigh*

[@ogarcia515]

I saw this movie when it opened in 1953 as a 10-year old, and I loved it ever since. Probably paid 25¢ to see it. Featuring the coolest alien war machines--ever!

[@krissteel4074]

Its still a solid movie and given how many people have tried to make a War of the Worlds and probably shouldn't have. That either makes it brilliant or somewhat tragic that it hadn't been done well since.

[@stwoods25]

I agree. The original story was mainly about the aliens, not some father son relationship.

[@loneprimate]

When I was 13 in Hamilton, Ontario at the end of 1981 we had a snow storm in the middle of the day and they sent us all home. My buddy and I went back to my place we got into all the snacks and this movie was on. We had a blast watching it. The movie was essentially 30 years old even then and he and I were of the Star Wars generation and we were astonished any movie from the 1950s was both in colour and had special effects that stood up so well. I'm still impressed by them even forty years after that!

[@goodwood-rc4nx]

Gene Barry & Ann Robinson played the grandparents of the kids in the 2005 version

[@SirSmoldham]

This movie devastated me as a child and made me believe this world could end. It was even more effective because I saw it around the Cuban missile crisis.

[@Interislander957]

I love the old timey War of the Worlds music for the silent pictures..

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

one of the many films that put me on a path towards a career in moviemaking.

[@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp]

I remember seeing this as 8-year old on TV alone at night when the family was sleeping in the 1970's.... So scary.

[@pdlagasse]

The music for the silent-film intertitle - oh man, that was the mother of all Easter eggs.

[@davidsmith5523]

So it could be renamed as Bacteria to the future.

[@tomstanziola1982]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@seymourskinner2533]

I don’t know how to feel about this. 🤣🤦‍♂️

[@davidsmith5523]

@@seymourskinner2533 germ war of the worlds?

[@seymourskinner2533]

@@davidsmith5523 😢

[@kellyweingart3692]

😂😂😂😂

[@kenknowlton3085]

The BBC produced a decent 3 part War of the Worlds miniseries in 2019. Although it doesn't follow the book's narrative, it does follow other fictional characters from the original storyline. Highly recommend! Available on KZbin.

[@garyobrian3597]

Till this day the batte scene with the US military and the Martian's for a 1950s film has to be one if not the best scenes in history

[@dockaos924]

Love the radio broadcast version 👍

[@SAPProd]

The most enduring legacy of this film is Dr. Clayton Forrester serving as the namesake for the evil mad scientist of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I saw this film way back on Ted Turner’s TBS SuperStation program “Super Scary Saturday” featuring Al “Grandpa” Lewis (I tuned in mainly for the Godzilla flicks) and really liked it. I saw it just before the syndicated series mentioned here and I was obsessed with that show, despite being 8 years old and the show being quite violent for 80s television. Looking forward to seeing it featured in a future episode! 😉😂

[@AdamJRichardson]

Can we take a moment to appreciate the actor's skill @8:08 at drawing excellent arcs and straight lines with chalk? That is not easy

[@garetjax19]

I'm surprised that you didn't mention the 80's short run TV series 'Tripods' that was made by the BBC and the Australian Seven Network. Peace All

[@TimothyCollins]

I rewatched thus movie a few weeks ago... it holds up. It's still good and well worth watching. Which is not something I could say about other movies from that era.

[@veramae4098]

A recording of the Wells' radio broadcast is available and I've used it several times with elementary school classes on April 1st -- Fools Day. I play it straight, as a radio broadcast, but one that plays old fashioned music. The kids get VERY confused, unsure whether to take it seriously or not. They always enjoyed my shout "April Fools" at the end. One principal (I always told them ahead of time) really got into it and came up to solemnly assure the kids that busses were on the way to take them home, then school and city busses would be used to evacuate people to the countryside. Another principal wouldn't let me do it. Spoil sport.

[@TerrorballNoise]

There's a real vibe to this movie. Pacing, imagery and sound. Not Victorian England but still good.

[@mallninja9805]

I love Friday mornings. You're the best. Request: Please do Sid & Marty Krofts "Land of the Lost"

[@frankandstein8618]

Thanks, Stam. It is amazing that this film is 70 years old (like me) and the special effects are better than movies from the '80s and '90s. Were the fishing scientists fission scientists?

[@StamFine]

hahaha!

[@billyjonesy2972]

“War of the Worlds” is the earliest movie I remember seeing. I saw it when I was about 6 at the old Giles Theatre on West 39th Street in Kansas City, MO. It is still my favorite science fiction movie of all time. I watch it again whenever I can! It beats the heck out of that sappy soap opera remake with Tom Cruise.

[@tomsenior7405]

Nice one. Cheers Stam. One of my all-time favourite films from childhood. Classic 50s Sci-Fi at it's finest. I am so looking forward to the Stam Fine treatment. "If they are mortal, they must have mortal weaknesses" a line refined better for Arnie. "If it bleeds we can kill it". I am going to enjoy this trip.

[@joelstrickland9160]

When I was a kid this movie fascinated me. It will always be one of my all time favorites.

[@tannerdowney2802]

The heat ray sound effects, perfect. BJUJUJU!

[@david.m.304]

MANY thanks for this clip with Gene Barry. I was privileged enough to meet him many years (decades actually) ago when he came to Australia on a tour. He was in real life an extremely approachable man and very kind with his time to everyone. I visited him at the hotel he was staying at in Sydney but sadly he was not there at that time. I jokingly blame him for my addiction - to Rolls Royce (and subsequently Bentley) motor cars from his series "Burke's Law) in the 1960's and subsequent remake in the 1980's in which he used his own car. Again, many thanks for sharing this clip, take care and all the best.

[@Anautistictherapist]

I LOVE the voices of the actors, the scientist, the radio reporter, and so many others are as iconic as any old advertisement from that age.

[@TileGuyJesse]

The talcum powder bomb line was hilarious.

[@ianlacey]

was on regular rotation from the video shop right through my childhood.

[@Gattancha]

1:26 "..but then they said the same thing about Essex..." Oh man, that cracked me up more than it probably should.. 🤣🤣

[@xedalpha1]

Lol I loved that jaunty Eve of the War piano mix in there.

[@JoJoLux2013]

The resolution and the color quality is just stunning ! I suppose it's the Blu-ray version, maybe a 4k that you show us? A really good scanning for sure, there is so much details, really a great job from the studio 👍. And your review is great as usual 😉

[@BuShips]

The Criterion Collection blu ray is the best version as it doesn’t show the wires on the war machines. This is likely that version.

[@t-mar9275]

I'm assuming this is the recent Parmount 4K release, as Mars is shown as a blue planet, as opposed to red, in the scene at 0:50. This was the biggest gripe levelled against the 4K release.

[@carl77242]

I see this one back in my youth years mom and dad see it on outdoor theater back in 1954 it was a great movie

[@dougolsen6158]

This year is the 70th anniversary of the release of this classic and Ann Robinson turned 94 last month,is a good friend of mine !

[@bradbarter8314]

It's funny how every church though shelled nearby all kept standing to where the first building to be destroyed by Steven Spielberg in 2005 is a church 😮😂

[@wilhelmvonn9619]

Never thought of that!

[@stwoods25]

Which demonstrates the bias of this time. In the original movie people went to the church to find solice in the face of certain doom, and that to me is an important indicator of how far we are from that. No movie would ever duplicate something like that.

[@petergivenbless900]

Love the pianola version of Jeff Wayne's Martian Invasion theme! Has there been a steampunk version of War of the Worlds yet? That would be cool; maybe even done as a Georges Méliès ersatz silent era style melodrama (like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow).

[@SteveBrant55]

I just discovered your channel. And I really enjoyed your review! Great combination of facts and humor. Also loved seeing info on the sequel TV series from 1988 and the clip of Gene Barry and Ann Robinson in the Spielberg version of this story. Thanks!

[@gfdggdfgdgf]

This is a really well made movie.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Ahhh, three strip technicolor. So much more pleasing than today's norm, orange and teal. Ugh.

[@dudstep]

Yeah. You'd think movies today would be more vibrant than ever, but it's like colour graders only have blue or orange to choose from.

[@seemoretoys5944]

Dr. Clayton Forrester on MST3K is named after Dr. Clayton Forrester from the 1953 War of the Worlds movie.

[@DTavona]

A delightful homage while also being cheeky and sarcastic. Liked.

[@jasonblalock4429]

While it's unsurprising for the 1950s, it is a shame that this version almost entirely loses the anti-colonialism theme of the original novel, and simply presents it as a sci-fi action story. (And that's the one thing I thought the 2005 version really got right.) The 50s version is fun, but this isn't really a story that was intended to be fun. It was more of a metaphorical warning.

[@dudstep]

It also leaves out the whole "harvesting" inferior beings for food bit. It's also not as claustrophobic and scary as the original novel, but it's still a lot of fun.

[@RCassinello]

Another great review. Love you sense of humour coupled with your honesty. :)

[@tskmaster3837]

Good video. I have to say that I did look twice because I wondered if it would have been about the 80s TV series. Right, got to cover the movie first, what was I thinking.

[@Gzeebo]

I had no idea they deleted the legs for budget reasons. I always assumed they just thought flying saucers were cooler. Also I will mention Triple J for no reason.

[@geosword6]

I've not properly laughed out loud to myself for a very long time but Chris Pratt as the voice of the bacteria got me! Proper tickled me that. Still chuckling as I type this!! 😂😂

[@ahhamartin]

"Do you have a pocket compass?' (actually does in his suit jacket)

[@Rpol_404]

The antimatter ray sound effects was classic awesomeness!

[@andrewblanchard2398]

that subtitle CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MARTIANS 😂

[@johnruddick686]

Your right about Essex still after years of searching we still haven't found anything yet.

[@Scimarad]

One of my favourites! I read the book at a pretty early age so I've always been a bit obssessed with it, though that Jeff Wayne album helped a lot as well.

[@divergentthinkingproductions]

You hear that, Essex? YOU'VE BEEN STAM FINED, BRUH!

[@andrewjessop8816]

Love all your videos. Your steve1989 reference a while ago was genius. Thanks for the weekly dose

[@mysticwolf75]

The War of the Worlds was one of my favorite movies growing up. I recently finally bought it on Blu-ray.

[@PlasmaMongoose]

The Martian ships still look awesome, even by today's standards.

[@alanmike6883]

One of my favourite old school science fiction movies along with the Day the earth stood still

[@proto-geek248]

both superior to the remakes.

[@johnbower7452]

Still the best Hollywood version of War of the Worlds, and those war machines still occasionally pop into my nightmares and I find myself being hunted by them.

[@geraintwilliams531]

great film! love the fact that the Martian screams and runs away when it touches the woman

[@mysticwolf75]

Actually, Dr. Forester threw an axe at the alien and then it screams and runs away, but that was edited out on here.

[@emitindustries8304]

Great video, and really funny commentary.

[@ThisFinalHandle]

9:28 could be the inspiration for Mr. Nezu's death scene in AKIRA, where he dies of heart attack trying to stuff bonds & money into a briefcase after shooting Ryu.

[@rgrif777]

My second favorite sci-fi movie. The Tom Cruise movie was also very very well done, but I'll still take the original version over it. My favorite sci-fi movie is Forbidden Planet.

[@BeCoShooter]

I just bought the Criterion Blu Ray. It contains a new 5.1 mix, with upgraded sound effects. Looks pristine too.

[@Neil070]

Hard to imagine now just how original the 'no resistance to germs' idea was. I saw the film for the first time back in the 60's, people were not as aware of the 'immune system' or germs as they are now, except for 'kill 99% of household germs' claims for household cleaning products. Certainly the idea of the common cold virus potentially being fatal to aliens was a totally novel one, unless you were familiar with HGW's novel

[@kaitlyn__L]

And indeed when Wells wrote his novel, it was not that long after germ theory had won out over miasma theory even among experts who knew their stuff. It was new hot shit.

[@jack1701e]

XD that jab at Essex took me off guard, as someone from Essex you're not wrong!

[@tycannah4271]

One of my favorite that holds up exceptionally well in 2023. Best scene is the priest getting roasted by the machine because he wasn't wearing asbestos underwear or a god shield.

[@wilhelmvonn9619]

To me the only flaw in the movie is the sentimental religiosity that got shoehorned in. But I suppose in 1950's America that was inevitable.

[@gregoryhagen8801]

Love that scene. That's when the movie takes off. Her scream, when her uncle gets blasted, is still terrifying to this day.

[@troubadour723]

Being from Maryland, the Essex comment takes on an equally hilarious meaning.

[@hiturbine]

I first watched this movie in 1968 - I was eight years old, and this movie came on past my bed time, but my dad woke me up so I could watch it ... "You look a little lost yourself." SYLVIA! ... SYLVIA!!! 🤣 I've seen this movie so many times since that I have all the dialogue memorized.

[@BrooksWachtel]

Barre Lyndon had co-written DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth (best picture Oscar winner) and might have suggested him to Pal as the perfect writer for updating The War of the Worlds. Lyndon was a fan of novel and his script also set a template for future invasion films. Did you mention him in your review?

[@RogueWJL]

Incredible movie. Incredibly dark towards the end as L A is destroyed. Its almost as there is no hope. Design of Alien ships is just incredible

[@TheRadical42]

Excellent video about an excellent movie. Well done! War of the Worlds (1953) is such a superb film. Good acting, great story and wonderful special effects. Those Martian war machines are amazing and unique, their Heat Ray and X-Ray sound other worldly, and the martians themselves are super alien. Thanks for making this video!

[@daveautzen9089]

Your review was perfect, and hilarious!

[@loudelk99]

One of the greatest movie in Sci-fi history.

[@doom7ish]

yeah Baby lets do this. I love this movie so much.

[@georgesmith4509]

Your re cap was nothing less than brilliant!! I loved the film as a kid. I still have a Video cassette of it. it's still a good watch. In one episode of the 1st series of Bourke's Law Gene Barry is in a shop of curios were he spots a theatre poster of the movie with his picture on it and buys it because " it's the only thing worth buying in the shop" LOL I'll try and relocate the episode and send it on to you. Mate, Independence Day was a straight up theft.

[@gerardtessers]

Loved this one! I saw this in my youth on television and even then it was formidable! First George Pal- movie I ever saw was The Time Machine, also with wonderful special effects. Maybe a nice subject for later? This novel (also by Wells) has been redone more...

[@robguyatt9602]

I never knew grinding sparks could be so deadly. When I was an apprentice I learned that being asked to go to the store and ask for a lb of grinding spark was a "you idiot" moment if you actually did as told.

[@andrewtaylor940]

I have not watched this one in years. Somehow I missed or forgot that it features a Northrop YB-49. The long ago predecessor to the US Air Force's B-2 Stealth Bomber. You don't see the old Northrop Flying Wing get much Hollywood attention.

[@TheGreatSnafoo]

Forbidden Planet, War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, This Island Earth, When Worlds Collide, are probably the best Sci-Fi movies of that Era.

[@robguyatt9602]

Who else hung around just for the narration? Bloody funny.

[@oddsandwindsocks5905]

As a massive wotw is great in any format, but Jeff double LP will never be beaten .

[@raymondortiz1113]

This movie war of the worlds has to be the best sci Fi movie ever done the effects were great for a movie filmed in the fifties still looked great even m

[@Capohanf1]

My father never got over laughing about Well's Radio Broadcast. He told of how he, my mother and her family was at home on that Sunday night listening to the other network that most of America listened to when an old woman that lived up the road came running down the road, Bible in hand yelling about how the Martins have landed and it was the end of the world. My Grandmother got the woman inside and calmed her while my Grandfather tuned to the other network just as it was being announced all this was a Radio Play! Why SO many people panicked when there WERE many disclaimers broadcast that what they were listening to WAS a play was as I said, the other network's program, a variety program was more popular EXCEPT for a certain part where a certain act preformed. It was then MANY people went station hopping and stumbled on the War of the Worlds play, thought it was a REAL news broadcast and before the next disclaimer came on, were off screaming into the night!

[@paddy9449]

I always wanted a spot in the movie..... "Run For Your Life!!!!! "