War Of The Worlds Explained: War Machines

[@tannerdowney2802]

The heat ray may be the finest sound effect ever.

[@WarOfTheWorldsFan1898]

Fr

[@albertrandall2271]

I don't agree, the other weapon the green ray skeleton sound effect is the best ever sound any weapon can make, but that's only my opinion. 👍

[@bradleypilch7422]

I would love to get it as my ringtone!

[@albertrandall2271]

@@bradleypilch7422 so would I , the skeleton beam sound is one badass sound. 😱👍

[@VictoriaBenitez-i4r]

1 OFF THE BEST SUPER SPECIAL SOUND EFFECTS OFF ALL TIME DEFINTLY ZINCHO !😅😮🎉😂❤😅😮🎉😂❤

[@pupbenny]

The War Machines may be inaccurate to the Tripods in the novel, yet are perhaps one of the most iconic science fiction ship designs ever created. And their weapons and menace are certainly some of the most terrifying, arguably! :)

[@reidboggs4344]

It’s also a great cinematic decision. The tripods would have looked completely ridiculous if made with 1950’s filmmaking technology.

[@dubuyajay9964]

But we never got a description of the flying machines, so they work for that.

[@LOLGotYerTags]

just wondering but do you have that UE4 project uploaded anywhere in its current form? I'd love to play with it, maybe add more buildings or even a full city etc..

[@JZsBFF]

@@reidboggs4344 Let's agree to disagree. The stop motion animation in those days was at its peak. Nevertheless I agree that it would be hard to satisfy a modern public. And I agree that the choice which they made was right for the day and age, even not faithful to the novel. PS: Hollywood has a bad rep when it comes to sticking to the original, unless it's proven to return profits. Ironically that makes remakes usually pretty boring.

[@JohnPaulStone-uf4ow]

​@@reidboggs4344😩

[@trainpuns2]

Fun fact, I've actually seen this machine in real life at the AAF tank museum! It was one of the machines they used to film the movie and they had it on display at the museum.

[@pupbenny]

That must've been fantastic to see in person! :) I looked up pictures of it. Was saddened to see the museum is now shut down.

[@BuShips]

It would have had to be a later model recreation. All of the 1953 War Machines were donated to charity for their copper and melted down, sadly. A model was made for the later TV series and is currently in the possession of Canadian sci-fi writer Robert J. Sawyer.

[@BerraRazuke1]

@@BuShips that's heartbreaking to hear tbh.

[@Gmanstinky]

@@pupbenny i think they had a king kong prop there too (but i think that's found)

[@MA-iv7ol]

I've seen it too, it appears to be home made from plastic or fiberglass. It's not an actual movie prop, the proportions are way off and it looks amateurish at best. I believe someone made it for fun or as an advertisement. The fact that I didn't deem it worthy of photographing should tell you something.

[@PhoenixBird9000]

Fun fact: The visual effect for the heat ray was created by using high pressure acetylene torches shot from on ladders on a black sound stage. They composited the torch blasts over the footage from the models. There one scene where the torch and war machine didn't composite perfectly and you can see it's placement is off in that shot, but the effect still stands up to this day.

[@singlish76]

The war machines in WotW are the first craft utilizing repulsor lift propulsion as well as their green disruptors to enhance their heat rays. I also noticed that the “sparking” effect results from the heat rays being projected from individual cells in the sensor/targeting head. All in all they are the most beautiful sci-fi craft I’ve ever seen

[@tonymcgray9599]

Looking at the weapons, The heat ray, in its behaviour is likely a plasma weapon. the "skeleton beams" are undoubtably disrupters. this is the type of machine you would expect the Romulans would field as a mechanized unit looking at the weapons (and) design.

[@DaMartianAl007]

This was always my favorite to be honest! I loved their more campy 60's look, but even campy as they may be I think they are just so eerie and I would be deathly afraid of the arsenal they posses. That sound they make is like a rattlesnake in a way and if i heard it while walking down an abandoned street I would pray for my life since i saw this movie. Thanks for being the Number 1 The War Of The Worlds content creator!

[@pupbenny]

Thank you so much! :) Yeah I love the way they maintain the snake resemblance not just in their appearance but also in the sound they emit. It's so cool. I feel like they instill a sense of hopelessness more than any other interpretation.

[@DaMartianAl007]

@@pupbenny Yes omg king replied to me again!~

[@craigkdillon]

It was early '50's. They are more alien, and more threatening than anything done on Star Trek or BG.

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

On a fun note. From the various tri-pods that has appeared in various films and movies. The War Machines from the 1953 movie appears to have been the most technologically powerful and most advanced with only the Steven Spielberg Tripod variant perhaps being its only near peer. The Martian War Machine also perhaps is the most terrifying due to the fact that it was fully dedicated to war and not for colonization and or harvesting such as other tripods seen in various films.

[@pupbenny]

Very well explained. :)

[@brandybarton5893]

ULLA

[@scamchan]

The sound effect before the first heat ray fires is the best thing ever.

[@unionrdr]

Yeah. Like the crystal lasers in the old days. You had to use neon tubes around the crystal to excite, or " pump" the electrons in the crystal to produce " magnetized" light waves. Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. That's what the term LASER means. So, you heard the stalk weapon pumping itself to fire. Cool.

[@Earth1218]

Of all of the alien craft designed for every sci-fi show and movie, this is one of the coolest. They were sleek and simple, yet menacing. In the 2020’s, the design still holds up. It feels retro but also still futuristic. It is a timeless masterpiece.

[@chrismayer3919]

My dear mom watched this film back in the 50s and it terrified the hell out of her! Especially the eerie metallic sussitation the war machines gave off!

[@frenchfriar]

I can vividly remember watching this movie on television in the sixties, and getting freaked out afterwards by some of the streetlights along the highways, which were shaped very much like the "heads" of the war machines, including the weird shape of the "lens" on the end. The difference was they cast light from the bottom of the head, but the design was so similar, I figured that either they used street lamps for the movie prop, or the prop inspired the street lamps. Gave me the *willies* when I was a kid, though. Absolutely iconic design, and they were still technically "tripods" since the three green dots on the bottom were what held them up.

[@albertrandall2271]

Good point, very good point.

[@Kosmic_Galiya]

I grew up watching the original movie over and over again (my father found it funny that it freaked me out so much). I had your same fear from childhood well into my late adolescent years, and even today when I look at street lamps there's always that thought lingering that it resembles a martian head. Even some table and floor lamps shaped similarly make me feel uneasy... I still can't watch this movie as an adult without feeling anxious 😅😅 But it's a great science-fiction masterpiece for its time!

[@Necrolord76]

I loved the 1988 TV series. It was one of my favorite shows, even eclipsing Star Trek The Next Generation. The first season was truly horrific, showcasing the Mor-Taxian desire to eliminate humanity. There was even a scene where a captive of vivisected, showing not only their distain for humans, but their curiosity about their enemy.

[@trob1731]

I first saw the '53 movie as a kid in the '70s. When the army opens fire on the war machines, the Martians pause for a moment, as if assessing their opponent's capabilities, and then proceed to wipe them out. I still get excited watching that scene at how op the Martian vehicles are! Conveying the sense of them being an unstoppable force! I made my daughter watch it. She asked, "When was this done?" I said, "1953." Her response was a silent, "Wooow!" Impressed, not sarcastic.

[@c.s.oneill2079]

This is one of my favorite movies. I probably saw it first on late night TV in the mid 1970s. It was a tense and amazing film. And this scene stands out as one of the best.

[@John-zn4lp]

The simplicity of the design was a masterpiece that I still put in the top 10 of my favorite alien space ships from movies or shows..

[@chris1pugsley]

The special effects that were used in "War of The Worlds (1953) was awesome. In 1954 "War of the Worlds" won the Academy Award for the best special effects. Also, it won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and the Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing.

[@allirogorilla]

I don't understand why most people, especially like here, who are real fans of this 1953 film, don't realize that (they are) tripods, in fact. It's even stated in the dialog. "Is that some kind of flying machine?" "No. No. It's supported by rays from the ground up - some sort of magnetic flux, like invisible legs." When they first come up from the gully, there are somewhat invisible legs supporting the machine. (Heck they even crackle with a sound effect) - They emanate from those 3 green holes in the underbelly of the machine. (of course, I've learned that the filmmaker's only use them in this one scene because the cost of the effect.) Just having a character state that the machines were supported by these legs and they were invisible was all I needed to know that they were still being used throughout the rest of the film.) This is one of my all time favorite films. I owned this on Super 8mm film as a kid - just about wore the thing out. There was nothing like projecting this movie on a big screen - but I guess Blue Ray and big TVs do the job too. 😉

[@kingscorpion7346]

this was the version I grew up with as a child and have loved. I used to draw posters of the war machines vs the military, invading cities, even made modeling clay versions of them!

[@johnbockelie3899]

Fun fact, the reason for those three glowing circles under the machine is where the machine's tripod propulsion system is located. In the movie it's referred as electro magnetic energy beams.

[@nickwilliams9887]

Definatly one of the scariest movies I ever saw as a child!

[@nordattack]

Thank you for this great video. This movie is one of my favorites of all time. The Martian Swan ships are the most gracefully deadly machines ever created.

[@keremalpaksozek753]

İ really love these videos that explain tripods from different adaptations and would love to see more,perhaps the next episode can be about handling machines?

[@pupbenny]

Thank you! I'm glad you like them. :) I'm intending to do one of the handling machines eventually (as well as the flying machines). Not sure when though, they're such an interesting and unique thing, I want to make sure I fully get my mind around them lol.

[@albertrandall2271]

​@@pupbennywhat I didn't understand from you is, why did you first think that both weapons were in Overkill, I have always liked the fact that there were two weapons an even at a very young age When I first saw the war of the worlds, I understood the reason for two kinds of weapons. By the way I am 70 years old now I like how you broke everything down and explained the war machines ❤

[@robanderson473]

Beautiful looking craft they are. I'm always impressed by the effects used for the bombing scene, the mushroom cloud still stands up to today's standards imo.

[@charlesyoung7436]

I believe the secondary skeleton beams may reflect what happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atomic bombs were dropped. People near ground zero were vaporized, leaving shadows on concrete walls. Don't forget who designed the ships.

[@robanderson473]

@@charlesyoung7436 Good point.

[@snowtrooper649]

i love these pods ,the brass and green,the story they're so easy to draw, the 1988 ones are so cool especially the blue lights i have the complete series of the war of the worlds 1988 on dvd, . i love your vids

[@dredd1981]

I love the wotw tv series, became obsessed with it after catching it on itv late one night in the mid 90's, hate that there is practically zero merch about for it :(

[@pupbenny]

Yeah it's a shame it doesn't seem to be that well known. I only found out about it myself a few years ago.

[@starmnsixty1209]

shame, shame!@@pupbenny

[@citizenVader]

The show was a weirdly captivating thing. I remember it vividly.

[@pupbenny]

I've started watching it and I initially only intended to watch a couple of episodes but, same as you, I'm finding it quite captivating and now I'm intending to watch at least the entire first season.

[@citizenVader]

@@pupbenny it's the most serious with the low funding they had. But short after the show ended they started "above and beyond" and I kinda forgot about the show. But you can actually see they worked hard to get that second season..

[@ThieflyChap]

I definitely would like to see a vid on the TV series. I vaguely remember watching it and liking it back in... must have been the early to mid 90s. (Since I was 5 when it first came out).

[@noneed4me2n7]

I too enjoyed the first season but the second season went off the rails and young me lost interest.

[@moonpupstr1]

I used to watch that series. It was corny but as a teen I didn’t date much so I loved it. Always loved the warships.

[@borusa32]

I like the 1953 movie. I have watched both series of the 1980's show. The first series is pretty good but gory while season 2 may as well be a different show; rather like Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Season 1 is really good and season 2....

[@Earth1218]

… was “The Love Boat” on a spaceship. Totally agree on both counts.

[@albertrandall2271]

Yeah I see what you mean, season 2 of Buck Rogers sucked.

[@DiceK1d]

Wow, what a great description and analysis, I've been wondering when these manta Ray guys were gonna show up. I recently watched the movie and it was pretty good, you did a good job explaining things like the shield and their weapons etc. Hope you keep doing this series as I do enjoy it, keep it up your doing great.

[@pupbenny]

Thank you very much Greedo! :) I appreciate your encouragement, I will certainly keep working on them! :)

[@alanrogers7090]

I read an article years ago that had that same photo with the heat ray mounted at the rear. They moved it to the center position simply to accommodate the mechanism better. To make it seem mobile from that rear location would have meant adding a bulge to the bottom of the craft. Moving it forward a little solved it he problem.

[@omorigaming7107]

This is Maybe your best edited video to date ! I would of really liked it if they adapted on the idea of other models of the war machines like the mor taxan war ship in the series. Great videos as always.

[@pupbenny]

Ha thank you very much! Out of curiosity, what was it that makes you consider this my best edited video? Doesn't matter if there was nothing specific, I'm just asking to see if there's anything specific I can learn and know what to keep in mind and improve on, etc. :) And absolutely, I intend to do one of the mor taxan war ship, I watched that episode a few days ago. :) Thank you again Omori! :)

[@omorigaming7107]

@@pupbenny well I can not really describe it as one thing but as the whole video feels very vibrant and lots of effort put into it from the very start of the making. I would hyped to see a mor taxan war ship video The series’s is really underrated in my opinion ! Keep up the amazing effort.

[@TheMajorActual]

Great video...On _War_ Machines vs _Fighting_ Machines, remember that this was made in 1952-1953. In the aftermath of WW2, and to a lesser extent Korea, there were a LOT of people in Hollywood with real battlefield experience, unlike HGW, who had none. Where Wells could describe the horror from a civilian's perspective, he only had a tentative grasp of strategy and tactics. In 1953, Pal could draw on professional military people to role-play and theorize as Martian invaders -- I can't prove that's what happened, but given the Martian operations as portrayed on film, I am virtually certain it did......Also - the TV show wasn't that good, but it wasn't nearly as bad as its reputation.

[@blueshadow7014]

Not even just an Echo of death, It's like they've never existed to begin with, which gives me the idea theyre not just erasing the bodies, but their souls as well. That's a pretty terrifying thought actually.

[@frantic39]

I always liked this version of war of the world. I even watched the series. It was good.

[@user-roninwolf1981]

It's almost as if the "Skeleton Beam" is the basis for the Disruptor weapons that Klingons have, when the production team later on produces Star Trek in the 60s.

[@ruskiwaffle1991]

I like the tripods better, but given that the 1953 movie is my introduction to WOTW and having little spaceships is a bit more realistic, the war machines hold a special place in my heart.

[@pupbenny]

Yeah, I suppose with the technology or filming techniques they had at the time, they probably wouldn't have been able to realise them as having physical legs without it not looking as good. So I guess they just did the best they could with what they had and the result worked out very well I think. :)

[@tonygoochafanchi578]

If memory serves, the legs were invisible, but were projected out of the three green lights on the bottom like a magnetic beam.

[@SurelyYewJest]

The in-depth perspective of details I didn't know or catch in the '53 movie is appreciated. It helps me understand the film better, decades after I first saw it. I think the movie holds up really well, and it's my favorite representation of these aliens, though that may be my American cultural upbringing showing. That said, I think the Cephalopodian depictions of Henrique Alvim Correa are a close second.

[@kikkis3487]

One thing to say: the heat-ray may actually be invisible and the red things spitting out are the sparks

[@brothersgt.grauwolff6716]

particles in the air being ignited by the heat of the beam that would make logical sense

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

I always felt that the Heat Ray was so hot that it was igniting the air around the beam hence the screaming sound it gave off was it literally vaporizing the air and moisture around it.

[@pupbenny]

Ooh, that's a really fantastic point!

[@kerbal666]

One cool thing to note is the green "skeleton" beam sound effect went on to be used as the Proton Torpedo in Star Trek over a decade later.

[@pupbenny]

I cut out a part where I mention that as being a possible reason why their weapons remind me of playing a video game. I remember playing Star Trek: Legacy on the Xbox 360 when I was younger and so it makes me wonder if firing Photon Torpedoes with the controller is why I think that lol.

[@okamijubei]

And the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za's fusion blaster in Star Control.

[@BubuBORG]

They definitely used the same means to create the sound; possibly hitting a high-tension wire in an echo chamber.

[@BradleyStGermaine]

I used to hate these because they weren't tripods but now I'm fine with it👍

[@williamhosford2796]

Excellent breakdown and analysis of these iconic space craft. Also thanks for the heads up on the vintage BBC tv series. I will check it out. Cool vid!

[@bobblehead-dj]

My favorite version of war of the world

[@stephenschroeder6567]

Thank you for your video. Well done! The sounds of the weapons always freaked me out when I was young (born in 1959). This movie was some scary stuff to children and even some adults. The ship design has the three critical elements of quality: Simple, Elegant, and Efficient. For fans of all things War of the Worlds, track down a copy of the book: Sherlock Holmes's War of the Worlds. It was published in 1975 and makes for a great read.

[@robertsansone1680]

I had many fine nightmares because of the 1953 movie. I'd watch it every time it came on though. Thanks for the interesting video.

[@RealBLAlley]

In spite of the many deviations, the 1953 film is still by far the best adaptation and a true classic. In my personal opinion it's the only good adaptation. Other than Independence Day, of course.

[@user-wn2fh7cr3x]

Can’t wait for the review of the review of the 1953 the war of the worlds.

[@JimParshall]

One thing that probably should have been mentioned in your great video was the sound of that heat ray cobrahead as it surveyed that rattlesnake rattle. I don't know if there is anything more iconic audio wise from that movie than that sound. Even as a child watching this movie in the 70s it mesmerized me. George pells 1953 war of the world's in my opinion is one of the best movies ever made it is amazing. It's not perfect but the quality of effects and the quality of execution of the world is amazing. Great video though I really enjoyed it you have a great grasp on this wonderful story. HG wells was a heck of a writer and there have been so many interpretations of that story over the years I really enjoyed your video thank you

[@paulaburrows8660]

The shielding or "protective blister" may be most effective against kinetic energy therefore allowing energy based weapons to pass through

[@Eodasa05]

But nuclear weapons have a lot of energy in the form heat and radiation at 100 million degrees Celsius a thermonuclear weapon is 6 times hotter than the core of the sun which is 15 million degrees Celsius.

[@themagus5906]

Maybe it's just "fast" kinetic energy (light, heat, radiation) that doesn't pass through. Like in "Dune"; "the slow blade passes the shield...". If someone had thrown a rock against the Martian machines, would it pass through? Or could they walk right through? (It seems that, as they advance over terrain.) I would imagine that if you could develop a "force field" that you could control the parameters of what would penetrate it, from either side. According to the TV series the force inside the bubble was enough to destroy to destroy the ship, so brute force would not be effective against the bubble because the forces work both ways. Always a great thought experiment!

[@bc64100]

i always wonder if in a city hide a anti tank team under the street man hole your inside the shield blister and fire the anti tank rocket into it from below the blister does not seem to cove the ground under it probably so it can walk or move

[@Eodasa05]

That isn't a bad explanation.@@themagus5906

[@davidtherwhanger6795]

@@Eodasa05 Hollywood always tries to show how advanced the aliens are by making them immune to the power of the stars themselves. Realistically such a small craft could never be immune from a nuke detonating on top of it.

[@charlesgrubbs8094]

The first season of the series was awesome

[@glasgowfranko81]

Can’t wait for you to watch the 1988-1990 series and do a video on that! The show was my favourite growing up, and although it’s 80s (and the second series jumps the shark a little) it’s still worth a watch as the War Machines make appearances at the start of series one and the end of series two where they travel back to the original 1953 invasion! 😊

[@richfolkes]

Interesting note: Edgar Rice Burroughs (Author of Tarzan) was a contemporary of HG Wells. Wells was British, Burroughs was American. Had the two authors collaborated with each other on The War of the Worlds, in the scene of the three approached the cylinder proclaiming friendship, a second door would open as the heat ray rose from the first. A platform would rise from the second door with a man who would say... "Greetings. I am John Carter III, Supreme Jeddak of the city states of Helium and Zodanga, and Dotar Sojat III, ruler of the Thark. "While I admire and respect your gesture of welcome to my people and myself, I must point out my mission is not of friendship but of conquest!". "Kill them!!" The heat ray then fires, taking down the trio. Jack Hawkins who played Quintus Arrius in Ben Hur would be the ideal man to play John Carter III. In the war room scene where they're studying the Martians, enter Ned Burroughs Jr., the CEO of the Two Moons trading company. He hands the brass a book of the aforementioned ruler's grandfather John Carter Sr., containing his notes, this gives the military an insight into who and what they're dealing with.

[@HailAnts]

Say what you will about the 2005 Spielberg version, but because of the advancements in CGI it was the first one to accurately portray the war machines as actual, photorealistic, walking tripod machines. Even George Pal, who all but invented modern stop-motion animation, saw that trying to animate walking war machines was just asking too much, and didn’t even try it.

[@JaguarCats]

As the lead protagonist said in the original novel, even if the Martians had been ten times mightier. This world is ours, paid for in the blood of our own ancestors.

[@jasonwhite7905]

Yes, I remember the 80s War of the Worlds TV show. The 80s was really into retro stuff from the 50s. The Ghostbusters car had the tail fins over the brake lights. Back to the Future took place in 1955, even the music in some cases tried to incorporate 50s style rock (stray cat strut). I'm not that shocked that the 80s resurfaced during the 20ks; retro typically has 30 year gaps. Driving by schools made me feel like I was in the Twighlight Zone... another piece of retro media that was popular in the 80s. Maybe William Shatner and John Lithgow can swap stories about their experiences.

[@xstep1244]

honestly this movie is so much better than the one from 2008

[@robertrousseau5264]

You need to also look at the movie a little bit closer it does show legs out of the bottom of the saucers not all the time but it does show it like their electric fields of energy going down to the ground three of them actually okay my name is Bob and I watch The War of the Worlds I'm 71 years old so I've watched it for many many years all right I live in Vero Beach Florida God bless and stay safe

[@danj7860]

The ‘heat ray’ as I remember it described in the book, functions the same way a Laser does. Even the film made in the 1950s would have been years before Lasers were developed.

[@davidmccann9811]

Fun fact; these 'War Machines' later appear in the 1964 movie 'Robinson Crusoe on Mars', minus their necks/heads and coloured blue.

[@wolfboy3245]

An outside treat from out of space might bring the world together so I war of the world might just be what the world needs

[@jonathanrobertson3406]

What a great movie and thanks for doing a video on it! In terms of the one-way shielding, since we are speculating on fiction here, it could also be possible that powerful computers on board the Martian War Machines were linked to the weapon systems that turned the shields off temporarily (for a incredibly small fraction of a second) every time one of their weapons was discharged. Leaving them temporarily vulnerable in theory but not in practice. (Your shot would have to have been timed perfectly, and even then the Martian computer system could temporarily disable their own weapons as it detected incoming threats). In the original classic and in Spielberg's version, they weren't just CONTANTLY discharging their death rays/heat rays, despite seeming to have an infinite amount of energy. They did in in an irregular fashion. The above theory might be why.

[@Philipwaltho]

great film a classic the series or season was great too a bit gory in parts but I liked that America has always made great sc fi

[@jessetellez3924]

I would love to watch a sequel to this movie. Not a remake, but an actual sequel.

[@dailyqwikbytes]

Meson Neutralizer (per Dr. Clayton Forester) is a more accurate description than "skeleton beam". Skeleton beam is just what the General called it. The neutralizer seems to be a more precision weapon whilst the heat ray as an area effect weapon. It's quite common for (Earth)combat vehicles of all sorts to have multiple weapons systems. Tanks will have cannon and mgs, planes have missiles and mgs and so on and so forth.

[@darkwolf4830]

I loved these things when I first saw this movie. In middle school, I would draw them on my notebooks.

[@Account_that_exists_or_smth]

Honestly imo, the Martian design for this is more creative than the standard octopus designs. I mean, it’s not like evolution on Mars could have its master race looking like an octopus. Honestly it’s creative and it might fit Harryhousans design of an alien race able to create war machines or achieve space flight.

[@pupbenny]

Yeah, I agree tbh. It's one of the most unique and distinct looking aliens in film history, probably. Ironically this iconic monster was actually hurriedly put together in the 20 hours before filming, there's an interesting story about it I'm currently researching. :) Good point about it looking like it'd be able to actually make the machines too.

[@cml222444]

Dude ….. great and well thought out analysis…. Very interesting and enjoyable…. Carry on!

[@beckoning-chasm]

There was an episode of the TV series which showed one of the cobra machines with three legs. I think it was described as an "early model" or something, I don't remember as I saw it years ago. Also, I always thought the Martian that comes into the farmhouse in the 1953 film was their equivalent of an entomologist. "Hey guys, you checked with the camera, and it's safe down there, right? Mind if I see if can get some specimens?" When he showed up later with a bruise on his head they all laughed at him, but the commander said "Okay, fun's fun, but we've gotta blast that place now. Rules are rules." He then turned to the entomologist. "Billy, we keep telling you to be more careful."

[@Willie-tf7zr]

The first fight between the military and the aliens was absolutely brilliant. It was brutal.

[@cameronjim2983]

I ponder if the rays/beams the Tripods expel are at a specific frequency to pass through the shield no problem much like how a Butterfly’s wing does w/ light (how they seem to shimmer) and a regular old explosion from within is cupped within for that short moment.

[@jamiebell5084]

To me it’s obvious that the War Machine is a combination of the Martians’ most advanced technology and their most devastating weaponry. Whereas traditional Tripods are more multipurpose, the War Machines have only one purpose: seek and destroy.

[@dubuyajay9964]

10:30. "There is no overkill. Only fire and reload."-Old Soldier Axiom.

[@geosword6]

Those sound effects must've been reused more than anything else. Heard them in Star Trek, Scooby Doo and loads more. Think they're still used today as 'homages'.

[@shemp308]

If anyone is interested. I personally love and think there is absolutely no better story or video than the to me original 1953 with Gene Barry. There is one difference in the movie they come from mars and attack us. In the book, however, they are here already, and we are actually the aliens race.

[@juanisol8275]

Indeed! Personally one of the best cinematic re-interpretations of the Novel! Really, despite the changes, it captures that heartbreaking essence of sadistic Martian indifference and adding it with the brilliant scientific explanations of the time! Also incredible review! That would explain many things and I am excited for future reviews of this television series sequel and perhaps an analysis of the different interpretations of the invaders themselves: THE MARTIANS!!

[@tylerstocker6189]

I always thought of the blinking getting faster as the heat ray charging.

[@madcat789]

When I was a child, I always noticed one thing about the Martian War Machines - if you noticed, their shield allowed objects to pass through it. Grass. Bushes. Trees. Fences. It just absorbed it and allowed it through. Is it possible then that the shields are configured for fast moving projectiles? I always wondered, what if they had a man hiding beneath them in a trench or a dug out that they couldn't see, a trap door with a bazooka - wait to be within the shield, come up beneath, and fire directly upwards. Something else I noticed was during the Atomic Bomb scene. It wasn't just two, or three, but a an entire host of Marchine War Machines. Their shields had, seemingly from the perspective of the movie, fued together. Is it possible that the strenght of an atomic bomb _could_ have destroyed a few of those ships by itseslf, and thus, they had to combine their shields in order to witstand the force of an atomic explosion? The Algorithm did well this day. Subscribed indeed.

[@cthulhusmop]

17:58 Nice alliteration, though "Protective *Pavis*" would have been a better fit (a "Pavis" being a type of shield used to protect Archers & Crossbowmen - which, given the long range weaponry fitted to the War Machines, would be thematically 'on point').

[@pupbenny]

Ha, thank you! I hadn't heard of that word before, which is a shame because, as you said, that really would've fit so much better. Good to know, I'll have to keep it in mind. :)

[@mikecrawford1247]

If you watch the movie it also includes both the radio broadcast and novel as previous attempts at invasion theirs even an episode were the aliens dig up and reactivates a “tripod” machine from the radio broadcast

[@RobertGoldman-o2p]

The origanal was so well done. Especially when it wasn't our weapons that defeated them it was our immunity that they lacked that did them in.

[@ElCineHefe]

My Korean pedicurist told me that the blister and the ray were modulated out of phase so the energy can pass when one is off and the other is on, cycling at 5600mHz, which is why daylight may pass too but color shifts to green. But she's just a pedicurist, not a physicist.

[@ahchx861]

is also the scariest design ever!, when i saw that movie as a kid, the image of that neck and head raising behind a building was smashed in my mind until today.

[@Umbreona]

Technically they are not flying. They are "walking" on three force fields ,or more precisely, by quantum pinning three spots over and over. That is why they are so slow. You can see the projectors under the ships.

[@bradleypilch7422]

I'm wondering 2 things. I) Could the machines survive in water? 2) How long could they use their weapons before they ran out?

[@aerotyoe]

the fucking new zealand flag for a split second at 3:48 got me lmfao

[@GregPrice-ep2dk]

A version of these machines with actual legs would appear in the WoTW series from the 90s that is an official continuation of the storyline from the movie.

[@WilAdams]

Thanks for this video. As a SUPERFAN of both the 1953 film and the '88 series (especially the first episode which plays like a theatrical release), I can tell you that it is a terrific follow up to the film. The reason it works is A) we learn next to nothing about the actual aliens in the film so seeing that they have the ability to merge with our bodies easily fits within the realm of reasonable possibility and B) the series hews pretty close to the story in the film. The aliens are here to conquer the earth (but we find out that the aliens are in fact only the cannon fodder for a different (on the way) group of aliens and these aliens feel they MUST finish their mission before their masters arrive. The way in which the aliens are resurrected in the series is also believable. The second season was total trash since we had to sacrifice aliens we knew and (liked) who were relentless, in favor of aliens who liked to TALK.

[@davidslaughterii1401]

I am so glad that I came across your video. Having long been a fan of Pal's version of the story visually, I always thought the war machines looked terrifying, even more so than any version that has appeared in later film adaptations, although I'd give the 2019 BBC series' tripods would come in at a close second (as a favorite). They were sleek, beautiful, and indeed deadly, and while obviously alien, I think the decision to give this version of the war machines energy beams instead of legs truly makes them unrelatable to anything humans had come up with technologically at the time. As for the "blister" shield, I always considered it not unlike how energy weapons work in Star Trek, where a ship with its shields up can fire through their shields. In Star Trek Generations, it was pointed out that the frequency of the weapon had to exactly match that of the shield frequency. The war machines' weapons are set on the same frequency as their protective shielding, which only activates when something not on the same frequency, both internally and externally, makes contact with the programmed parameter. As for why the shields went up at the moment of Ironhorse's bombs aboard the vessels, which they activated before the explosion reached the parameter of the shield, I speculate that the craft's external skin could have the same trigger effect as a Venus flytrap, except instead of trigger hairs, it could be perhaps vibrations sensors. When the bombs detonate, the vibration sensors detected the internal explosion, thereby automatically activating the shields, thus once the explosion breaks through the exterior, the war machines have no way to disperse the explosive energy until the vehicle is completely destroy, resulting in the deactivation of the shield (which is why, after the shields vanish, the debris is expelled). If I may suggest, I would like to see you cover the tripod version that appeared in the 1988-1989 series episode, "Dust to Dust", as it appeared to be an early proto-version of the 1953 craft, perhaps even a scout from the time of H. G. Wells' original story..

[@justinelighthouse6047]

The heat ray sound is so 50,s

[@davidbaiker9732]

There were tripods on these machines. They were depicted as light rays and were only visible when they were under attack.

[@IronWarhorsesFun]

The 1953 Martian Hover tanks are actually really practical designs. Small compact, with a powerful turret/tentacle mounted main weapon and a pair of forward rapid fire weapons they feel very much like what a MBT would look like if it was designed by another species.

[@ferrydinther8488]

The heatray sound effect is used in duke nukem 3d's weapon the microwave expander

[@MA-iv7ol]

I think something that goes over the heads of modern day viewers of this movie is the fact that it was made at the height of the cold war. The very real possibility of nuclear war between the US and Russia was a non stop feature of American life at this time. Nuclear war effects featured into this movie very heavily. The heat ray was an atomic blast, the ships being atomic powered as evidenced by radiation being detected emanating from the meteor prior to the aliens emerging from it. Then there is the scene where the alien ship deploys it's heat ray against the three men that were watching over the meteor. The atomic blast created an EMP, the results being the lights going out in town, all of the watches the people were wearing and the sheriff's compass becoming magnetized and the old mans hearing aid being burnt out. These are all things that would happen during an actual nuclear detonation, coupled with the chilling music this made that scene stand out to me, it was a very well done bit of cinema. The design of ships are so much more menacing in this version of the movie than the goofy tripod things that came in more recent films. I realize the machines on stilts are true to the book but they just don't do it for me, I mean why not just trip the stupid things, lol. I just can't imagine why an advanced alien civilization would go through the trouble of building a cumbersome machine that walked around on stilts.

[@Alan-lv9rw]

Such a fun movie for a 10 year old to see in 1972.

[@trevorday7923]

Loved this movie for years, easily better than Spielberg's version. But what I want to know is why do NONE of the movie/TV adaptation show the scene in the original book when two tripods were destroyed by HMS Thunderchild?

[@pupbenny]

It would be really fantastic to see that scene realised faithfully some day. It is pretty crazy that literally none (that I'm aware of anyway) have fully tried to do it in the original manner.

[@brunozeigerts6379]

This is still one of my favourite SF movies. Still get a kick out of it. Fun Fact, the Star Trek photon torpedoes use the same sound effect as the skeleton beam. Which came from a Marlene Dietrich film where she lands on a mattress and produces that sound.

[@ToEuropa]

The Nozaki design was copied for a later movie called "Robinson Crusoe on Mars", though it was without the "lamppost" head, was painted entirely white without the window or skeleton beam emplacements, and had a beam weapon emitter under the craft. Not a bad movie. The detail is one of the great aspects of this movie, even in how the Martians attack. When the 1st trio are attacked, then hold their fire and assess the human weapons. Then they attack with rapid-fire deployment of all their weapons to attack the numerous available targets. Once the human forces are reduced, the Martian machines move slowly forward while slowing their fire to pinpoint remaining targets.

[@MoonjumperReviews]

Nicely done video. This is among my favorite sci-fi films, based on the first complete novel I ever read as a kid. The 1988 TV series actually follows the film’s continuity rather faithfully in its first season, as well as incorporating the Orson Welles radio show and the novel itself into its mythology. Unfortunately, the second season went off the rails with a new showrunner, Frank Mancuso, Jr. (Friday the 13th: The Series), who all but ignored everything established in the first season with a revamped show that was unrecognizable as the same series. I recently enjoyed rewatching the series on DVD, having not seem it since it aired over 30 years prior.

[@RedwoodTheElf]

There was a short lived TV series of War of the Worlds using this version of the aliens. The plot was that they hadn't actually died, but had gone into suspended animation, and are revived when radiation kills the bacteria in their bodies. In one episode, they manage to get their hands on a war machine.