Review of The War of the Worlds (1953) by Paul D — 11 Apr 2011

I enjoyed this much more than the Tom Cruise version. Yes, they take severe liberties with the book adaptation. Yes, the acting is pretty bad and the beginning with the line dancing and "jeepers!" dialogue is pretty laughable.

Somehow though, the tension and excitement so often lacking in such films, comes through. Even the 'tripods' not having any legs, were still pretty scary and menacing. I like the metallic rattlesnake sound and the heat ray effects, which, although they look very 1950s, still have some sort of potency.

For me, the only thing really 'wrong' with it, is the anticlimactic ending, which is true of all versions, but seems even more sudden in this version. Abruptly, the film ceased.