Back to trending
The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds

Science Fiction · Action · 1953

The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.

Movie details

The War of the Worlds

“Mighty panorama of Earth-shaking fury as an army from Mars invades!”

1953 Science Fiction · Action 1h 25m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.0 / 10

41.1K votes

Metacritic

78 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The War of the Worlds?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Moonraker

Moonraker

Action · 1979

After Drax Industries' Moonraker space shuttle is hijacked, secret agent James Bond is assigned to investigate, traveling to California to meet the company's owner, the mysterious Hugo Drax. With the help of scientist Dr. Holly Goodhead, Bond soon uncovers Drax's nefarious plans for humanity, all the while fending off an old nemesis, Jaws, and venturing to Venice, Rio, the Amazon...and even outer space.

The Time Machine

The Time Machine

Sci-fi · 2002

Hoping to alter the events of the past, a 19th-century inventor instead travels 800,000 years into the future, where he finds mankind divided into two warring races.

Moonfall

Moonfall

Sci-fi · 2022

A mysterious force knocks the moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it.

The Host

The Host

Action · 2013

A parasitic alien soul is injected into the body of Melanie Stryder. Instead of carrying out her race's mission of taking over the Earth, "Wanda" (as she comes to be called) forms a bond with her host and sets out to aid other free humans.

Star Trek

Star Trek

Sci-fi · 2009

The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk, is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock, a Vulcan, was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before. The human adventure has begun again.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Adventure · 2017

In the 28th century, Valerian and Laureline are special operatives charged with keeping order throughout the human territories. On assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two undertake a mission to Alpha, an ever-expanding metropolis where species from across the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence, and cultures. At the center of Alpha is a mysterious dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

John Carter

John Carter

Action · 2012

John Carter is a war-weary, former military captain who's inexplicably transported to the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars) and reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict. It's a world on the brink of collapse, and Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds

Adventure · 2005

Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son and young daughter for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.

Rim of the World

Rim of the World

Sci-fi · 2019

Stranded at a summer camp when aliens attack the planet, four teens with nothing in common embark on a perilous mission to save the world.

Allegiant

Allegiant

Adventure · 2016

Beatrice Prior and Tobias Eaton venture into the world outside of the fence and are taken into protective custody by a mysterious agency known as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Byron Haskin

Written by

Barré Lyndon

Gene Barry

Gene Barry

Clayton Forrester

Ann Robinson

Ann Robinson

Sylvia Van Buren

Lewis Martin

Lewis Martin

Matthew Collins

Les Tremayne

Les Tremayne

General Mann

Frank Kreig

Frank Kreig

Fiddler Hawkins (uncredited)

Vernon Rich

Vernon Rich

Ralph Heffner

Sandro Giglio

Sandro Giglio

Dr. Bilderbeck

Court is in session

Put The War of the Worlds on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.