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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

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

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.

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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.

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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

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First Men in the Moon

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John Carter

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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.