No other scifi story has ever affected America like "War of the Worlds." This H. G. Welles classic first aired on radio in 1938, creating panic in some parts of the country due to the fact that it was aired as if it were actually a series of news broadcasts. Many people believed for a time that we were truly under attack by Martians.
The movie deviates quite a bit from the original story, but it is nevertheless one of the all-time greatest science fiction movies. It's creepy and suspenseful, with plenty of action and some very good acting. The special effects were some of the best of the time period.
The story begins with an object falling from the sky in rural California, which of course attracts much attention. A scientist, Dr. Clayton Forrester (played by Gene Barry), who happened to be camping in the mountains helps to investigate.
Eventually a trio of men are left to watch over the object until morning, and everyone else leaves for the evening. It is late that night that the object begins to open. The men approach the object, and are killed by a mysterious energy beam.
The object continues to open, and eventually three large alien craft emerge from the crater. More of these objects continue to fall from the sky, each carrying three of the attack craft. The alien craft are unstoppable. All manner of weaponry is brought to bear upon them to no avail. Even atomic weapons are used. It seems that man is doomed.
How does it end? That would be telling! War of the Worlds can be found in most video rental stores, and can be purchased from a number of internet vendors. If you're a youngster and thinking that "old stuff" like this won't be as good as newer movies, you're in for a major surprise. Try War of the Worlds. You won't be disappointed.
It's also worth noting that the popular sci-fi movie "Independence Day" is basically a good-natured rip-off of War of the Worlds. The plots are very similar, and note the resemblance between Jeff Goldblum (the "cable guy" in ID4) and Gene Barry's character in W.O.W. In both movies our military is surprised by the presence of energy shields, our jets get their butts kicked, and nukes are tried without success. In ID4, Goldblum's father (Judd Hirsch) is a backsliding Rabbi. In W.O.W. Ann Robinson (Barry's love interest) has a Catholic priest for a dad. The similarities are endless. The major difference? W.O.W. is a much better movie.