Live Life Team
Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy
Director: Byron Haskin
Starring Cast: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne
Aliens from Mars attempt to inhabit Earth by way of invasion and the total obliteration of the human race. When the military demonstrate they cannot cope alone, a cluster of Californian scientists fight against the odds to find a way out.
A small town in America’s Midwest is now the destination of the first Martian spacecraft, and a scientist caught in the middle of a fishing trip becomes the new saviour. Though this is an unlikely scenario, it works for this particular story.
Given the subject matter and the timing, you could expect “War of the Worlds” to be a standard bearer of 1950’s Cold War terror films, but it tries at times to persuade the viewer otherwise. There are numerous references to nations uniting against a universal enemy, with intelligence exchanged between countries. Although no communist nations are apparent in the alliance that forms, the degree of our understanding of other nations within the story is rare for the point in time, as are shots of global landmarks being destroyed. The US military is cast as hopelessly inadequate, and its gluttonous, self-centred people wipe out the best hope for survival. It is scarcely propaganda cinema.
As a result, it’s easier to enjoy the movie on its own rather than as part of a political fear story. The lead characters are charismatic and convincing, whereas the special effects are striking, presenting a hoard of extraterrestrial craft and huge conflicts. It is a true sci-fi classic, and one that everyone can enjoy.
