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Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Good Movies  |  The War of the Worlds (1953) « previous next »
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Author Topic: The War of the Worlds (1953)  (Read 11777 times)
threnody
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Meow


« on: January 16, 2008, 03:36:33 AM »

I watched this film when I was about 10-years-old, and it frightened me. I still shiver when I think about it. The remake - with Tom Cruise - made me jump a few times, but the aliens weren't creepy. It will never compare to the impression that the original left on me.

What I find strange is that this version was released the same year as the Steven Spielberg version. The former was pretty boring, though the fried skeletons looked really cool. That's about it.
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soylentgreen
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« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2008, 08:17:40 PM »

I'll tell you....watching the '53 version while growing up, I was always spooked by that great moment when Ann Robinson catches the glimpse of the martian trotting by.  It's an effective approach that I've seen repeated dozens of times in films over the last half century.  It almost never fails.

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trekgeezer
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We're all just victims of circumstance


« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2008, 08:58:14 AM »

There were actually two other versions made in 2005, the one with C. Thomas Howell which was made by cheapo studio The Asylum and shown on the SciFi Channel.

The other version was period movie  made by a guy named Timothy Hines and is a mind numbing three hour horror and not talking about the contents of the movie I'm talking about watching the movie.  It supposedly had a budget between 20 and 40 million (depending on who you believe), but it had some CG in it that looked like they were using animatics instead of finished FX.  They probably spent most of the money on the lead characters shoes because I swear 45 minutes of the movie was the guy just walking up and down the same road.  I actually fast forwarded through a good bit of the movie.

It was really a let down because quite a few of us were looking forward to the film. It was supposed to be released at theaters, but it ended up going direct to DVD at Walmart for $8.

Here's the IMDB page.  Watch it at your own risk. If you don't believe me ask Burgomaster how bad it is.

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threnody
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Meow


« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2008, 11:35:06 PM »

Thanks for the warning, lol. Perhaps I'll just avoid watching it altogether, though my curiosity may get the better of me.

I find it bizarre that three different versions were released in 2005. You think they could have spaced them out a little, or found new ideas. Very weird.
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trekgeezer
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We're all just victims of circumstance


« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2008, 07:24:21 PM »

The Asylum is well known for paralleling big release movies, ie when Snakes of a Plane came out, they released Snakes on a Train. 

By the way, I really liked C. Thomas Howell's acting in War of the Worlds, but it didn't save the movie from it's cheap effects budget.
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BoyScoutKevin
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« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2008, 08:00:22 PM »

Produced by George Pal. Nothing more needs to be said.
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Oldskool138
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WWW
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2008, 08:01:40 PM »

Mars Attacks! was better.

(kidding)
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peter johnson
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« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2008, 01:25:17 AM »

We did a recreation of the 1937 CBS radio broadcast of the book --
We had the cops coming in in the middle & the ordered messages designed to assuage panic, etc. etc. -- the whole nine yards just as Orson did it --
I did 4 characters & played Theremin for the spooky Martians/heat rays & etc.
The thing has power even as a staged radio show -- quite a work --
peter crane/denny johnson
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akiratubo
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« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2008, 07:45:47 AM »

This version struck the perfect balance between plot and blowing stuff up.  I'm not sure any other movie has done that so well.
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Kooshmeister
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Must have caffeine...


« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2008, 06:37:06 PM »

My friend Jessica had seen, and hated, the Tom Cruise version, and never known there was in fact an original, so I asked her to give it a chance. She said okay and wound up liking it a lot better than the remake. Same thing with The Poseidon Adventure: hated the version made recently but wound up loving the 70's one with Gene Hackman after I showed it to her.
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Jack
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« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2008, 08:48:20 PM »

The original version has always been a favorite of mine.  No matter how many times I've seen it, I can always watch it again if I happen across it channel surfing.  The remake, eh, I've seen worse.  The first 15 minutes was really cool, but that was about it.  I don't think I managed to sit through that version by The Asylum.  Odd, I usually like their movies quite a bit, but that one was a huge disappointment.  I don't even care about special effects, just have something happen every once in a while for chrissakes.

I also read the book a while back, I didn't think much of it to tell you the truth.  You get halfway through the story and then it switches to another character, and he basically goes through the exact same thing the first character went through. 
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Allhallowsday
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Either he's dead or my watch has stopped!


« Reply #11 on: January 27, 2008, 01:09:08 AM »

Great movie.  I like the part where ANN ROBINSON has the alien hand touch her shoulder, suction cups and all...
I also like the part where they chop the alien probe with the axe and it bleeds... there in the church at the very end we watch the unstoppable Martian machines "stop" in slow-mo crashes,  GENE BARRY takes a Martian pulse and SIR CEDRIC HARDWICKE advises of the Martian frailty to our common microbes...   
BounceGiggle Cheers Lookingup Drink Twirling BounceGiggle Smile  The first version is terrific. 
Okay, though it had a few very powerful moments, and I really liked all the flags waving on TOM CRUISE's street, and was riveted by the first half, by the second half I was put off.  The SPIELBERG version bites weenie.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2008, 02:37:21 AM by Allhallowsday » Logged

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CoreyHeldpen
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I think these komodos need to leave this cruise.


« Reply #12 on: March 05, 2008, 08:50:45 PM »

I love the 50s version- really the only bad thign that can be said about it is that the wires holding the Martian war machines up can occasionally be seen. Other than that its about perfection.

Now the Spielburg version... Don't even get me started on that one. I just about fell asleep half-way through  hot
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The Burgomaster
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« Reply #13 on: March 06, 2008, 12:04:01 AM »

Watch it at your own risk. If you don't believe me ask Burgomaster how bad it is.

"This movie doth stink like rotting fish."  And thus spake the Burgomaster.  (And I'm referring to the dreadful Timothy Hines version, NOT the 1953 classic!)
« Last Edit: March 16, 2008, 02:43:25 PM by The Burgomaster » Logged

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InvisibleFear666
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« Reply #14 on: March 16, 2008, 09:25:53 AM »

I love this movie! It really didn't scare me when I was little, but that's what happens when your 4 and you've seen THE EXORCIST.
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