Search - The War of the Worlds on DVD

S.D. S. (jamgypsy) from FROSTBURG, MD
Reviewed on 11/8/2010...

This is not the 2005 Steven Spielberg version that I thought it was. The story line is all in a "breaking news" format and is somewhat cheesy. However, this 3-disc set does contain interesting footage of real Mars exploration and an audio CD of the original "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast.

Saw a Preview

Gloria Lum | 11/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've seen a preview of this disk set. It's not your run-of-the-mill docu.

First, there is a 60-minute "docudrama" in which a network newscrew and in-studio anchor witness the invasion of Earth by Martians. The acting is (mostly) quite good, lots of mystery and old-fashioned tension. No special effects to speak of. It's a bit of theater, with one FX shot to pay off at the end. Fun.

Then there is "Ms. Intergalactic..." Hard to know how to summarize this. About 20 minutes, a funny (sometimes very much so) comic piece about an intergalactic beauty pageant. Unfortunately, the contestants are clips from old monster movies, so no booty-call for the men in the audience. But's it's a fun thing to watch.

Then there are the obligatory 90 minutes of Mars science film (courtesy of NASA), and finally a mini-doc about the Jeff Wayne muscial version, with some interviews with sci-fi fans before and after (these people, obviously at an SF convention, are almost as scary as the musical version of the WOTW!).

Altogether a lot of fun, but if you are expecting a traditional doc it's probably wiser to go with the others listed here by Goldhil, etc."