Too bad about the wooden cast, the tackily conventional romance, and a draggy religious message; but at least, given the time it was made, it isn't imbued with Cold War hysteria.
Comment
01/26/06
The War of the Worlds (1953)
84
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:25
Fresh:21
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: Though it's dated in spots, The War of the Worlds retains an unnerving power, updating H.G. Wells' classic sci-fi tale to the Cold War era and featuring some of the best special effects of any 1950s film.
Runtime: 88 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: H. G. Wells' sci-fi classic about the invasion of Planet Earth by aggressive creatures from Mars. Arriving in green-glowing spaceships shaped like metallic stingrays, the Martians blast their... [More]
Starring: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne, Jack Kruschen
Director: Byron Haskin
Reviews for The War of the Worlds
Top CriticThough it's bogged down by a stiff cast, a yawn-inspiring conventional romance, and a sappy religiosity, it remains a landmark in the history of special effects.
06/08/07
Top CriticMind those heat rays!
10/31/06
Top CriticWell, it's not called a classic for nothing.
03/18/03
No review available.
05/14/04
This is vintage Cold War-era sci-fi, and one of the best films in the genre.
01/25/05
No review available.
10/06/05
As the perfect crystallization of 50s ideology the film would be fascinating enough, but the special effects in this 1953 George Pal production also achieve a kind of dark, burnished apocalyptic beauty.
06/08/07
A half-century after its creation, the film's best moments are still so enjoyably unnerving that they easily carry a viewer through the necessary but inevitably dated exposition.
12/06/05
Top CriticA classic that should be seen by anyone who really likes genre of science fiction in the cinema.
01/01/00
No review available.
07/23/05
This is an imminently watchable film -- better than many other B-grade science fiction films with similar themes of alien invasion.
01/01/00
This version has more soul than the remake.
12/02/05
No review available.
07/26/02
For a movie that already succeeded in scaring the Grape Nehi out of every ten-year-old in the audience, how disquieting it must have been for the Cold War-agitated grownups to witness U.S. might, tanks and A-bombs alike, brushed away helpless...
04/05/06
No review available.
04/30/03
A great Cold War re-imagining of Welles' classic tale.
10/03/02
No review available.
07/27/02
classic
03/02/08
Definitely a sci-fi classic from the 1950s...great George Pal effects.
02/22/08
Latest News for The War of the Worlds
July 03, 2006:
Box Office Wrapup: "Superman Returns" to Top of Charts
The Man of Steel conquered the North American box office this weekend as the super hero adventure Superman Returns claimed the number one spot over the pre-Independence Day... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds