A small town in California is attacked by Martians, beginning a worldwide invasion.
We find out if the stars of Someone Great are guilty or not guilty of some of our favorite breakup movie tropes.
Related News
-
‘War of the Worlds’ Series Coming From Fox Europe and Africa, Canal Plus
20 July 2018 | Variety -
Fox Networks Group Teams With Canal+ On Modern Day Remake Of H.G Wells’ ‘War Of The Worlds’
20 July 2018 | Deadline -
BBC Unveils First Look At Drama Slate Featuring John Malkovich’s ‘The ABC Murders’ & HBO Co-Pro ‘Gentleman Jack’
15 July 2018 | Deadline
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The War of the Worlds (1953)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
Drama
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Robert Wise
Stars:
Michael Rennie,
Patricia Neal,
Hugh Marlowe
Forbidden Planet
(1956)
Action
|
Adventure
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Fred M. Wilcox
Stars:
Walter Pidgeon,
Anne Francis,
Leslie Nielsen
The Time Machine
(1960)
Adventure
|
Romance
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
George Pal
Stars:
Rod Taylor,
Alan Young,
Yvette Mimieux
Them!
(1954)
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Gordon Douglas
Stars:
James Whitmore,
Edmund Gwenn,
Joan Weldon
The Thing from Another World
(1951)
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Directors:
Christian Nyby,
Howard Hawks
Stars:
Kenneth Tobey,
Margaret Sheridan,
James Arness
Drama
|
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Don Siegel
Stars:
Kevin McCarthy,
Dana Wynter,
Larry Gates
The Blob
(1958)
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Directors:
Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.,
Russell S. Doughten Jr.
Stars:
Steve McQueen,
Aneta Corsaut,
Earl Rowe
When Worlds Collide
(1951)
Action
|
Sci-Fi
|
Thriller
Director:
Rudolph Maté
Stars:
Richard Derr,
Barbara Rush,
Peter Hansen
It Came from Outer Space
(1953)
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Jack Arnold
Stars:
Richard Carlson,
Barbara Rush,
Charles Drake
Invaders from Mars
(1953)
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
William Cameron Menzies
Stars:
Helena Carter,
Arthur Franz,
Jimmy Hunt
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
(1956)
Action
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Fred F. Sears
Stars:
Hugh Marlowe,
Joan Taylor,
Donald Curtis
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Gene Barry | ... | Dr. Clayton Forrester | |
| Ann Robinson | ... | Sylvia Van Buren | |
| Les Tremayne | ... | Maj. Gen. Mann | |
| Robert Cornthwaite | ... | Dr. Pryor (as Bob Cornthwaite) | |
 |
Sandro Giglio | ... | Dr. Bilderbeck |
|
|
Lewis Martin | ... | Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins |
|
|
Houseley Stevenson Jr. | ... | Gen. Mann's Aide (as Housely Stevenson Jr.) |
| Paul Frees | ... | Second Radio Reporter / Opening Announcer | |
| William Phipps | ... | Wash Perry (as Bill Phipps) | |
|
|
Vernon Rich | ... | Col. Ralph Heffner |
| Henry Brandon | ... | Cop at Crash Site | |
| Jack Kruschen | ... | Salvatore | |
| Cedric Hardwicke | ... | Commentary (voice) (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke) | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
H.G. Wells' classic novel is brought to life in this tale of alien invasion. The residents of a small town in California are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills. Their joy is tempered somewhat when they discover that it has passengers who are not very friendly. Written by KC Hunt <khunt@eng.morgan.edu>
Taglines:
The original invasion! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
26 August 1953 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Kampf der Welten See more »Filming Locations:
Westminster Presbyterian Church - 1757 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$2,000,000 (estimated)Gross USA:
$4,360,000Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
3 Channel Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (5.0) (L-R)Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
Edit
Radio Reporter: [voiceover] In the First World War, and for the first time in the history of man, nations combined to fight against nations using the crude weapons of those days. The Second World War involved every continent on the globe, and men turned to science for new devices of warfare, which reached an unparalleled peak in their capacity for destruction. And now, fought with the terrible weapons of super-science, menacing all mankind and every creature on the Earth comes the War of the Worlds.
See more »
(uncredited)
Written by Zip Wilson
Performed by Zip Wilson
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Although there is a lot of religious symbolism in the movie, H.G. Wells was a noted agnostic. See more »Goofs
In the farmhouse sequence, when Sylvia is cooking the eggs, the coffee pot is placed on the back left burner of the stove. When Clayton reaches for it a second later, it has moved to the right burner. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Radio Reporter: [voiceover] In the First World War, and for the first time in the history of man, nations combined to fight against nations using the crude weapons of those days. The Second World War involved every continent on the globe, and men turned to science for new devices of warfare, which reached an unparalleled peak in their capacity for destruction. And now, fought with the terrible weapons of super-science, menacing all mankind and every creature on the Earth comes the War of the Worlds.
See more »
Alternate Versions
As of 2018, a 4K ultra high resolution edition has been made available on streaming services such as iTunes. This version features new replacements for many of the film's original sound effects, with the jarring result that the sound effects have fidelity far above that of surrounding dialogue in the film. See more »Connections
Referenced in Everything Wrong with...: Everything Wrong with Battleship in 6 Minutes or Less (2013) See more »Soundtracks
Flop-Eared Mule (Without Calls)(uncredited)
Written by Zip Wilson
Performed by Zip Wilson
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
See more »Contribute to This Page
On IMDb Freedive, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Explore popular movies available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
HG Wells' futuristic novel responds well to the Technicolor splashed on it in this 50s B classic. Gene Barry over emotes in the lead now and then but the martian invasion is handled very well and the tension rises to the final scenes where the surviving populace huddle in the church as the buildings crash and burn around them.
'War of the Worlds' deserves its place as both a highly regarded novel and a well-remembered movie. Byron Haskin and George Pal did a great job in visualising the apocalyptic bits of Wells' text, while still making the end result enjoyable and interesting for the viewer.
Recommended for fans of intellectualised science fiction.