_**Clark Kent & Lois Lane face an invasion of Martians!**_

A flaming meteor lands near a small town in rural California, yet it turns out it’s not really a meteor, but rather the beginning of an extraterrestrial invasion!

“The War of the Worlds” (1953) loosely interprets H.G. Wells' classic 1898 novel and moves the events up to the mid-20th century wherein Earthlings have modern weapons at their disposal, including the atomic bomb.

Gene Barry and Ann Robinson play the protagonists, who are seriously reminicent of Clark Kent & Lois Lane. The movie wisely focuses on the alien invasion as seen through their eyes, which naturally gives the story human interest. The Martian vessels are superbly depicted and very threatening. Even better, the flick doesn’t skimp on showing the aliens up-close-and-personal and they’re even better than those in the 2005 reimagining (the one with Tom Cruise).

While the first two acts are compelling sci-fi cinema of the highest order (in its quaint early 50’s way), the story somewhat loses it’s captivating power in the last act when the story switches to Earth vs. the Martians and Clark, I mean Dr. Forrester, stumbling around post-apocalyptic Los Angeles desperately searching for Lois, I mean Sylvia.

The film runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in Southern Cal & Arizona.

GRADE: A-/B+