AllMovie

The War of the Worlds is neither a new adaptation of H.G. Wells' sci-fi opus nor a single documentary on the novel and its spin-offs. Instead, it contains a compilation of materials loosely related to Wells' original novel. Of the four programs herein, the first is a riveting and suspenseful hour-long theatrical docudrama, set in a single locale -- a TV news station -- during a Martian invasion of Earth; the second sequence, "Ms. Intergalactic," does a sci-fi spoof of beauty pageants, cutting humorously to a clip from B-budget Hollywood monster movies each time a new "contestant" is introduced; the third component is a 90-minute program of NASA footage related to the Earth's planned exploration of Mars; and -- finally -- the release features a short documentary about Jeff Wayne's musical adaptation of Wells' novel, alongside interviews with fans.