H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds (The Asylum film)
| H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Genre |
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| Based on | The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells |
| Written by |
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| Directed by | David Michael Latt |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Ralph Rieckermann |
| Country of origin | United States Japan |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | David Michael Latt |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Production company | The Asylum |
| Budget | $1 million |
| Original release | |
| Network | Sci Fi Channel |
| Release | June 28, 2005 |
H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, also known as Invasion and H. G. Wells' The Worlds in War internationally, or simply as War of the Worlds, is a 2005
A contemporary translation of the novel set in the United States, War of the Worlds tells of an
The DVD was released on June 28, one day before DreamWorks' film, and stars
Plot
On the surface of
Despite rumors that D.C. has suffered some of the worst of the invasion thus far, George moves onward and meets with Sgt. Kerry Williams, the last remaining member of his squad. George and Williams meet with Samuelson, a power-mad lieutenant with unrealistic notions of resistance against the invaders, who rejects them as cowards. In Hopewell, the walkers launch a heavy insurrection and Matt dies in the trail of destruction. George and Williams are separated in the battle. A pastor, Victor, finds George and describes his belief that the invasion is a form of the
The two seek refuge in the abandoned house of a veterinarian for food and medicine when the neighborhood is flattened by another meteorite, trapping them in the ruins. George observes the aliens harvesting humans while Victor becomes despondent, rejecting his faith. George finds rabies vaccines and plans to use it against the aliens. George successfully injects a curious alien, only for it to kill Victor and leave. Days later, the aliens vanish and George continues his journey on foot to D.C.. George reunites with Williams and a deranged Samuelson, who has given himself a battlefield promotion. Samuelson senselessly murders Williams, and George in turn murders Samuelson.
George finally reaches D.C., which is completely destroyed. George becomes suicidal until he finds that the aliens have all died, having no immunity to a human virus. George finds Felicity and Alex alive among the few human survivors.
Cast
- C. Thomas Howell as Dr. George Herbert
- Andy Laueras Sgt. Kerry Williams
- Rhett Giles as Pastor Victor
- Tinarie Van Wyk-Lootsas Felicity Herbert
- Jake Busey as Lt./General Samuelson
- Peter Greene as Matt Herbert
- Dashiell Howell as Alex Herbert
- Edward DeRuiter as Max
Adapting the novel
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2023) |
Director/editor/executive producer/co-writer
The aliens are indeed Martians (though the film never states this, it is suggested as an opening credit sequence uses shots of the Red Planet's landscape), but they bear little resemblance to their novel's counterparts. Whereas Wells described his invaders as bear-sized tentacled creatures, the film's Martians are insect-like with four tentacle-like legs. These aliens also have the ability to spit acid from their feet, which melts anything. At the end of the legs three tongue-like appendages closely resemble the Martian fingers from Byron Haskin's 1953 film version of The War of the Worlds and the 1988 television series version.
The war machines are
The protagonist is George Herbert, a reference to H. G. Wells.[3] Rather than being a writer, as in the novel, he is an astronomer. The film leaves the eve of the war storyline and its characters almost completely absent. He also has a son, who is portrayed by Dashiell Howell, who is actually the son of George's actor C. Thomas Howell.
Despite these differences, George goes through much of what befalls the novel's protagonist, even in sacrificing himself to the Martians, only for them to drop dead of infection. He is also separated from his family and tries to reunite with them once the invasion begins, As in the novel, they are alive at the conclusion. George's brother, a Ranger, is less fortunate; he is seen only briefly after being fatally wounded in an attack by the invaders. In the book, the narrator's brother takes up a major narrative role.
A major deviation from the text is that the protagonist actually tries to produce a means of stopping the Martians, but whether or not he is directly responsible for their downfall is ambiguous. There is a theme of disease throughout - George's son is seen suffering from a mild cold, while George himself suffers from a major fever which leaves him incapacitated for two days.
The novel's Artilleryman is divided into two characters. The first, Kerry Williams, exhibits the defeated status. He accompanies George as they move to unaffected areas, meeting soldiers oblivious to the danger they will soon face, until they become separated when George takes refuge underwater to evade the Martians. After his ordeal in the ruined house, George encounters the same defeatist Williams again. Instead, the other personality, portrayed in the novel's later stages, is Lt. Samuelson.
The novel's unnamed Curate is Victor in the film. While the two are very similar, Victor, a priest, is optimistic and is sure that the invasion is the Rapture. However, his faith is deeply shaken when he meets a congregant who screams against God for the loss of her family, causing Victor to question why he himself has yet to be taken. Unlike the Curate, Victor keeps his composure when he is trapped in the ruined house as he wrestles with his thoughts. Where the Curate had to be subdued in the novel, Victor regains his faith just before he is killed by the Martians.
The film includes homages to the 1953 film. The aliens' hands deliberately resemble those of the Martians of the 1953 film, and the protagonists of each film both actively try to weaken the aliens, another deviation from the novel.
Reception
Felix Vasquez Jr. of Cinema Crazed wrote: "It really says something that it took three writers to produce such a piece of junk."[4] Everything Action states that the movie generally follows the outline of Wells' book, but found that the movie is not worth watching as it tries too hard to be taken seriously.[5]
Scott Weinberg of DVDTalk.com gave it 3 out of 5 and wrote: "As direct-to-video sci-fi goes, this particular War of the Worlds version is a perfectly entertaining little diversion. If you just love the Alien Invasion stories, you could certainly do a whole lot worse. In fact, you probably have within the past year alone."[6]
Sequel
On April 1, 2008, a sequel,
See also
- War of the Worlds, Steven Spielberg's 2005 blockbuster which is also a contemporary adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel.
- H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, a more faithful, lower-budget film adaptation of the novel.
- The Day the Earth Stopped, another Asylum film starring C. Thomas Howell that features an invasion by extraterrestrials.
- List of works based on The War of the Worlds
References
- ^ Breihan, Tom (October 10, 2012). "Mockbuster video". Grantland.com. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
- ^ "DAVID LATT: WARRIOR OF THE WAR OF THE WORLDS Interviews, Uncategorized Film Threat". July 8, 2005. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Herbert George Welles Biography". European Graduate School. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
- ^ Felix (2006). "H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005) |". Cinema-Crazed.com.
- ^ Zach (August 3, 2013). "Enter the Asylum: HG Wells' War of the Worlds".
- ^ Scott Weinberg (June 28, 2005). "DVD Talk". www.dvdtalk.com.
External links
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