The War of the Worlds (1953)

Directed by Byron Haskin
Written by Barré Lyndon, based on the novel by H.G. Wells
Starring Gene Barry, Sylvia Van Buren, Sandro Giglio and Lewis Martin

After a suspicious object lands just outside of Los Angeles, all of the citizens of nearby towns flock to go see what they believe to be a meteorite. But they soon discover that the object that crash landed in the hills is intact an alien spaceship. One of many sent to destroy life on Earth.

Undeniably way ahead of it's time, the 1953 adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic is certainly not as intense as it's 2005 counterpart. But it is a brilliant example of the ingenuity and creativity of it's generations filmmakers. Back before computers became the answer to all film making problems, miniature sets, props and special effects had to be imagined using limited resources.

While the film itself is not terribly horrifying and the performances were given at a time when very few people knew the difference between stage acting and film acting, it is definitely one of those movies that are impressive merely for it's age. To see how things were done before the age of Hundreds of millions of dollar budgets.

"I got no strings on me… oh wait"

I doubt many other types of people would enjoy this film. This is a true film buffs movie. I personally didn't watch it for the story. I've read and seen that story in a version specifically made so that Tom Cruise could run. This was exclusively out of interest into how they would pull it off. And from that standpoint, it was quite impressive.

My Rating: 6/10

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Written and Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Richard Dreyfus, Melinda Dillon, François Truffaut and Bob Balaban

After an encounter with U.F.O.s, a line worker feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area of the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

I know what you're thinking. "How have you not seen this, Mike?!" Don't be that guy. No one likes that guy. There are over a million movies in this world, and I have seen a great deal that you haven't. So cut me some slack, Jack!

Even 38 years later, this movie is still impressive, if not more so. The main thing I love about movies before CGI is the ingenuity people had to go through to get the shot they wanted. That was and is the brilliance of great film makers. These days it's easy to say "we'll use CGI" instead of creating a practical effect and that, to me is boring.

I think the main thing I loved about this film was just how different it is from all other alien contact movies. In an industry that shoves the fear of alien abductions down your throat at every chance they get, this was a movie that approached the idea of Extra-terrestrials not with fear, but with scientific curiosity. When every one could have turned and ran the other way, they all stood dumbfounded and intrigued.

…Dumbfounded…

I have never seen an alien encounter movie like this. They didn't even have the government try to capture them using excessive force. Just a little force. Nothing serious. It is truly unique and leaves you wanting to learn more about the visitors. Which is what I'm sure Spielberg was going for.

My Rating: 7/10