Science-fiction adventure, starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. With their civilisation on the verge of extinction, the Martians scan the solar system and conclude that only the Earth is fit for colonisation. The human race faces its greatest challenge as a Martian invasion force is launched.
Although it never comes close to reproducing the panic generated by Orson Welles's famous 1938 radio broadcast, this is a splendid version of HG Wells's sci-fi classic. When the "meteor" that lands in southern California turns out to be the mothership of a Martian invasion, the governments of the world unleash their most potent weapons in a counterproductive attempt to stem the tide of destruction. The miraculous deliverance is clumsily staged, but it scarcely matters. Director Byron Haskin enhances the impact of Gordon Jennings's Oscar-winning special effects by ensuring that his extras convey a genuine sense of terror as civilisation collapses around them.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Dr Clayton Forrester | Gene Barry |
| Sylvia Van Buren | Ann Robinson |
| General Mann | Les Tremayne |
| Doctor Pryor | Robert Cornthwaite |
| Doctor Bilderbeck | Sandro Giglio |
| Pastor Collins | Lewis Martin |
| Wash Perry | William Phipps |
| Alonzo Hogue | Paul Birch |
| Narrator | Cedric Hardwicke |
| Sheriff Bogany | Walter Sande |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Byron Haskin |
