YMMV / The War of the Worlds (1953)

• Alternate Character Interpretation: The aliens may have only attacked the welcoming party and started the invasion altogether because of the white flag they were waving. While waving the white flag does indicate peaceful intentions, it has a far more common alternate meaning that you would NOT want a potentially violent alien race to assume: SURRENDER.
• Fridge Logic: One of the first characters to be disintegrated in the 1953 film claims that they are Martians because Mars is currently at its closest approach in years. Other characters also assume this as the basis for where they come from, later on in the film. While this is true, no-one ever questions that this is only an assumption.
• Genius Bonus: General Mann says he hasn't seen Dr. Forrester since Oak Ridge, indicating that they both worked on the Manhattan Project.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • The creators of Mystery Science Theater 3000 swiped the name Dr. Clayton Forrester from the film's hero, and their Dr. Forrester is now by far the one more associated with the name. So watching the film in a post-MST3K world can be an odd experience.
  • The Martians' "skeleton rays" are eerily reminiscent of the Daleks' blast-guns, especially as they appeared in "Remembrance of the Daleks".
  • Speaking of which, disintegrators appeared in a certain unauthorized sequel albeit in the hands of the heroes.
• Narm: The Martian that Dr. Forrester and Sylvia encounter in the farmhouse. Why? Not because of its appearance but because it Screams Like a Little Girl.
• Special Effects Failure: The movie's special effects were incredible for the time and they still hold up. However, when watching on an HD TV you can quite clearly see the strings holding up the alien crafts. This was eventually corrected with the 2018 restoration of the film. The wires holding up and operating the war machines can now barely be seen, even when you know where to look for them.
• What Do You Mean, It's Not Political?: The 1953 film depicts the nations of the world fighting the Martians. All except the Soviet Union, and since this was the Cold War, many assume the Martians are meant to be an allegory for communism.
• Ugly Cute: The single eye of the Martian creature, with red, blue and green segments, looks rather like a surprised face◊.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: The film won an Oscar for them.

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