I have loved "The War of the Worlds" ever since I was a kid, from the H.G. Well's novel to the Orson Wells' Mercury Theater On the Air panic piece to George Pal/Bryon Haskins' Oscar-winning hit to Jeff Wayne's acclaimed, musical version to Steven Spielberg's 2005 blockbuster reimagining. (I also appreciate those crafty variants, like "Invaders from Mars '53/'86", "The Mysterians", "Earth vs the Flying Saucers" and "ID4".)
Now comes one of two, new versions of Well's fable: the initial delivered by EPIX, in connection with Fox and StudioCanal. (The other adaptation is Victorian based and served via BBC 1). The EPIX edition will depict modern Europe's fall to the Martians within eight chapters, starring Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth McGovern, Lea Drucker, Adel Bencherif, Natasha Little, among other fine performers.
Unfortunately, the series' trailer doesn't show much: no Martians crawling out of cylinders, no War Machines (tripods or otherwise) or Heat Rays blasting cities, though I suspect such elements will appear. This version premiered in France during Oct '19, so one would presume more imagery would have seeped through by this time. Oh, well. (Perhaps this remake's monstrous manifestations will be more in sync with Fox's '80s series, where post-apocalyptic espionage became the motif.)
As a lifelong fan, I'm damn curious about this edition, and because of my devotion, I want it to be damn good. I probably have nothing to fret about, since the show's inherent premise should more than carry the load.
EPIX's "War of the Worlds" lands Feb 16th.
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