The War of the Worlds
by H. G. Wellsliterary work· published 1897
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The ultimate science fiction classic: for more than one hundred years, this compelling tale of the Martian invasion of Earth has enthralled readers with a combination of imagination and incisive commentary on the imbalance of power that continues to be relevant today. The style is revolutionary for its era, employing a sophisticated first and third person account of the events which is both personal and focused on the holistic downfall of Earth's society. The Martians, as evil, mechanical and unknown a threat they are, remain daunting in today's society, where, despite technology's mammoth advances, humanity's hegemony over Earth is yet to be called into question.
Adaptations (15)
The War of the Worlds has been adapted 15 times, across film, television series, television film, and miniseries, from 1953 to 2025. The most recent is War of the Worlds (2025).
The War of the Worlds1953 · film · 87 min · dir. Byron Haskin · IMDb ↗IMDb7.078MetacriticThe residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.
The War of the Worlds: Next Century1981 · film · 96 min · dir. Piotr Szulkin · IMDb ↗IMDb6.9Poland, Christmastime. A band of hyperintelligent, bloodthirsty Martians take over the country and enlist hapless television newscaster Iron Idem as the voice of their propaganda machine. But when Iron dares to go off message, he makes an enemy even greater than the aliens—the state itself.
War of the Worlds1988 · television series · 45 min · IMDb ↗IMDb6.6Humanity must resume its war against the Martians when they revive after decades of hibernation following their defeat in the 1950s. The fate of Earth may very well rest in the hands of a small yet courageous band: astrophysicist Harrison Blackwood, paraplegic computer wizard Norton Drake, microbiologist Suzanne McCullough and military man Paul Ironhorse.
H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds2005 · film · 93 min · dir. David Michael Latt · IMDb ↗IMDb3.3In this modern retelling of H.G. Wells' classic sci-fi horror, civilization is laid to ruin when a super race of aliens invades Earth. In a blink of an eye, massive "walkers" cover the planet, annihilating all in their path. As cities crumble and human flesh is ripped from the bone, one man struggles to find the one weapon that will turn the tide for mankind.
War of the Worlds2005 · film · 117 min · dir. Steven Spielberg · IMDb ↗Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son and young daughter for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.
War of the Servers2007 · film · 100 min · dir. Robert Stoneman · IMDb ↗IMDb7.1When strange beings called Mingebags invade the servers of the popular game Garry's Mod, one player must try to survive while searching for his friends amid the chaos and war.
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave2008 · film · 87 min · dir. C. Thomas Howell · IMDb ↗IMDb2.0Two years after the Martian invasion, George Herbert's worst fears are realized: The Aliens have returned. As a second wave of Martian walkers lay waste to what's left of Earth, an alliance of military forces prepares a daring attack on the Red Planet itself. Once again, the future of mankind hangs in the balance.
War of the Worlds - The True Story2012 · film · 102 min · dir. Timothy Hines · IMDb ↗IMDb6.1What if the Earth/Mars battle from H.G. Wells' classic novel The War of the Worlds wasn't fiction but actually fact? Like the famous 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast that caused Americans to believe an actual invasion was in progress, the movie assumes an Earth/Mars War in 1900 actually occurred and is presented as the first hand memoir of journalist Bertie Wells, the last living survivor as he struggles to find his wife amidst the destruction of humankind at the hands of terrifying alien invaders.
War of the Worlds: Goliath2012 · film · 85 min · dir. Joe Pearson · IMDb ↗Fifteen years have passed since the Martians’ first failed invasion of Earth. The year is 1914, and at the eve of World War I, Mars launches a sudden and more devastating second attack. A small defense force, A.R.E.S., is Earth’s only hope. The giant A.R.E.S. battle tripod GOLIATH is called up to war, and its young multinational crew must face their fears in their struggle to save Humanity from the alien invaders.
The Great Martian War 1913 - 19172013 · television film · 90 min · dir. Mike Slee · IMDb ↗IMDb6.8Documentary-drama recounting the Martian War of 1913–1917. Europe was on tenterhooks in the 2nd decade of the 20th century, everyone was expecting a Great War between the major European powers. But then, in 1913, something crashed into the forests of SW Germany. Troops were sent to investigate but were wiped out. Martian fighting machines began making their way across Western Europe and the countries of Europe combined forces to resist them. With aspects taken from ‘The War of the Worlds’ by H.G. Wells and from WWI itself, this dramatisation presents a documentary style look at events as they unfolded and the effect they had of our world today. Lots of references to real events including the mass attacks and defeats as men were thrown against machines on the Western front, the Christmas truce and the Angel of Mons, America's isolationism and late entry into the conflict, the worldwide Spanish flu epidemic that killed more people than the war, and many other things.
War of the Worlds2019 · television series · 49 min · IMDb ↗IMDb6.5When astronomers detect a transmission from another galaxy, it is definitive proof of intelligent extra-terrestrial life. The world’s population waits for further contact with bated breath. They do not have to wait long. Within days, mankind is all but wiped out by a devastating attack; pockets of humanity are left in an eerily deserted world. As aliens hunt and kill those left alive, the survivors ask a burning question – who are these attackers and why are they hell-bent on our destruction?
The War of the Worlds2019 · miniseries · 48 min · IMDb ↗IMDb5.2In Edwardian England, George and his partner Amy attempt to defy society and start a life together as they face the escalating terror of an alien invasion, fighting for their lives against an enemy beyond their comprehension.
War of the Worlds2025 · film · 91 min · dir. Rich Lee · IMDb ↗Will Radford is a top analyst for Homeland Security who tracks potential threats through a mass surveillance program, until one day an attack by an unknown entity leads him to question whether the government is hiding something from him... and from the rest of the world.
War of the Worlds: Annihilation? · film · 113 min · dir. Maximilian Elfeldt · IMDb ↗IMDb2.5A mother and son find themselves faced with a brutal alien invasion where survival will depend on discovering the unthinkable truth about the enemy.
