Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.
As one of the earliest stories to ever depict a conflict between humanity and an extraterrestrial race, H.G. Wells’ 1898 story, War of the Worlds, has become a legend of literature. The story has been told over and over again, in various iterations, from radio plays, movies, comics and TV series. It impacted the course of science and helped shaped the Apollo Moon Landing. It caused mass panics in 1938. In the last 121 years, it’s never been out of print. Needless to say, War of the Worlds has been hugely influential.
One of two adaptations coming to TV this year comes to us courtesy of Fox. This contemporary reimagining is produced by Urban Myth Films in partnership with CANAL+, Fox Networks Group (FNG) Europe & Africa and AGC Television. Created and written by the BAFTA award-winner Howard Overman (Misfits, Crazyhead, Merlin)
Critical Hit was fortunate enough to preview the first two episodes of War of the Worlds, so here’s a little hint on what you can expect.
Set in present-day Europe, this version of War of the Worlds is a multi-faceted series, jumping across multiple cities, languages and relationships. In the show, ordinary people are doomed to survive in extraordinary circumstances. Some survived by sheer luck, others saw what was coming, but no one could predict the speed and scale of the attack. And when these lonely pockets of humanity emerge to a new, dangerous world, what kind of lives can they lead?
The driving force behind War of the Worlds is the intricacies of human nature and the bonds we form. What we learn about others, and ourselves, when everything hits the fan. There’s also a lot of asking why – why us, why did the aliens invade, why are they so determined to (and so capable of) killing us – with the few answers we get only to serving to raise more questions.
That’s not to say there isn’t a fair amount of action, though War of the Worlds leans on the thriller side of apocalypses than on the horror side. The first two episodes were well-paced and incredibly intense, ramping up the unease to an almost unbearable level. If that level of tension is maintained for the rest of the series, it’s going to be an incredible show to watch.
As for the cast, it’s refreshing to have a big budget series that isn’t wholly American acted and centred, as FNG Europe brings us acting talent from across Europe in the form of Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth McGovern, Léa Drucker, Natasha Little, Daisy Edgar Jones, Stéphane Caillard, Adel Bencherif and Guillaume Gouix. Though you might suspect the biggest name, Gabriel Byrne, to be framed as the main character, each survivor is given their equal share of backstory and screen-time. And a good quarter of the show takes place in French with English subtitles.
War of the Worlds is brutal, it’s a survival tale… but not everyone is going to survive. If you’re expecting a glossy Hollywood story, this isn’t it. It’s gritty, it’s nasty and it’s utterly human. And I can’t wait to watch the rest!
War of the Worlds premieres on FOX (DSTV channel 125) on Wednesday, 30 October, 20h45. Watch the trailer here.
Last Updated: October 28, 2019
Llama In The Rift
October 28, 2019 at 11:29
So there’s currently airing 2 versions of this? one made by Fox and the current one airing made by BBC? or am i confusing something somewhere.
Tracy Benson
October 28, 2019 at 11:36
No, you’re right. Fox’s is an 8 episode series coming to DSTV with a contemporary setting, and BBC’s is a 3 episode miniseries set in Edwardian England
Hammersteyn
October 28, 2019 at 11:44
I prefer miniseries, way less padding.
Llama In The Rift
October 28, 2019 at 12:04
Agreed…So happy Tracy confirmed the BBC version only to be 3 episodes. Means i miss alot of drama plus i’ll only watch for the Tripods.
Son of Banana Jim
October 28, 2019 at 13:02
I like my series short as well; I think 8 – 10 episodes are a good length.
Remember, sitting through 24 episodes of the later episodes of Lost, and half way through you start to wonder whether the writers are actively trolling you with their “magic box” narrative-style.
Man, Lost hasn’t aged well… (at least it gave us Evangeline Lilly)
HvR
October 28, 2019 at 15:29
How the hell did you last until the “later episodes”.
After the first season I realised it was nothing more than a TV version of a constant cock tease I decided life was too short to waste it like that.
BradeLunner
October 28, 2019 at 15:40
Was before streaming, less cool stuff was available, and Evangeline Lilly.
Son of Banana Jim
October 28, 2019 at 18:40
In hindsight, I might have been retarded as a kid.
Kromas
October 28, 2019 at 11:44
Fun Fact. The mass panic caused during the radio play is a myth.
Admiral Chief
October 28, 2019 at 11:44
So, do you or @hairyewok:disqus have your facts mixed up
Kromas
October 28, 2019 at 11:54
Not sure what he heard but it is quite well documented that the radio station only had a range of 2 towns and it was not a popular show and only one town had a few folks calling the mayor. There was panic but not nearly MASS as it were. However retelling of the story has made it grow quite a bit larger.
HvR
October 28, 2019 at 13:01
It was definitely a national or big regional radio station.
But the panic wasn’t as bad with people mostly just phoning in to the station or police stations. It was mostly embellished after the fact by newspapers of competing media houses calling for censorship of the network.
HairyEwok
October 28, 2019 at 13:02
I didn’t say anything about mass panic, just that people were in a state of panic and phoning each other to find out if they were ok. The article talks about mass panic. Soooooo yeah, I don’t know.
Admiral Chief
October 28, 2019 at 14:08
So his doccie was misinformed, or produced by the SABC
Kromas
October 28, 2019 at 17:36
Meh. As far as I am aware this is what happened and I am inclined to believe it as it was backed up by documentation. However you never know.
Son of Banana Jim
October 28, 2019 at 17:48
As I understand it, there wasn’t a mass panic during the show (a few concerned phone calls to the police etc), but it really got out of hand when the newspapers started writing articles. It’s basically OrangeManBad, but in the late 1930s.
Son of Banana Jim
October 28, 2019 at 17:48
As I understand it, there wasn’t a mass panic during the show (a few concerned phone calls to the police etc), but it really got out of hand when the newspapers started writing articles. It’s basically OrangeManBad, but in the late 1930s.
Raptor Rants
October 28, 2019 at 14:08
Yep, there was “panic” in the sense that police stations were a little busy fielding phone calls. But the mass hysteria thing is a myth that developed.
HairyEwok
October 28, 2019 at 12:23
His fact is fun, mine isn’t
HairyEwok
October 28, 2019 at 11:44
Actually saw a documentary on the 1938 War of the worlds broadcast. Orson Welles had people in a state of panic and calling each other asking if they were ok. Funny enough right before the broadcast officially started he did state it was a work of fiction, but unfortunately for those who tuned in late it was a believable piece of work.
Admiral Chief
October 28, 2019 at 11:44
War of the Worlds, Euro-Trip, also known as Brexit
Son of Banana Jim
October 28, 2019 at 12:13
Reminds me of Insomniac’s Resistance franchise. I wish someone would make a miniseries about that.
HvR
October 28, 2019 at 13:02
Just watched the trailer.
Opportunity missed in the characters not using the new tri-eye alien Iphone to livestream the alien tri-pods.
BradeLunner
October 28, 2019 at 13:21
I like series with a definite ending in sight, so that the concept doesn’t get milked, and they usually get great talent. Chernobyl, The Terror, Band of brothers (firefly XD )