War of the Worlds – The Complete First Season

Synopsis

This series has a clever conceit, being a sequel to the 1953 version of H.G. Wells’ novel. In the present, a terrorist group breaks into the base where the Martian corpses and war machines are being held. Turns out the Martians aren’t dead after all, and they revive to re-embark on their quest to conquer the Earth. In a budget-conscious move, part of this plan of attack consists in possessing the minds of humans, thus hugely diminishing the effects budget. So new viewers shouldn’t expect any…hing like the recent theatrical film, or even too much like the 1953 film, either. There is plenty of action, and a number of other clever ideas in the episodes (stars of the original film showing up, plays on the Orson Welles radio program), but plenty of limitations, too.

Audio

The sound is 2.0, and the result is very much Early Adventures In TV Stereo. In other words, the score sounds okay, and has a strong surround presence. And that’s where the good news ends. Overall, the audio has noticeably aged, and there are no other surround elements whatsoever. Even the explosions remain stubbornly in the front speakers only, severely diminishing the impact of the scenes. Still, the audio is a long way from being an abomination, which is more than can be said for the picture.

Video

Eeeee-yuck. There is no excuse for this. Age doesn’t cut it. The picture is extremely soft, and the ghosting is appalling. Watching the picture is like trying to watch blurry mud (i.e. very difficult indeed). There are fans of this series out there, and they are being very badly served by the awful picture quality on display here..

Special Features

Nothing but DVD previews. The menu is basic.

Closing Thoughts

A definite curiosity, but the picture quality is a real problem.

Special Features List

• Previews