The War of the Worlds: Next Century (1981) User Reviews

unlike the others

[CaligulaAzrael · 7/10 · 19 October 2009]

Polish sci-fi movie, but not like all the others. This is a story about Martians coming to visit our planet. The aliens are real scums, but they're not the real problem. The real problem lies in us, in people. The story tells about the domination of powerful media in our lives, about human stupidity, about how people turn themselves into slaves. The dedication in the beginning is for Orson Welles and it's a perfect commentary for whole storyline of this movie. We all remember the audition which Welles gave for the radio with "War of the Worlds" by H.G.Wells - here it is also compared with actual situation during 1980's in Poland under communists rule. Inspiring movie for thinking people.

polish godard + orwell

[cycy · 8/10 · 10 January 2004]

very different from other polish movies( from the 80's), something between Godard's Alphaville and "1984" by Orwell. Build on old movies outlines, straight from noir and classic anti-utopia. good polish movie. At last something less political and better( for me of course) than wajda, zanussi, konwicki and other finicky boring pompous director....

Amazing!

[aardvarksilence · 10/10 · 26 June 2006]

One of the best Polish movies I've ever seen.

In this movie based on Well's book we won't see any laser guns or lots of explosions and all the war with the Martians (that look quite cheesy), but the war between people and mass media which is still actual.

The movie also features good acting, interesting and characteristic music and intelligent message which makes you think about the huge brain washer also known as television.

Go and see it, if you want to see a piece of fantastic and non-commercial film-making. It definitely deserves more attention, more than the crappy sci-fi flicks that usually hit the box office.

They promised us candy

[ExaltedOne · 10/10 · 23 June 2010]

This movie is a more or less accurate cinematic reflection of "The Second Invasion from Mars" (Второе нашествие марсиан, 1968), a lesser-known short story of Strugacki brothers. Both the short story and the movie are set in the world where Martians landed, first posing as friends, but demanding more and more drastic changes in our everyday lives as the time goes. Thing is, we never see or hear any Martians actually demanding or enforcing anything. It's always our own authorities, our own police, our own government, our own officials who impose the Martian rule upon us. And in the end, Martians leave - if they ever existed - but the Martian rules stay.

The last missing piece of puzzle is revealed when Iron Idem corners a lone Martian and roughs him up rather effortlessly, asking "Why are you doing this to us?" and the dying Martian replies: "They promised us candy." The Martian "invasion" was just a pretense to establish a whole new system of institutionalized oppression upon the populace.

Even though this movie was originally a commentary on political situation in Soviet-ruled Eastern bloc, it stays as valid as ever. No matter where you live, "the second invasion from Mars" is happening right now, right on your doorstep. Watch for the Martians, but more importantly, watch for those who pay them with candy.

It is incredible how current this movie remains after all these years.

[msbattleacc · 10/10 · 19 September 2020]

Fantastic piece of real film art. It is so relevant to our current situation regarding "pandemic" and how it is used to force another restrictions and another regimes on us under the pretense of saving our lives from a mysterious virus. Movie plot involves supposed Martian invasion but you can replace it with any other contrived crisis and the rest of the process remains the same. Very well worth your time and perhaps it will open your eyes just a bit wider to what's going on around you.