Common Sense Media Review
By Marty Brown
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Adaptation of sci-fi dystopian classic is dry and overlong.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
War of the Worlds
What's the Story?
In WAR OF THE WORLDS, aliens arrive on Earth with unknown intentions, and the inhabitants of France and Britain are surprised to learn they are not friendly. In the aftermath of a massive attack, small groups of survivors struggle to figure out how to save themselves and the planet.
Is It Any Good?
This show feels like it's trying to stretch a film's worth of material over eight hour-long episodes, but without the character or plot development that would make it worthwhile to the average viewer. There's a reason most people are more familiar with the story around Orson Welles' 1938 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds than with the novel itself: There's not really much to it. H.G. Wells intended his serialized novel to be a simple anti-colonialist parable. But this episodic War of the Worlds doesn't seem interested in the sociopolitical aspects of the story.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the aliens. What do the characters in War of the Worlds know about the aliens that have come to Earth? How do people expect them to behave? Are those expectations fulfilled?
Who are some of the characters we get to know throughout the show? What do we know of their lives before the aliens arrive? How has the aliens' arrival changed life as they knew it?
What responsibilities do we have to our fellow humans in the wake of a catastrophic event? What are the characters' priorities after the aliens arrive? Do you think these priorities will help them survive?
TV Details
- Premiere date : February 16, 2020
- Cast : Gabriel Byrne , Elizabeth McGovern , Léa Drucker
- Network : Epix
- Genre : Science Fiction
- TV rating :
- Last updated : March 30, 2020
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