War of the Worlds (2020)

MGM+ | Release Date: February 16, 2020

5.0	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Ratings

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matbradyMay 20, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Avoid. Instead go with The War Of The Worlds from 2019 set in old England. That version has FAR better writing, acting, character development, effects, better creature design, just better everything. This 2020 version is a train wreck. For a start it's a complete waste of your time. It drags, then teases with these fascinating story arcs, but doesn't follow-up on any of them. Even the whole season is without payoff. Everything opportunity they could have taken to be original, they instead go with something we've seen exactly before (like the alien creatures being a direct rip off of Black Mirror S04E05 (Metalhead)), or else they go in a completely nonsensical direction, like an alien race that wants to wipe out the planet, but somehow wants to mentally connect with two teenagers with zero chemistry to hook up in order to save the... what the absolute **** The story is utter rubbish. It's also rife with characters making stupid decisions, all throughout, to the point where I ended up not liking any of them. There's also some utterly pointless drama concerning incest. Just avoid this piece of **** travesty of a remake. One last point... The whole idea of War of the Worlds is that it puts forward the argument that an alien civilisation could attack us just like we invaded other countries during the age of imperialism. And the only thing that rescues us is something innocuous like bacterial disease that we have built up an immunity to. This 2020 remake takes that and tries to say, "Forget the disease aspect. What if we could fight back, and win?"

Again, if you want to be truly entertained, go watch the 2019 version set in old England. That's worth your time.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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OlivierPielMay 29, 2021

It's not slow. It's escargot slow! Canal +, the French company behind it, obviously didn't have the budget of a Netflix or Amazon and tries to drag this extremely underwhelming story with silly clichéd characters (for starters white neuroticIt's not slow. It's escargot slow! Canal +, the French company behind it, obviously didn't have the budget of a Netflix or Amazon and tries to drag this extremely underwhelming story with silly clichéd characters (for starters white neurotic female more concerned about getting back at ex-husband than trying to see a point to all this extermination and nihilism). Non-sensical plot: Alien technology wipes out 99.99% of humanity in 1 second but sends Japanese looking dogbots to kill remnants.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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PeterVenkmanJun 5, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wanted to like it but it started to get terrible a short while in...after you see a civilian that's never handled a gun, take out an alien machine (that's previously killed an entire platoon of troops), using an automatic rifle without harming the guy said machine is on top of, any believability is gone.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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PablovonPabloJun 8, 2021

This series had the notable distinction of having some of the most ignorantly terrible writing and the absolute worst depiction of humanity I've ever seen outside of a comedy or satire.

The aliens are genocidal and psychotic, this isThis series had the notable distinction of having some of the most ignorantly terrible writing and the absolute worst depiction of humanity I've ever seen outside of a comedy or satire.

The aliens are genocidal and psychotic, this is established very quickly. They're worse than all the worst war criminals humanity has ever made, combined. We aren't supposed to like them or relate to them. However, when one of the aliens tries to kill an old man in his sleep, some humans actually have the bright idea to defend the alien. Seriously. And the other humans are too busy looting and squabbling and whining, or running from easily defeated robot dogs, or falling into obvious traps. I think the aliens might be the heroes of this story. At least they have their stuff together. They take care of their traitors pretty quickly.

The music is good and the acting is mostly good, but God this writing! I hope the series really is cancelled. That would be a win for humanity.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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rayvelcoroFeb 29, 2020

I wanted to like this. Instead, I experienced an achingly boring and tedious slog watching neurotic, unsophisticated, and boring characters who would have been better served by succumbing by episode 2.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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minkdMar 5, 2020

Graphic death of a 5 year old is not entertainment. Strongly recommend avoiding this show. Writers think its edgy to kill off characters but it is not. Just cheap, lazy, and inconsiderate. Avoid at all costs.

2 of 8 users found this helpful26

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DukeJonSep 8, 2022

I like the slow pace and eerie apocalyptic feel of this series and there are strong performances throughout. However I feel really disappointed by the alien dog-bots- they are technology we already have on earth right now. If they aliens areI like the slow pace and eerie apocalyptic feel of this series and there are strong performances throughout. However I feel really disappointed by the alien dog-bots- they are technology we already have on earth right now. If they aliens are so advanced they'd be using something different. Half the reason I love watching these shows is for the otherworldliness of the aliens. Being chased by metal quadrupeds looks like an invasion by a human military power, not extraterrestrials.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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NairbYeldarbMay 11, 2020

A part of me wanted to give this a much more negative review, but ultimately there are enough redeeming factors to earn it a higher score in my book. There is one major element that holds the show back from greatness, but its a spoiler soA part of me wanted to give this a much more negative review, but ultimately there are enough redeeming factors to earn it a higher score in my book. There is one major element that holds the show back from greatness, but its a spoiler so I'll get to that after I talk about the positive. What really pulled me into the show was its excellent presentation, cinematography, the characters, and the surprising emotional appeal that those characters bring to the overall experience. It's a much different take on the invasion this time- we'll just say its less conventional than what we've seen in previous adaptations, and honestly, very smart. It takes into account how science fiction, and science itself, has evolved so much since HG Wells' classic was written, as the ideas presented here as far as how the aliens actually go about their attack could only have been conceived after certain real world technologies and advances in knowledge of neuroscience took place in our history. It would be best to be surprised by this, so I'll leave it at that. Definitely a fan of how they went about the way the aliens actually achieve their goal. However, now I'll get to the spoilers that I have to talk about in order to convey my negative feelings about it, so stop reading if you don't want spoilers- however, this is the problem many have with it so if you are the type that doesn't mind knowing ahead of time so you know what to expect, keep reading. The thing is, instead of monstrous tripods or even flying saucers, we get.... small robotic dog like machines. Yep. And the thing that makes this so ridiculous is, if you've been following the advancement of robotics in the real world of late, you've most likely seen them before in the form of canine robots that can run at high speeds, perform various tricks, and are highly agile. I certainly have, and they were even used in a Black Mirror episode that depicted a post apocalyptic world where machines have killed everyone. So, we've definitely seen these things before, and they are made by humans in the real world, so they just aren't convincing. It screams low budget, like they couldn't afford to make something bigger or more threatening. Which is a bummer, its War of the Worlds, they should have thrown more money at it, not like Amazon is strapped for cash or anything... what gives? Furthermore- they're aliens from a different world- why would they look like canines? Maybe since they were watching and studying our planet, they saw dogs and were like, let's be like them? Wait, that's actually a good explanation... but... they're still really dumb. To add insult to injury, they really ramp up these things and try and make them seem super dangerous and almost always have the characters running and hiding from them when they CAN be killed, even when the characters have weapons more than capable of destroying them. It's extremely frustrating especially since many characters die because they are too afraid to fight them. At one point one of the characters literally drops a perfectly good melee weapon which could easily bash its head in, and instead chooses to run and hide. Luckily, someone with a shotgun and some wits shows up to blast it away but jeez, you could have totally taken it on... all of this is to make them out to be far more dangerous than they actually are, because they knew that they had to make them seem dangerous or the whole thing would be a joke. They do have super high powered guns of some on them, but other than that, they have to get VERY close to kill you. Their design stays true to the book in one element though- the actual aliens are inside the machines, and are really nothing more than weird organic weblike gunk, like these fleshy brain things. So basically hyper intelligent, but they don't have bodies like humans... more like, just a brain. Wells depicted the original martians in much the same manner. However, by the end of the show I just hated them- not scary or intimidating and only seemed to get in the way of the otherwise excellent emotional appeal that the well written characters bring to the table. That's where the show really shines and is what kept me watching until the end. There's a lot of heavy stuff going on with these characters, and you really feel for some of them. There is a moment near the end of episode 6 that is so touching, I definitely got super emotional. However, there are some deaths that feel extremely unnecessary and just there for extra drama... but we are watching a post apocalyptic show after all so it's excusable. If you're into sci fi at all, this is a good watch, despite the actual aliens being extremely underwhelming. Underneath that, there's a lot of good, and the show does convey a sense of apocalyptic shock/dread quite well. I would recommend giving it a shot and deciding for yourself if you want to stick it out to the end, as the first 3 episodes are free.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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geometricalSep 8, 2022

Pretty good sci-fi show, if you aren't worried too much about emulating the source material.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Mikeuk81Mar 19, 2020

Well written character-driven drama set over multiple locations, yes people die- - I find it strange to see a negative review about a show with war in the title that shows an enemy with no remorse whose objective is the eradication of humanity.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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yenneksivadMar 8, 2020

This is the next best thing to the movie, War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise, so watch this movie as the second best show.

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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QuinnKnowsJul 5, 2021

If you're a typical American with no patience, don't watch; but if you are willing to enjoy a solidly paced, well-acted, and brilliantly scripted story that will keep you guessing and scared, this is it. A terrific TV show that I hope comesIf you're a typical American with no patience, don't watch; but if you are willing to enjoy a solidly paced, well-acted, and brilliantly scripted story that will keep you guessing and scared, this is it. A terrific TV show that I hope comes back for a third season, even though the second ended perfectly.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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cmike9124Aug 1, 2021

I love a good sci-fi show, and this fits the bill… I’m not one to nitpick realism in a fictional show, so some people’s complaints about certain aspects don’t bother me - I’m happy to allow some leeway to keep the story moving. It’s veryI love a good sci-fi show, and this fits the bill… I’m not one to nitpick realism in a fictional show, so some people’s complaints about certain aspects don’t bother me - I’m happy to allow some leeway to keep the story moving. It’s very violent at times, but I didn’t feel that took away from it at all. Interesting time travel concepts that I look forward to being unraveled further in season 3. If you are on the fence it’s definitely worth watching.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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RaveGirlOct 14, 2021

Absolutely LOVE this version of the classic!! A fresh new take with great character development and thrilling videography. I'm definitely a fan! Anyone who says it's slow is probably just used to cookie-cutter Hollywood action movies with bigAbsolutely LOVE this version of the classic!! A fresh new take with great character development and thrilling videography. I'm definitely a fan! Anyone who says it's slow is probably just used to cookie-cutter Hollywood action movies with big explosions and no plot.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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simon1854Nov 1, 2022

Gritty and tense thriller that breaks out of the norm which I guess some people who prefer generic plot lines might not feel comfortable with that.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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respwnDec 21, 2022

The first season was okay to good and left me hoping for more, but the second season destroyed the whole thing, it's that bad. I recommend not starting to watch it, because its an awful feeling to experience the second season.

I don't wantThe first season was okay to good and left me hoping for more, but the second season destroyed the whole thing, it's that bad. I recommend not starting to watch it, because its an awful feeling to experience the second season.

I don't want to spoiler, but the second season removes all of the alien-feel and replaces it with a bad war movie. Also the story pace becomes lightning speed, with story arcs you can't emotionally follow. It's in comparison go the first season utter rubbish. Don't do this to you.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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