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War Of The Worlds: The Final Season DVD boxset.

A very big improvement from season one, the ‘War Of The Worlds’ series was completely transformed from a rather turgid ambling affair to something that was much more sleek and interesting. The twenty episodes of season two commenced during October 1989 and offered more life, alien life that is, to the invaders. We actually get an ending to the story but, in saying that, it’s slightly contrived because the show was axed without much ceremony. Rather than leave things hanging, they tied up loose threads producing an end which left a few people with the feeling of being cheated. Nevertheless, it was an ending and we should be grateful for that.

As said, it’s very much better than season one. A new lot of invaders come to the planet with a different agenda and all the old aliens are terminated. No questions asked, they are simply exterminated by the Morthren. By this time, Earth had deteriorated. Everything was a mess including the environment, the economy and public morale. Alien activity had ceased for some considerable time and, lulled into a false sense of security, Project Blackwood had been allowed to wither away. The Morthren are able to transplant themselves into human bodies and in this way escape the effects of Earth’s harmful bacteria. From this position, they continue their quest to dominate the planet.

 

Don’t worry, we’ve still got Jared Martin as Blackwood. He’s actually a lot better in season two. By this time, he has immersed himself in the role of the maverick scientist at odds with the alien. Though some of the others have disappeared, Linda Mason Green as Blackwood’s assistant Kincaid remains. They find themselves fighting against a far more deadly enemy, forcing them to make a hideout in the bowels of the Earth.

 

The aliens are basically fundamentalist religious freaks, worshipping an entity called The Eternal. In coming to Earth, their own planet has been left in a bit of a mess. Their leaders, Malzor and Mana, exploit Earth’s problems to their advantage. Climatic changes such as drought and heatwave, emotional despair of the youth and food shortages all boil up out of control. Not without their own problems, it seems some of the alien ranks are unhappy with the situation and this in turn gives Blackwood some leverage for his own assault on the invasion.

 

Revelation Films have produced a nice little package here. It’s reasonably priced and there is quite a lot on offer. Overall, the episodes are competently written and despite the fact that they are now over twenty years old, some of the subject matter is horrifyingly relevant to the present day. While we are not in danger of alien invasion at the moment, many of the complex problems apparent in this series are here to plague us today!

 

The five discs come with extra material but these could not be found on the review copies. As you go through the episodes, Blackwood seems to be the only stalwart survivor but as we travel towards the end we find that others, even some of the aliens, come forward to be our saviours. The Morthren are a funny bunch, probably with more complex conflicts and hang-ups than humans and the supposedly easy invasion turns out not to be not so easy after all. Humans aren’t lambs for the slaughter.

 

You could probably watch this without any knowledge of the first season, they are really that different. I think the writers and producers thought to themselves after the dismal effort of season one that something needs to change. The revamped show came as a much needed improvement! It’s definitely worth watching.

Rod MacDonald

August 2012

 

(Region 2 DVD: pub: Revelation Films B007IV5GQM. 5 DVDs 913 minutes 22 episodes with extras. Price: £23.00 (UK))

 cast: Jared Martin and Linda Mason Green

 check out website: http://www.revfilms.co.uk.

 

 

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