Virginia Woolf once criticised H.G.Well's work as being materialistic. It appears that in this mini-series, the BBC decided to try to update Well's work with her thoughts in mind.
Set close to the date of the original novel, and featuring a handful of good actors and all the latest CGI tech, this should have been a classic. Unfortunately, the BBC just couldn't manage to stay true either to Edwardian era or novel. Instead of an authentic Edwardian setting, we have a world that looks poorly researched and unconvincing. The sets get the basics right, but somehow they looked contrived and miss authentic details. This is especially noticeable in the external scenes showing the destruction, where the rubble and fires seem to have been carefully placed in discreet little mounds.
The British government seems to comprise of just three men: the protagonist's brother, a deputy prime minister and a Lord Kitchener lookalike. The characters representing the elite of society are presented either as ridiculous caricatures in what seems like a parody of the Edwardian era, or have been "updated" to make them politically correct by and accessible to a modern audience, including the obligatory feminist. It reminded me of the 1960s classic "The Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" but without the charm or humour. In fact, the only character I was rooting for about was Frederick (played by Rupert Graves) as he was the only character that showed signs of development. It's pity he was eaten in the second episode.
The BBC changed many details from the original story, which is OK, but then they went and padded it out with those long "flash-forwards" to show a gloomy surreal aftermath of the invasion, which for me ruined the experience of watching the events unfold because we know what is coming. At first these flash-forwards are merely annoying and unwanted interruptions to the alien invasion, but as the series plods on, they take over in frequency and length until the flash-forwards become the present and the events of the invasion become the flash-backs. Then we have to suffer the immensely dull and implausible epilogue where Amy and Ogilvy, in their surreal, red world, save humanity in between philosophising about what is important in life. Thankfully Robert Carlyle's work eases our pain, but even he can't rescue this mess. The overall result is a implausible, unconvincing adaptation of the novel. I mean the idea that the aliens have to eat humans to get infected, and that two people save the planet by spraying the red-weed with a typhoid-infected-rotten-flesh-solution, while arguing it out with a self-appointed anti-Darwinian religious leader, is all rather silly and misses the point of Well's original ending.
It's just too dull and too badly done to enjoy without cringing, and I often found myself checking to see how long was left before the end. What a wasted opportunity. H.G. Wells would not have approved.
Set close to the date of the original novel, and featuring a handful of good actors and all the latest CGI tech, this should have been a classic. Unfortunately, the BBC just couldn't manage to stay true either to Edwardian era or novel. Instead of an authentic Edwardian setting, we have a world that looks poorly researched and unconvincing. The sets get the basics right, but somehow they looked contrived and miss authentic details. This is especially noticeable in the external scenes showing the destruction, where the rubble and fires seem to have been carefully placed in discreet little mounds.
The British government seems to comprise of just three men: the protagonist's brother, a deputy prime minister and a Lord Kitchener lookalike. The characters representing the elite of society are presented either as ridiculous caricatures in what seems like a parody of the Edwardian era, or have been "updated" to make them politically correct by and accessible to a modern audience, including the obligatory feminist. It reminded me of the 1960s classic "The Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" but without the charm or humour. In fact, the only character I was rooting for about was Frederick (played by Rupert Graves) as he was the only character that showed signs of development. It's pity he was eaten in the second episode.
The BBC changed many details from the original story, which is OK, but then they went and padded it out with those long "flash-forwards" to show a gloomy surreal aftermath of the invasion, which for me ruined the experience of watching the events unfold because we know what is coming. At first these flash-forwards are merely annoying and unwanted interruptions to the alien invasion, but as the series plods on, they take over in frequency and length until the flash-forwards become the present and the events of the invasion become the flash-backs. Then we have to suffer the immensely dull and implausible epilogue where Amy and Ogilvy, in their surreal, red world, save humanity in between philosophising about what is important in life. Thankfully Robert Carlyle's work eases our pain, but even he can't rescue this mess. The overall result is a implausible, unconvincing adaptation of the novel. I mean the idea that the aliens have to eat humans to get infected, and that two people save the planet by spraying the red-weed with a typhoid-infected-rotten-flesh-solution, while arguing it out with a self-appointed anti-Darwinian religious leader, is all rather silly and misses the point of Well's original ending.
It's just too dull and too badly done to enjoy without cringing, and I often found myself checking to see how long was left before the end. What a wasted opportunity. H.G. Wells would not have approved.