5/5 All around excellent
  by Rob (Midwest)
The other reviews said this was a very crisp copy of the movie. They were absolutely correct.

5/5 My Halloween tradition
  by Prog Nerd (Southern California)
Ah, War of the Worlds. Still my favorite incarnation of this story. This was shown on television around Halloween just about every year in the 80's, and it was my yearly tradition as a kid to come home after an evening of trick-or-treating with my mother and sit down and watch this while eating my candy and popcorn. If I wasn't regularly watching it then, I was renting it on VHS from the local video store. Finally, after years of hoping for a Special Edition DVD, we have this. (The original DVD's only bonus was a trailer.)

As far as the movie itself, where do I begin? It's absolutely timeless. 90% of the special effects hold up even now. In fact, some of them look even better than the overtly-CG stuff seen today. Sometimes, models and practical animation effects look better. The story is filled with drama, and as I get older, I still find lots of little nuances in it that I never noticed on previous viewings. Of course, seeing it first as a child (dozens of times), I didn't understand the dialogue per se, so what grabbed me was the overwhelming fear of the unknown, the fate of loved ones, and the menacing imagery, colors and sounds of the Martians. The hissing of the machines creeped me out for years, and whenever I hear a neighbor's sprinkler on a summer night, I still get a chill. The manta-ray shape of the ships is very affecting on a visceral, psychological level, as well as the cobra-like "head" that shoots the heat rays. This, to me, is still the epitome of frightening Hollywood aliens.

This new Special Edition is loaded with a sizable amount of extras. There's two seperate commentaries; one with stars Gene Barry and Anne Robinson, and another with filmmaker/writer fans Joe Dante, Bob Burns, and Bill Warren. Also included is an hour-long documentary about the making of the movie (meticulously guided by Anne Robinson, who has remained almost an unofficial "keeper of the flame" as far as War of the Worlds fandom and information), a featurette on original author H.G. Wells, as well as an audio feature which includes the entire 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles. Although it's unfortunate that the original Cinemascope print hasn't been put out on DVD yet, perhaps they will in the future. Nevertheless, the print looks great here, with amazing detail and color. Oh, and the trailer is also included.

I notice that a lot of people tend to glorify one version of War of the Worlds over another, with this one receiving a fair amount of praise, and the 2005 Spielberg one getting dumped on more often than not. Whatever happened to liking all of something? I enjoy each version of the story for its own unique voice. The 1898 novel, the 1938 radio drama, the late 80's TV show, and both movie versions...are all great. Get them, because they're all classics and timecapsules of their time, and should be cherished as such.

5/5 Still an all-time classic!
  by Peter J. Chudoba (Rochester, NY)
Excellent movie, excellent price. Some reviewers have mentioned that the quality is so improved that now you can see the wires holding up the spaceships. This is true - and who cares!? I thoroughly enjoyed the additional item on the making of the movie. It was interesting to see just how they handled the special effects at that point in time. Don't pass this one up!

5/5 VHS
  by Candy (California)
Purchased for disbled brother. Quick shipment, great price. Would purchase other movies in the future. He loved the movie...

5/5 1953 War of the Worlds
  by Sparks
This classic 1953 version of War of the Worlds is much better than the recent re-make. I also found the commentaries very interesting. The included audio copy of the original Orson Wells broadcast of War of the Worlds is a gem!