War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds has been remade as a radio show, play, movie and animation. But 2019’s reincarnation is different because it’s set in Edwardian England. And instead of focusing on the aliens, whose arrival has everyone terrified, it zooms in on lovers who are as cast out by society as the invaders.

Eleanor Tomlinson and Rafe Spall are wonderful as Amy and George, whose relationship is frowned upon because Amy is blamed for ruining George’s “perfect” marriage. Except for the first time in his life, George is happy – as long as he’s with Amy, he’s fine.

The producers took extra time to make sure they were accurate with the era but also to stay true to author HG Wells’ original fiction novel from 1898.

“By taking the story back to Edwardian England, just a decade after the novel was first published, writer and executive producer Peter Harness tackles surprisingly modern themes within a traditional framework, exploring the parallels between the British Empire of old and our country’s political strife today,” review digitalspy.com’s David Opie.

So while it looks old-school, you will find current, real-world issues tackled in a responsible way. But also, there are aliens blasting everything.