First published in 1898, The War of the Worlds begins ominously, as the lone voice of a narrator tells readers, No one would have believed in the last years of the 19th century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's.

This opening marked the beginning of the enduring alien invasion genre, and no one did it better than H.

G. Wells. The book's tableaux of a world under siege by all-powerful, super-destructive, amoral aliens resonated with audiences from the early 20th century through a Cold War world threatened with nuclear extinction.

Yet, despite the book's stature, the antiquated language and outmoded science have limited its interest for modern readers.

This new adaptation remedies that, preserving the power of Wells's narrative while modernizing the language.

This version also updates the science about Mars, based on America's multiple landings there in the past 15 years.