★★★★ Let’s put aside that the special effects seem aged by today’s technology compared to that of the 1950s: the visuals in When the Worlds… are just as beautiful. But the film is far less sci-fi disaster cinema than it is social analysis. The Earth is going to collide with another planet and disappear, a scientist convinces a millionaire and he prepares a rocket where 40 people, by lottery, will travel to colonize another planet. The tension grows as the tragedy approaches and personal dramas appear that eventually lead to violence. The simplicity of the dialogues that do not sound forced and of a cast that understands what they are doing are enough for the group, even today, to have enormous strength. And it is a sovereign entertainment, which is basically what counts.
