Fire up the death rays and go see ‘War of the Worlds,’ the mockumentary

The truth about the great Martian attack of 1900 is being told at last, thanks to War of the Worlds: The True Story.

Or at least the sort of truth that comes from a mashup movie that is one part H.G. Wells and one part mockumentary laced together with a whole lot of editing fun. Included are film clips and public domain footage, including at least one good, old-fashioned Martian autopsy.

War of the Worlds: The True Story, a mockumentary oh-so-breathlessly suggesting that the real story of the Martian attack of 1900 was never told, will be screened at Chapman University on Thursday, April 4, at 4 p.m. in Argyros Forum 209. Steampunk novelist James Blaylock, professor of English at Chapman, will introduce the film and discuss the prankful history associated with Wells’ legendary 1898 novel. A discussion with the film’s director, Timothy Hines, will follow the screening.

Pranks? What? But the film trailer warns, “They did not come in peace.” Just sayin’.

The event is part of the Media Technology and Society Colloquium in the Department of Communication Studies. Admission is free and open to the public.

Dawn Bonker

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