Every War Of The Worlds Adaptation: Ranked Worst To Best

4. The Rock Opera

The cumbersomely-titled but musically iconic Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds presents a difficulty for any list like this one simply because it has existed in so many forms that you could do a list of just different versions of this one adaptation. Since the original 1978 progressive rock concept album, there has been a live show, multiple video games, a reworked "New Generation" album with its own live show, and a multimedia "immersive experience."

As this list is concerned with screen adaptations, how about we just look at the 2006 DVD recording of the live tour of the original album? Even that should be presented with the caveat that a filmed recording of a stage show of an album is not necessarily the most visually dynamic viewing experience (especially as Richard Burton's narrator role is played by a weird, uncanny projection of a "virtual Richard Burton" with the actor's original voice recording).

Wayne's bombastic, if a little cheesy, music remains powerful enough that the opening bars are for many people the thing that first springs to mind at the mention of The War Of The Worlds. Narratively it's a largely faithful and engaging adaptation, but the less musical, more dialogue-heavy sections are a little stilted.