Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Woodyanders October 30, 1938. A dynamic and highly dramatic contemporary adaptation of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" performed live on the radio by Orson Welles (a fine and credible portrayal by Paul Shenar) and the Mercury Theatre company causes mass panic all over the United States after many listeners mistake it for a real live broadcast.Director Joseph Sargent not only keeps the gripping story moving along at a snappy pace, but also builds a good deal of tension as well as offers a flavorsome and meticulous evocation of the late 1930's period setting. Moreover, the smart and compelling script by Nicholas Meyer and Anthony Wilson astutely captures the tense and paranoid atmosphere of a country that was on the cusp of World War II. The sturdy acting by the tip-top cast rates as another significant asset, with especially stand-out contributions from Vic Morrow as the sour Hank Muldoon, Eileen Brennan as the distraught Ann, Michael Constantine as no-nonsense farmer Jess Wingate, John Ritter as Wingate's eager son Walter, Will Geer as the stern Reverend Davis, Tom Bosley as antsy producer Norman Smith, and Burton Gilliam as the excitable Tex. Casey Kasem and Walter Edmiston are both terrific as members of the Mercury Theatre group. The sharp cinematography by Jules Brenner boasts several very impressive crane and tracking shots. An on the money TV movie.

darthvader1961 I am not generally a fan of movies made for television, but "The Night America Panicked" is a clear Exception. I was fourteen years old when I watched it with my mother who boasted a firsthand experience of the original Orson Welles broadcast of "War of the Worlds," and the resulting mayhem. She had told the story to me many times when I was younger and it was interesting to see it recreated. My mom was so impressed with the late Paul Shenar's enthusiastic portrayal of Orson Welles that she became a lifelong fan. I became of fan of Orson Welles and I loved "Citizen Kane" as well as the humor behind Citizen Kane's promotional trailer (the girls are here for the purpose of ballyhoo). Like other fans, I would like to see this movie preserved on DVD. I would buy it so I could watch it again.

Ed in St. Louis "The Night That Panicked America" is an adaption of the famous War of the Worlds broadcast of October 30, 1938. I'm watching this on October 30, 2000, the 62nd anniversary of the actual broadcast. A 30-year-old Nicholas Meyer wrote the excellent screenplay and supervised the production of this made-for-TV movie, making sure it was done in an historically detailed and accurate way. I am very, very impressed by this production, and I doubt that it could have been done any better. The movie usually shows up on the Sci-Fi Channel around Halloween. Look for many future youthful stars such as Meredith Baxter, John Ritter, and Casey Kasem.This is a must for anyone interested in the career of Orson Welles. Paul Shenar, who played the role of Welles in this production, is much too old for the role but his voice is close to the beautiful voice of Welles.

Edward W. Gildner This film was an excellent portrayal of the radio broadcast and the actor who played Orson Wells did an excellent job. The sound effects at the radio station was unbelievable accurate as to the sound of an alien space craft both landing and the sound of the hatch coming off, very scare as was suppose to happen especially back in the 30's. The acting to go along with the radio broadcast was out of sight. This was a very entertaining movie and i wish it was also available on video as stated by Mike Spangler, if that is not possible than it should be made available to be shown on TV again, so people could record it as I did some years ago, but have a very poor copy of. If this is available to be replayed on TV, than this Halloween should be appropriate to re-broadcast this fine movie