The War Of The Worlds: Next Century

Shortly after his debut feature, Golem, Piotr Szulkin directed another science-fiction film – The War of the Worlds: Next Century. Despite many similarities between the two, especially in atmosphere, the latter is more polished and straightforward. After premiering at the Gdańsk Film Festival in 1981, it was banned by the government due to its political parallels with Poland’s political situation at the time. It wasn’t until two years later when it was released in cinemas, where it was watched by over 448,000 people, making it the 23rd most popular film in the country in 1983.

Although the movie’s title is borrowed from the book The War of the Worlds by HG Wells, it is not an adaptation of it and the only common plot element is the presence of Martians on Earth. The government of an unspecified country, where the story takes place, cooperates with the newcomers and enlists well-known TV newscaster Iron Ide (Roman Wilhelmi) to serve as the voice of their propaganda. However, when he deviates from the official narrative, his life changes dramatically.

As quickly becomes clear, the film is less about an alien invasion than about far more “earthly” concerns. Szulkin offers a chilling portrayal of totalitarianism, as Iron drifts through a degraded society where he once held a privileged position. The gray masses obediently queuing to donate blood, the helpless residents of a homeless shelter, the impunity of the security forces, and the apathetic bureaucracy – all of it is wrapped in a suffocating atmosphere of hopelessness and conformity, resembling the reality of many Eastern European countries in the 1980s.

Aptly balancing the portrayal of gloomy reality with humorous satire, Szulkin constructs a dystopia, reminiscent of the one described in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the world, where television functions as a primary tool of propaganda, the tension arises from the uncertainty of what is real. For much of the film, even the aliens remain unseen, raising the question of whether they exist at all, or if they are merely a convenient justification for expanding state control under the guise of “public safety”, a tactic used by the authorities to this day.

Since the plot focuses largely on one character, the performance of Wilhelmi should be appreciated even more. The experienced Polish actor plays the role of a TV presenter who undergoes a significant transformation. Initially, he is a reluctant person who gently expresses his opposition to the actions of the propaganda machine, but over time his determination grows. Additionally, the cinematography by Zygmunt Samosiuk, as well as the music by Jerzy Maksymiuk and Józef Skrzek form a cohesive whole, reinforcing the film’s eerie, hopeless mood that resonated in 1980s Poland.

Using the science-fiction genre once again, Szulkin reflects on very non-fiction issues. Although The War of the Worlds: Next Century premiered more than 40 years ago, its message – especially its critique of media manipulation – remains relevant in today’s era of fake news. What’s more, it presents the individual’s struggle against an overpowering system, a theme that feels increasingly urgent in the face of recent political tendencies across the globe.

Reviewed on: 08 May 2025