by far the closest to the book

Despite the atrocious special effects, this version is by far the closest to H.G. Well's original. It is correctly set in the 1890's, in Well's home town south of London (which he gleefully destroys in the book), and follows the book quite closely. It includes the cowardly clergyman character, whom Wells, a vigorous atheist, considered the epitome of human weakness and folly [He would have been horrified by the 1950's Gene Barry version, which is soaked in religious sentiment]. Wells is rather vague in describing the Martian machines. This film has something that mixes the Victorian era esthetic and modern notions of alien technology.

Despite its origins in Asylum's shlock-factory, the microscopic budget, and the horrible cheesy effects, this was a sincere attempt to turn the book into a film without betraying Well's values or intent. When Wells wrote it, Britain was at the height of its global power and arrogance, so the message of vulnerability and hubris was a powerful one in its time.

And C.Thomas Howell? Well, he's stayed gold.