In the H.G. Wells classic movie War of the Worlds (the 1953 original, not the trash Spielberg 2005 version) Martians invade Earth and vaporize an unprepared humanity. We're introduced to our protagonists, who are post-war atomic scientists living in Southern California and working for the nearby Pacific Institute of Technology (Cal Tech?). Like in the book, the most advanced weaponry is thrown at the Martians (including the atomic bomb) to no avail. The ending of the movie is almost apocalyptic as Los Angles is being systematically obliterated and its citizens turns against the “scientists.”...