A documentary-style drama directed by Timothy Hines, it revisits Wells' novel, portraying the events of the book as historical, through the documented recollections of a survivor of the Martian war.

The film bases its documentary approach on the 1938 Orson Welles CBS radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, by presenting itself as a true account of actual events.

[1] Director Timothy Hines said, in reference to this technique, "When Orson Welles broadcast War of the Worlds on the radio in the 1930s, he presented it in such a way as to not clearly identify that it was a work of fiction.

[2][3] The then-82-year-old actor Floyd Reichman, playing Bertie Wells, was recruited from the Theatre Puget Sound website by producer Goforth.

[5] Seattle-area actors Jack Clay (professor emeritus of the UW School of Drama) and John Kaufmann complete the main cast.

[13][14] Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times described the film as "clever like Wells" and "hugely inventive and ambitious," with an "eye-popping variety of" original and archival footage", matched to the period, adding, "War of the Worlds: The True Story," a mock sci-fi docudrama packed with a truly impressive —and clever —mix of editing (a reported 3+1⁄2 years' worth), special effects, visual artistry and offbeat storytelling.

"[15] In Ain't It Cool News the reviewer described True Story as "The best film I had the privilege of seeing this week", continuing, "I especially loved watching the attacks of both the aliens and the giant machines which have a Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow look to them."

"[6] The review noted that "scenes of destruction and panic tend to blur together after awhile" in spite of some "standout set pieces", and the sepia-toned palette of the film "loses its appeal".