Film

War of the Worlds

54 Comments

(relatively non-spoiler review)

War of the Worlds, Steven Spielberg’s latest summer blockbuster, is based on an 1898 novel by H.G. Wells. I have admittedly never read the book and despite the fact that it was written in the 19th century, War of the Worlds has always had a particularly 1950’s feel to me. This may be due in part to George Pal’s 1953 film version of War of the Worlds though I honestly don’t recall having seen this. Thus it was with the images and the world view of 1950’s science fiction that I entered the theatre this past Saturday evening to partake in the tradition of the 4th of July weekend summer blockbuster.

To begin, I enjoyed this movie. In the tradition of movies like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow it is a movie that simply must be seen on the big screen. Though reportedly nothing like the 1953 film, I took pleasure in the fact that the rampant paranoia and bookend Twilight-Zone narratives gave it a 1950’s feel. The story was solid and made quite enjoyable because I did not know the ending and was able to sit in ignorant bliss until the very end. This was a movie that played upon fear and as such could almost be categorized as a horror film rather than a science fiction film. I’ve come across professional critics and amatuer reviewers who report being truly terrified while watching the film. While I didn’t find it that scary it is a very dark and suspenseful film with a few good “jump out” moments.

The special effects in the film were nothing short of excellent. From the emergence of the tripods and their march of decimation to the destruction of cities, the effects were real and believable and incredible. I mention again that big screen viewing is a must. This film is visually arresting in both its special effects and in the look and feel of the earth as darkness falls and the aliens advance across the countryside.

The acting is quite superb. Tom Cruise does an excellent job playing a man that is absolutely terrified in the face of the unfathomable. Mary pointed out that unlike many adventure blockbusters where the man character quickly becomes brave, fearless, and herioc Tom Cruise’s character is a man who remains terrified even while trying desperately to save his family. The fear does not leave and Cruise does an excellent job of staying in character. I was pleased that his performance was such that I did not once think of the craziness that has surrounded him as of late. Dakota Fanning was equally incredible and the more movies I see her in the more I have to wonder if she is not some being from outer space herself or if she is channeling the spirit of some deceased Oscar-winning actress because she is simply amazing. I’ve been impressed with every role she’s played and stayed impressed here. She is very, very good. The supporting cast was also chosen well and performed admirably.

Once again, I enjoyed this movie. That being said I left the theatre thinking that I was glad to have seen it, that is was worth the price of admission, and that I would probably never see it again. I’m not sure exactly why I feel that way. I am one of the biggest re-watchers of movies that I know. War of the Worlds, while excellent on many accounts, does not hold much replay value for me. Perhaps it is the lack of romance or perhaps its the fact that once you know how it ends it will never be as suspenseful as it was the first time around. Like I said, I’m not sure. I read about Spielberg remaking War of the Worlds around the time that Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was released. At the time I remember thinking that it would be great if he remade the movie with modern technology but set it in the time period where it was written. While I would’ve still loved to see that I wasn’t disappointed with the modern version. I do think that it lost some of its immediate terror due to the fact that the invaders were now from somewhere in outer space vs. being from Mars.

To coincide with the release of the movie New York Review of Books has released a hardcover copy of the 1898 classic with illustrations by a favorite of mine, Edward Gorey. At nearly $17 in the stores I suggest an Amazon.com purchase if you’re looking to own this one ($11.53). My next foray into H.G. Wells’ world of alien destruction will be via the written word, however I once again suggest that you go see this movie. It is an enjoyable summer blockbuster that will make you thankful that no one from “out there” has discovered us yet….or have they?

(Try to keep your comments spoiler free as I know there are a few readers who want to see it but haven’t. Thanks!)

54 thoughts on “War of the Worlds”

  1. Have to say I thought WotW was lame. But I agree that Dakota Fanning is incredible. The best thing about this film.

  2. unsettling. deeply deeply unsettling. but i’ve been fascinated with the story since i was a little girl: i listened to the radio broadcast, have a very tattered edition of the novel, & grew up on the werid 70’s psychedelic disco musical version from the 70’s. i’ve also seen the 50’s version, though i found it kind of laughable.

    it’s odd that you mention the 50’s as a context for it; i thought Spielberg did an incredible job of crafting it with a very current feel. the paranoia too, i thought was very timely. in deference to your request for spoilerlessness i won’t quote anything to back me up though.

    i honestly don’t really get why a lot of people aren’t liking it. i mean, the plot’s a given, so if you don’t like the story already, then…but i thought it had a lot more wit & craft than popcorn flicks like Independence Day, even with the Spielbergian cheat at the end (that doesn’t give anything away, does it?)

  3. Not at all!

    I agree, if you like this type of movie then there is no reason why you shouldn’t like WotW.

    You’re right, with today’s political climate the paranoia is very timely. I’ve read alot of older science fiction lately and recently some comics set in the 50’s so I’m really in an ‘old timey’ sci fi mindset right now so I’m seeing similarities in everything.

    Now that you mention it I know I heard the radio play in elementary school…I remember the beginning quite vividly but didn’t remember anything else. I need to find that on the internet and listen to it again.

  4. No, jenn see, it doesn’t. But I’m going to go see this very soon, lest the end gets spoiled for me as the Sixth Sense’s one was…
    And at 2 against 1, so far, critics are favourable.

  5. I remember seeing the 50s version as a kid and it scared me to death! Of course, if I saw it again now, I’m sure it would be all campy.

    I haven’t seen the this new version yet, but I wonder if people are reacting to the fact that it’s too relevant to today’s events? Is it that it resembles propaganda now, like the Red Scare movies back in the 40s/50s?

    Angela didn’t like it at all. I’d like to hear more from her about why.

    I’m still looking forward to it. Hmmm.

  6. Though politics are a very evident part of my and everyone’s life I’m personally not the type of person who looks at films or literature and tries to figure out the “hidden agenda” behind them. I think War of the Worlds is the type of movie that easily lends itself to being a social commentary but I sure didn’t see enough in it that made me think of politics…its just the whole ‘invasion’ paranoia that could really be credited to any decade or era…pre WWII, post WWII, Cold War, and the present time. To me this is an adventure/sci fi/horror film that should be enjoyed for what it is…a modern day retelling of a very famous classic novel.

    And Anne, I’ve talked to other people who had Sixth Sense ruined for them and I think that just sucks. I always do my best to not talk about major movie plot points around people who haven’t seen it…its just not fair! I’m still scarred for life from a neighbor girl telling me, in line, that Darth Vader was Luke’s father just before we went in to see Empire Strikes Back!

  7. Darth Vader is Luke’s father?

    Rubbish!

    The next thing you’ll tell me is that Leia is Luke’s sister or something stupid like that.

    Anyway, I love the original WotW. I love all those old sci-fi movies. I can’t wait to see this newest one. I have no doubt that I will enjoy it.

  8. We can probably arrange some kid sitting if needed Jimmy….sorry to break my own rule and spoil Empire Strikes Back for you.

  10. I was a tiny bit underwhelmed but that isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it; I just expected to enjoy it more.
    I will also echo the Dakota Fanning praise! Outstanding.

  11. So we’re all in agreement that she’s a freak of nature? 🙂 Just kidding, she is quite amazing!

  12. I talked to someone today that was disappointed to have spent a precious date night on this movie. Makes me wonder if it’s worth the sacrifice of that precious time. I am afraid anything would be disappointing after seeing Cinderella Man. I’d like to see Batman, I think.

  13. Batman is a much better movie and has much more replay value. I’ve seen it twice and will probably see it again with Tori.

    The thing with WotW is that it is, from what I hear from those who read the book, exactly what it should be…a relatively faithful adaptation. It is not an Independence Day style ‘let’s kick alient butt’ adventure…its a ‘dear God they’re hear and we can’t stop them’ style of movie.

  16. Julie I would also recommend Batman Begins or even Mr & Mrs Smith over WOTW. It not that it’s bad it’s just that it’s not the best movie out right now. I also want to check out Crash and Mad Hot Ballroom. They both sound more interesting than WOTW was.

  17. Mary saw Crash…she can share her thoughts on that. You’ve already (maybe) read my thoughts on Mad Hot Ballroom….quite excellent!

  19. it is definitely NOT a humans-kick-alien-butt movie, it’s that rare thing, a humans-can’t-do-shit movie. all they can do is stick together, & those mob scenes…shudder.

    it’s a damn chilling tale. i remember reading the original as a little girl, & HG Wells talks about “the rout of civilization” & the tripods appearing in london, smashing through bridges & big ben…”Never before in the history of the world had such a mass of human beings moved & suffered together…this was no disciplined march; it was a stampede–a stampede gigantic & terrible–without order & without a goal, six million people, unarmed & unprovisioned, driving headlong. it was the beginning of the rout of civilization, of the massacre of mankind”.

    powerful imagery…& sadly my head is full of images of destruction this morning, so forgive me for the longwinded quote…

  21. Again, I stand by my opinion that this is a summer blockbuster worthy of seeing on the big screen. Of course anytime you can see a matinee instead of an evening movie is great since it saves a small fortune, but I wasn’t disappointed that I paid $34 for myself, Mary, Tori and her friend Alyssa to see it.

    Batman is a better movie, but these types of movies really shouldn’t be compared. I’m sure the biggest disappointment that most people had are those who thought that this was going to be another Independence Day. It is not, thankfully. Go see it!

  22. Julie, was the “someone” who spent the precious date Karen?

  23. Carl, I’m so sorry about the girl ruining your experience of The Empire. Plus she can’t have done it with the proper voice and tone, and that’s criminal. I hope someone ruined another film for her. So there. 😉

  24. Ah well, she got really cute later in life and we were sweet on each other briefly so it all worked out in the end….I was really pissed at the time, however. She actually had the nerve to sit next to me during the movie! It could’ve been worse. The major local critic here in town actually ruined the ending of Sixth Sense in his review in the paper and I know at least one person who has never forgiven him for that.

  25. Sorry Carl but this time I can’t go along with hardly anything good about this movie. It flat sucked. I hold Spielberg to a much higher level and this one to me doesn’t have any of his imagination or creativity or intelligent storyline. Oh yeah, what storyline. Loose ends, loose ends, loose ends. No plausible closure, no, extremely unbelievable closure. It is so hard to achieve a good date night that when it does happen, I want a movie worth the full price. This is BARELY worth a rental, but given the fact it is Steven and Tom I guess it’s worth that. I was expecting soooo much more. Given the technology/time exchange, the original was way better. I do agree though with your acting opinion. Dakota is a freak of nature. To me Cruise seemed bored in this one, not much energy. I kept thinking he would become a much bigger hero but the story kept him back. Again bad script. What was with Tim Robbins? Who cares about that whole sequence? There must be a director’s cut out there with the completed version. Please tell me there is. Should have seen Cinderella Man.

  26. The best part for me was finding out Lees Summit Dickinson has a huge auditorium with incredible sound. Also I finally got to see the trailer for Chronicles of Narnia. That to me is what LOTR is to everyone else. I almost cried. No kidding.

  27. That trailer gets to me also, Tom.

    My expectations for WotW is so low now I’ll probably like it.

  28. I can understand not liking it but I can’t understand anyone thinking it didn’t have a storyline when it is a fairly faithful adaptation of a popular classic piece of literature. That argument just doesn’t ring true. And just to be disagreeable I have to say that I can’t seriously take the ‘it flat sucked’ from someone who enjoyed Armageddon! 🙂 But I guess that’s what makes this a movie that has people on both ends of the spectrum because it is a movie like Armageddon, Independence Day, etc. I didn’t love either of those so I can’t criticize too much.

    And the Lee’s Summit Dickinson does have kick butt sound. I’ve been to a few movies there and never was disappointed. But I’ve only had a few disappointments at the AMC. There really is no excuse for a theatre not to have good sound. With the money they make it doesn’t cost that much to throw some new speakers in. I took Tori to see Batman Begins tonight and we were in a really small AMC theatre and the sound rocked. Batman Begins continues to be one of my favorite movies this year…it actually gets better with each viewing.

    And I can’t feel sorry for you “wasting” a date night…if you had read my reviews you would’ve known that Cinderella Man is the movie to see…touching, family oriented, based on a true story. Come on now, you only have yourselves to blame! 🙂

  29. The less you get to get out the more picky you get. When we used to see whatever we wanted it didn’t matter near as much if a movie wasn’t awesome. I know they didn’t see Cinderella Man cuz of the length as the babysitters were tired and wanted them to make it short.

  32. Hey Gang! I haven’t had time to post lately or for that matter read anything either, so I figured why not put my two cents in now while I have a few minutes . . .

    Amazingly, I agree with Tom! Aagh! 😛

    I really didn’t like WOTW. Well, I should rephrase that. I thoroughly enjoyed being scared during the first portion of the movie. I actually gasped aloud, which is always rather embarassing in a small theater. I even enjoyed Tim Robbin’s character. However, I found the ending absolutely ridicilous! It deflated an otherwise powerful movie.

    Now, I realize I have not read the book, so perhaps that gives me less credibility. But honestly, the characters were not consistent to the conclusion, and the abruptness of it all was disappointing. If that’s consistent with the book, then maybe I wouldn’t like the book either.

    That being said, I’m glad I saw the movie. It was fun, which was what I was hoping for; however, I will not be owning this one or seeing it again anytime soon.

    Here’s a link to my favorite movie reviewer, Jeffrey Overstreet, who just happens to agree with me. 🙂

    http://tinyurl.com/bztms

  33. i was hearing that people didn’t like this movie and i couldn’t understand why. i thought it was fun and well done, but i agree with you entirely, carl – see it in on the big screen, but only once. (unlike batman, which i’ll probably even own someday.)

    so it seems that the main reasons people didn’t like this movie was because it wasn’t like all the other alien vs. man movies where man wins because he is superior or because there is that right guy in that right moment to become a hero, kick the alien ass and win the purple medal of honor (oh, come on – even Mars Attacks made fun of the is popular plot-escape). i guess that’s something i’ve always liked about this story – man is helpless and that’s part of the point i felt Welles was trying to get across (and he did so so well that the radio broadcast caused mass panic). we’re so secure in our superiority and that if something goes horribly wrong, a savior (in the form of another human) will save us as a race.

    i thought the movie was well done – i had my misgivings about Tom Cruise (i thought he would take over and try to be a hero) but he was good, Dakota was as always awesome (i agree carl, she maybe from outer-space, but i don’t care) and the effects were creepy and enjoyable. as jenn see said, spielburg knows his aliens (even if his didn’t negatively react to our higher gravity) – what i didn’t know was he was good at horror as well. 🙂

  34. Now Melissa, you can’t agree with Tom…who says it “flat out sucks” and also agree with a reviewer who gave it a ‘B’ rating and says many good things about it and brings up some legitimate complaints! 🙂

    I’ll have to bookmark that reviewers’ site, he has a nice reviewing style.

    And Tom, you need to get better babysitters who will allow you to see a decent movie once in awhile!!!

    On a different note, it sounds like Fantastic Four is getting good reviews and I look forward to seeing that one!

  35. I agree with you Mysfit, I think most people would be raving about the movie if it wasn’t a movie about how helpless we all would be in the face of that kind of all out invasion by a superior power. I’m not sure, however, which ending people are objecting to…the way that H.G. Wells ends it all or the way that Tom and his family end up. If its the H.G. Wells ending then all I can say is that I’m grateful that Spielberg didn’t desecrate a classic by putting a completely different ending to it. The way that the family ends up is a little sappy but that isn’t what makes this movie a one time viewer for me, its just that the subject matter is intense in a way that won’t be recaptured after the first viewing. A movie like Batman has so many layers and different things to check out, etc which is why I’ve seen it 3 times now. As I’ve said many times now and stand by it, this is worth checking out once on the big screen. But, if you can’t see every movie that comes out then this probably isn’t the one out of all this summer’s movies that you want to see. There are enough better movies out now and better movies coming out that are worth seeing first.

  36. All this talk about WotW and destruction makes me want to go blow up some stuff….how ’bout another 4th of July this weekend James?!?!?!?

  39. newsarama.com’s guy mainly, who said comic book fans won’t be disappointed and other’s blogs including Angela’s. I’m not a fan of FF so I’m sure I’ll like it well enough…it never looked great but it looks like another fun summer popcorn flick.

  42. Let me clarify. I cannot spoil the movie for those who foolishly want to actually see this mess of a movie, but when the titans of hollywood team up to remake an American cinema classic, one would expect a mega movie experience. Without giving anything away…computers are fried by an EMP esp. car computers, what with blood? no way sonny boy is living through that heat, on and on and on. Then the pathetic ending. I was offended at the stupidity of this hyped up bomb. Next week it’ll gross $20 and I’ll be vindicated.

  43. Again, you like Armageddon…you’ll never be vindicated! 🙂

  44. Ok, perhaps I was a little rash in agreeing wholeheartedly with Tom, but it does seem to rile everyone up, which maybe I don’t mind too much. Still, though, I think Tom had some good points. And besides, just because a book is a classic, does that make it perfect? React to that! 😉

    To clear up a few things though, I would like to add that I have no problem with the hero of the story not being a traditional one. In fact, that’s what really makes him appealing as a character because he’s more accessible than say Superman. I also don’t think movies need to show mankind being victorious against all odds; conversely, the movies that are bold enough to show internal and external struggles even at their conclusion are more effective and realistic.

    Carl, you said that the family’s sappy ending isn’t the reason for you not seeing it again. I would agree with you. I don’t mind sap–when it’s appropriate, but character development is paramount. The beginning of the movie accomplished this, but the squeaky clean family conclusion wasn’t consistent with the characters and left something to be desired.

  45. The ‘squeaky clean’ part is the part that I think most people object to. It didn’t ruin it for me but I would’nt have done it that way.

    It doesn’t rile us up that you agree with Tom, it makes us afraid for your sanity and most likely gives your brother nightmares! 🙂

    And yes, if a book is a classic and has stood the test of time for over 100 years then I would say its perfect! 🙂

  46. The book, which I just read last year, was very frightening. And I thought the movie was too, though not as much as the book. I understand changing the local of movies. I don’t like it, but I can understand it. I figure if Wells put it in England it should stay there. However, New Jersey!? Regarding the Star’s reviewer – he not only gave away the ending of Sixth Sense, but American Beauty (and another movie with a surprise ending) – all in the same review. If you weren’t talking about me, Carl, you can add me to the list. Don’t reviewers have ethics they’re supposed to follow?

  47. I was talking about you though I’m sure he ruined it for many other readers…ethics? reviewers?…first they’d have to get some common sense!

  48. Julie and I watched WotW tonight and I gotta say I liked it a lot.

    For the most part it is exactly like the original movie.

    I would call this one a sci-fi thriller. Very intense in a lot of places.

    I can see why Tom and Karen didn’t like it, though.

    You guys are at a very busy, stress filled time in your life. The last thing you need is an “end of the world we are all gonna die” movie.

    Cinderella Man is the medicine you need right now.

  49. I completely agree, Jimmy. I really liked it a lot. And yes, it was extremely faithful to the original movie. Yep, right down to the ending.

    So, if Spielberg had changed the ending to make it more “action movie”, the crowds might have liked it more, but the critics would have hated it for not being “pure” to the original. The guy can’t win!

    I was amazed at how realistically (can’t think of a better word) the fear played out. Spielberg is a master at choreography.

  50. As a parent of young children, I totally felt the stress and responsibility this poor man endured. Well, at least to some degree. I told James I would not say anything negative about this movie. I really can’t think of anything, anyway. I enjoyed it. I liked the ending.

  52. Thanks for the link James, I’m looking forward to giving this another listen since its been 20+ years since I last heard it!

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