Remake of the classic War of the Worlds invades theaters this week
The staff of SCIFIPUNDIT went to the sold out premiere of the Steven Spielberg remake of the classic War of the Worlds this evening and if you go into this movie thinking it is the total remake of the classic you may be sorely disappointed, but I still think it makes a great story for this day and age with everything going on in the world. Tom Cruise plays the part of Ray Ferrier, a dockworker and a not so grown up father who has weekend custody of his two children, played by Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin. The H.G. Wells classic science fiction story tells the tale of aliens coming to earth and destroying everything in their path along the way. I found it interesting how when the first attack on New Jersey happens the children believe it’s a terrorist attack where in the not so distant past, folks my own age would have thought it was the Russians invading. The story holds true to the original in respects to the ships and aliens intent upon earth. The images of the aliens ransacking an old farmhouse send chills down your spine. A few tense moments were felt by most who watched. I was seriously impressed with what Mr. Spielberg did with the special effects. It was an amazing job with keeping the original design of the tripod legged spacecraft described in the book along with the snake like scanner that slithered through the basement searching for any signs of life as it did in the original movie in the 50’s. I see this becoming another classic for Steven Spielberg. As with most of his films over the years, the suspense and energy are great in this film. I give this one 3 and a half aliens out of 5. So let us know what you think here at SCIFIPUNDIT we would love to hear from everyone.
blogged up by Alex at 11:18:00 PM
5 Comments:
I think he's talking about me regarding "tense moments". The bruise marks are still visible. Sorry, hunny!
I thought this movie was fantastic. I liked how Spielberg stayed with some of the continuity of the original film. The Tripods were totally amazing. And learning that the cast had to act without having seen the aliens was amazing, The ability to have such intensity without seeing or hearing what they are up aganist is brilliant. It was scary, intense and at times made me jump. This one is a keeper for sure.
Call it an awesome update of a timeless story.Prior to going to this movie I watched the old version with Gene Barry (nice to see his cameo in this one... cute) on my new HDTV with one of the new HDMI DVD's.. with this new resolution you can actually see the strings holding up the martian war machines and I am sorry to say the story lost something for me there even though it had been a favorite of mine for 40 years. So this movie is a welcome addition to my movie life.
What is it about spielberg that he wants a cute blonde kid to take your attention in his movies about aliens? Drew Barrymore did it for ET and the new "hardest working woman in showbusiness" Dakota Fanning did the bit this time. I am not sure why the character arc for Tom Cruise required his family to be with him during this time of bewildering change on the planet but it did not diminish the movie for me so I forgive Mr SPielberg for this bit of story bashing for the cheap heart tug.
I most enjoyed that except for a brief narration in the beginning and a similar bit of dialogue at the end, that the main characters did not know any more than what they saw or heard in the whole movie. No breaks for armwaving pseudo-science... no star trek speak..... I like the idea that a movie may present things as just happening and then you get to speculate in your own mind as to why it happened that way or what the results actually were. In that vein, isn;t it interesting that the aliens managed to try to "terraform" the earth with martian organisms yet, failed to take into account any possibility of disease causing organisms in our atmosphere (potentialy logical if our biology is radically different from theirs...) but no field trials before a full blown invasion?... hmmmmm
I would see this one twice on the big screen ...well worth the added cost.
I thought it was pretty good. I had read a review that called it the first movie about 9/11 and I was seeing that for about the first hour, but when the crowd started turning on those with a car, I was a little dismayed. Didn't 9/11 actually bring out some of humanity's best behavior. And Cruise, with a Colt Python (I believe), is only one of two guys with a gun in the crowd. I don't think so. In Jersey?
OK, here's my quibble with the plot. Why are the machines buried beneath cities? If the aliens have indestructable machines and want the planet, use the machines when you first get there. What are they waiting for-- a fairer fight? They bury the machines (which are never detected despite subway and skyscraper sub flooring construction) and wait for us to be more technologically advanced, more numerous? More fun to kill? What? There is absolutely no advantage to them to wait at least hundred and more probably thousands of years. Really stupid plot twist I thought. The lightning stuff was cool though and scary in a weird wayl Best SciFi of the summer (which is all of about two weeks old).
I had to think about this movie for a couple of days…honestly I went to see WotW with zero expectations. I fully anticipated the movie would completely suck. Because of the recent bizarre and erratic behavior perpetrated by Mr. Cruise, I was ready to skip it altogether. I’m glad I didn’t. Talk about INTENSE. The audience receives about 5 minutes of rest and relaxation at the start then the “fun” begins.
I found this movie to be an interesting blend of the 1953 movie, the HG Wells novel and the Orson Wells radio broadcast. I thought Spielberg really stepped up and did a wonderful job with the plot, except for the ending. After being on the edge of your seat for most of the movie, in the last 5 minutes it was as though they got tired of filming and picked one of the already used endings to wrap up the movie. However, one thing is for sure, this movie is an insightful examination of human behavior when confronted with incomprehensible terror. I feel Spielberg truly captured the essence of the human psyche when placed in this type of circumstance. In a post 9/11 world, I think most of us would say “it’s terrorists”. Once you realize it is worse, you might wish it was terrorists.
Nonetheless, I also agree with Roger. I didn’t understand why the machines were hidden underground. Perhaps they were anticipating the need for future resources or knew they were exhausting their own planet? Or maybe they were waiting for the human population to grow to the point where there were enough to keep them satiated? Truly, it was a distracting plot glitch.
As for the acting…it was very nicely done. Timothy Robbins is in the movie….I didn’t even know until I saw him on the screen. Dakota Fanning surely needed a vocal coach to keep her vocal cords working through all that screaming. And Tom Cruise as a deadbeat Dad? I thought he made the role believable enough.
The basement screen was well orchestrated. Again capturing the “what would you do factor?”. Two other scenes really stuck out to me. 1. When he realizes he is “covered” in dead people. 2. When the clothes rained down. (I think this happens at least twice.) Oh and not to forget the tripods! I enjoyed the stylish design this go round very much. And all you germaphobs might want to rethink that mindset.
In conclusion, I told Alex after he insisted; I would go on and on. What else is new? However, I give this movie 4 out of 5 aliens with fully opposable thumbs pointed upward.
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