War of the World: A Movie Review
Steven Spielberg has done it again. He has made another satisfying movie for the masses. I wonder how would it be to produce such art that is so thoroughly enjoyable to watch? Right now only Spielberg knows that feeling, as the movie industry suffers from a poor box office year. War of the Worlds, based on H.G. Wells’s 1898 novel of the same name, is about aliens attacking the earth.
Aliens’ attacking is a simple enough premise for a novel and a movie, but can it be pulled off successfully without being blasé? The answer is “Yes,” Spielberg takes Wells’s novel and from what I here is pretty faithful to its original intent crafts a movie that keeps you on edge for most of the time. Spielberg adeptly starts the movie by focusing on a mechanical beast of our own time – a container crane, in which the protagonist, Ray Ferrier, played by Tom Cruise nimbly removes a container from a ship. This scene foreshadows the mechanical monsters and their methodical way of picking off humans as easy as Ray picks up those metal containers. But this is only the beginning of some of the nuance film directing Spielberg displays in this movie that shows he is a master craftsman at what he does best – make movies.
The film creates a sense of tension and suspense from the first lightening strikes to the aliens burst out of the ground. This is also were the acting becomes key to the weight of the movie. Dakota Fannings’ character, Rachel Ferrier, the 10 year old daughter of Ray, shows the fear and tension an event like this would have on such a child. Sometimes her hollering gets tedious, but as the movie progresses you see the growth of her character as she controls her fears to save her and her Dad’s life. Ray’s son, Robbie, played by Justin Chatwin, seems a little to calm for the tense situation that’s taking place all around him. And the scene where Robbie defiantly marches towards the alien invaders as a military unit takes up defensive positions is just unbelievable and really strains the credibility of the movie. Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise. He has his typical “Cruise” swagger to fit his role as a deadbeat dad/longshoreman, but he does show some skill as he portrays a father trying to keep his family together.
The heart of this movie is a familial theme of how a man becomes a real Dad and not just a biological father. You see the growth of Ray from a loser dad, who gives up in relating to his children to one who, through this very stressful situation, develops a bond that cannot be broken. As Paul Clinton at CNN.com points out, the son-father relationship could have been left totally out of the movie, and it probably would have made the movie better. The scenes with the son were the weaker moments in the film.
Now as a sci-fi fan I did notice some inconsistencies in the films portrayal of the alien invaders. Some of these missteps included the lack of mother ships or aerial assault crafts. Obviously, the aliens have the capabilities because there is a scene that shows how the aliens get into the mech monsters to start the attack. You would think that a blitz like this would include air and ground assault. (I just though about it, but maybe Spielberg wanted to stay away from any comparisons to the alien aerial attack in the blockbuster Independence Day movie. But it would just make sense that these aliens would have spacecraft!) Another faux pas is the lack of infrared capabilities of the aliens. These are highly advanced creatures with amazing technological equipment, yet they can’t see the heat signatures of humans behind a wooden wall? C’mon! There is a scene in which Spielberg lets the viewer see what the alien invaders see as they look on the face of an obviously petrified Rachel. But that move just solidifies the flub by an otherwise solid director.
Finally, I liked Spielberg’s allusions to the 9/11 tragedy and his other alien movies, E.T. and Close Encounters they were not over the top nor overly sentimental. Spielberg is at the top of his game and he knows it. He manipulates each scene to full effect to make a thriller of a movie that is both enjoyable and suspenseful at the same time. I can definitely go on that ride again.
Aliens’ attacking is a simple enough premise for a novel and a movie, but can it be pulled off successfully without being blasé? The answer is “Yes,” Spielberg takes Wells’s novel and from what I here is pretty faithful to its original intent crafts a movie that keeps you on edge for most of the time. Spielberg adeptly starts the movie by focusing on a mechanical beast of our own time – a container crane, in which the protagonist, Ray Ferrier, played by Tom Cruise nimbly removes a container from a ship. This scene foreshadows the mechanical monsters and their methodical way of picking off humans as easy as Ray picks up those metal containers. But this is only the beginning of some of the nuance film directing Spielberg displays in this movie that shows he is a master craftsman at what he does best – make movies.
The film creates a sense of tension and suspense from the first lightening strikes to the aliens burst out of the ground. This is also were the acting becomes key to the weight of the movie. Dakota Fannings’ character, Rachel Ferrier, the 10 year old daughter of Ray, shows the fear and tension an event like this would have on such a child. Sometimes her hollering gets tedious, but as the movie progresses you see the growth of her character as she controls her fears to save her and her Dad’s life. Ray’s son, Robbie, played by Justin Chatwin, seems a little to calm for the tense situation that’s taking place all around him. And the scene where Robbie defiantly marches towards the alien invaders as a military unit takes up defensive positions is just unbelievable and really strains the credibility of the movie. Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise. He has his typical “Cruise” swagger to fit his role as a deadbeat dad/longshoreman, but he does show some skill as he portrays a father trying to keep his family together.
The heart of this movie is a familial theme of how a man becomes a real Dad and not just a biological father. You see the growth of Ray from a loser dad, who gives up in relating to his children to one who, through this very stressful situation, develops a bond that cannot be broken. As Paul Clinton at CNN.com points out, the son-father relationship could have been left totally out of the movie, and it probably would have made the movie better. The scenes with the son were the weaker moments in the film.
Now as a sci-fi fan I did notice some inconsistencies in the films portrayal of the alien invaders. Some of these missteps included the lack of mother ships or aerial assault crafts. Obviously, the aliens have the capabilities because there is a scene that shows how the aliens get into the mech monsters to start the attack. You would think that a blitz like this would include air and ground assault. (I just though about it, but maybe Spielberg wanted to stay away from any comparisons to the alien aerial attack in the blockbuster Independence Day movie. But it would just make sense that these aliens would have spacecraft!) Another faux pas is the lack of infrared capabilities of the aliens. These are highly advanced creatures with amazing technological equipment, yet they can’t see the heat signatures of humans behind a wooden wall? C’mon! There is a scene in which Spielberg lets the viewer see what the alien invaders see as they look on the face of an obviously petrified Rachel. But that move just solidifies the flub by an otherwise solid director.
Finally, I liked Spielberg’s allusions to the 9/11 tragedy and his other alien movies, E.T. and Close Encounters they were not over the top nor overly sentimental. Spielberg is at the top of his game and he knows it. He manipulates each scene to full effect to make a thriller of a movie that is both enjoyable and suspenseful at the same time. I can definitely go on that ride again.
posted by Sir Isaac @ 9:24 AM
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