Tweet

WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005)
Reviewed by Dennis Daniel

WHAT I EXPECTED:
When it was announced that Steven Spielberg was going to do his own version of WAR OF THE WORLDS, I was both excited and cautiously optimistic. I knew, of course, that the special effects would be top notch. I also had some high expectations of Tom Cruise. Although, at the moment, he is suffering a string of bad publicity due to his wacky personal beliefs, I respect him as an actor and was glad he’d be teaming up again with Spielberg after the very entertaining MINORITY REPORT. There was no doubt that the quintessential Spielbergian themes would be essayed, as usual. There’d be a dysfunctional family in crisis that the alien attack would put to the test (check), there’d be a moral crisis that would challenge a character’s inner demons (check), there’s be lots of POV close ups of faces in peril and horror (check), there’d be special effects that defy logic and set new standards (check), there’d be some kind of homage to the 1954 George Pal version (check and double check), some new twists and turns in the plot to give the story some freshness and surprises (and how, check) and there’d be a warm and fuzzy conclusion where all would be well as the re-united characters, a bit shaken and stirred, but none the worse for wear, would walk off into the sunset of a new and better world, faced with one hell of a clean up job (you bet your sweet bippy check). So, the only thing left to do was actually see the film and see how Spielberg was going to stir up this cinematic stew.

WHAT I GOT:
Everything I expected and more. The family crises aspect was not really too sappy. (We all know Spielberg can be heavy on the sap.) Lots of divorced dads have issues with their teenage sons and young daughters.

THE ACTING:
Cruise was quite good, conveying just the right amount of wonder, terror, resolve and pater familias responsibility. Equally up to the challenge and totally believable were Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin as Cruises’ son and daughter. In fact, some very special praise must be heaped on Dakota Fanning. This girl is an amazing little actress! She does a phenomenal job of registering all the emotions you’d expect from a 10 year-old girl faced with such horrors. Tim Robbins also puts in a quick but intense performance as a man who offers shelter to Cruise and Fanning in the basement of his home, then slowly goes bananas. He seems to be good at those kooky people roles. It kinda reminded me of his Oscar winning performance in Clint Eastwood’s MYSTIC RIVER.

THE SPECIAL TOUCHES:
There are some amazing scenes in this film where the camera does things that cameras simply cannot do! In one scene where Cruise and the kids are driving away in horror, trying to escape, the camera just dances in and out of the van with all kinds of simply impossible shots! We’re in the van, watching them talk, yell, argue…then, we’re outside and over the van, then, we’re back in and through the van, beside the van, in front of the van…all this in one shot…all this while the van is moving…all this while it zips past a bevy of parked cars all along the highway. Just astonishing! Okay, I know that with computers you can do anything, but this was more than just a CGI miracle. This was beautifully thought out in every way, with everything from the acting to the visuals executed with panache. The same can be said for many other scenes, but I leave it to you to find and appreciate them.

THE SPECIAL EFFECTS:
Oh boy oh boy oh boy! The alien tri-pods! Damn! They are just a wonder to behold! The scene where they make their first appearance is an instant classic. Unlike other versions of the story, they come from below rather than above. Pretty damn clever Steve! This was Spielberg’s little trick…his surprise…and it works for me. Look, I don’t care about logic, ok? I’m not going to post on blogs and sit in chat rooms for hours debating about how these ships could have been under the earth for millions of years and that we never detected them. Who cares! They look cool rising from the depths. They make cool noises, and have heat rays that turn people into ash! COOL!!!! That’s what I wanted and that’s what I got! I love to listen to the film in my headphones because it has such sonic wonders! The sound mix is mint! The creaking, clanging, horn-blowing sounds of the tri-pods are terrifying and real. Oh yes…very real indeed. Real and beautiful. They are a magnificent representation of an alien-designed machine that also mimics the look of the aliens themselves. Speaking of which, I thought it was brilliant that the aliens are sort of tri-podish themselves.

There are scenes where you’d swear the images were taken right out of a 1950’s pulp sci-fi illustrated magazine. Shots of the tri-pods on a hillside, blasting heat rays while swarms of tiny people run and scatter…tri-pods emerging from the depths of the earth, or water, or fire…terrifying in their size, shape and purpose. I’m telling ya folks, there’s some heavy shit going on! Memories of 9/11 cannot be discounted, either.

THE MISTAKES:
One of my biggest disappointments with the film is it just doesn’t seem like a War of the Worlds. It seems more like a War in New York and New Jersey. Unlike Pal’s version, you never get a sense that this is happening worldwide. It’s spoken about, some stills are shown, but I expected an extravaganza of death and destruction! I know that seeing famous landmarks destroyed has been done to death, but it was necessary here. This is the story that started it all! The entire story is seen through the eyes of Tom Cruise. We never cut away to what’s happening elsewhere on the planet. I missed that very much.

The biggest mistake of all was when Cruise’s son runs away because he just “has to.” I mean, this kid runs into a tremendous ball of fire! To see him slightly dirty and none the worse for wear at the end was just plain silly. I didn’t buy it. No one does. Oh well, nothing is perfect.

SO, WHAT DID YA THINK?
Despite what I perceived as mistakes, I loved the film. It’s a lot of fun! I saw it twice in the theater. It wasn’t the WAR OF THE WORLDS I had completely hoped for, but it was filled with enough eye-popping wonders, acting and surprises to make it more than satisfying. It definitely did not suck.

DVD EXTRAS:
The double disc comes with a lot of hokey, “studio produced” interviews, examinations of the special effects and whatnot. It all seemed very calculated, plastic and devoid of much real thought. I would have loved to see some heavy-duty in-depth discussions, behind-the-scenes and extra footage. Nada. All we get are fodder and teases. You’re better off buying the single disc version. I sure hope you have a great stereo home theater system because the sound mix is just awesome!

Editor’s addendum: The Paramount Home Video release of George Pal’s 1954 WAR OF THE WORLDS would be a great companion piece to the Spielberg remake. It has been released twice on DVD, and the earlier is the far better rendition. The more recent incarnation didn’t use reference material when it was remastered, and as a result got some of the colors seriously wrong. In addition, by sharpening the picture beyond its filmmakers’ original intentions, the wires holding up the ships have become even more pronounced. Yet the problem with picking up the older (red cover) release is that the new DVD (blue cover) has some terrific extras, such as the Orson Welles Mercury Theater radio broadcast, while the older one has no supplements at all. Does that mean what I think it does…? Are WOW lovers going to have to spring for both…?

Cast:
Ray Ferrier: Tom Cruise
Rachel Ferrier: Dakota Fanning
Robert Ferrier: Justin Chatwin
Mary Ann: Miranda Otto
Tim Robbins: Harlan Ogilvyl
Vincent: Richard Gonzalez:
Julio: Yul Vazquez
Manny The Mechanic: Lenny Venito
Sheryl: Lisa Ann Walter
Grandmother: Ann Robinson
Grandfather: Gene Barry

Credits:
Director: Steven Spielberg
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson
Executive Producer: Paula Wagner
Screenplay: Josh Friedman, David Koepp
Novel: H.G. Wells
Original Music: John Williams
Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski
Editor: Michael Kahn
Costumes: Joanna Johnston
Art Direction: Doug J. Meerdink, Andrew Menzies, Norman Newberry
Production Design: Rick Carter
Special Effects: ILM
Production Company: Dreamworks SKG, Paramount, Amblin Entertainment, Cruise/Wagner Productions
Distributor: Dreamworks SKG

Continue to page: 1 2 3 4 5 6