Rate Spielberg's War of the Worlds

[barsoomcore]

If you want to fight with me about movies (which I would LOVE), feel free to stroll past my blog: http://barsoomcore.blogspot.com

It's mostly movie ranting. And RI, when it comes to Spielberg, we are brothers bound. Amen.

AMG: Like I said, you can justify it, certainly. But the choice to NOT show torn bodies reflects the unwillingness to generate real horror. And cheapens the impact of the film.

I remember loving the 1953 version. And I certainly love Orson Welles' version -- my mom had it on vinyl and I listened to it many, many times. And like I said, Spielberg was unable to resist undermining the bleak message of HG Wells' story. This movie tries to deliver both human triumph and human futility, with the end result of doing neither very convincingly, and leaving me feeling like I'm getting manipulated in assorted directions.

Well, you got my money, so I guess the joke's on me. And it wasn't a DISASTER. It wasn't as good as Howl's Moving Castle (and that was no classic, either; but at least it had imagination and vision), but it wasn't as bad as Pirates of the Caribbean.

He said, just because he knows it will outrage people.

 

[Arnwyn]

1. No bodies in the plane crash? Sure, you can justify it, but if you have a plane crash without bodies, it's because you didn't want to show torn and burned bodies, and dammit, HE SHOULD HAVE.

Just as an aside - there were bodies. I counted two of 'em. (Yeah... just two. One schmuck was still strapped into her seat. Nowhere near the scale that you would think would be appropriate, though.)

At first, I agreed and thought this was odd. Then there came the scene with the clothes falling from the sky in the forest. I get the impression that there were no bodies because the heat rays were used to take out the people inside.

Nope.

 

[Kai Lord]

Another solid 9 for me, a higher 9 than Batman Begins and lower than Cinderella Man. One of the greatest summers for films in a long time.

Awesomely intense. My wife thought it was the scariest movie she'd ever seen. She was literally on edge or the verge of tears for about an hour and 45 minutes straight. For me it was Red Dawn with aliens. Fantastic.

I'm so glad Spielberg didn't pander to Verhoeven sensibilities with unnecessary gore. The impact of seeing what happens to bodies in the path of a tripod was powerful and permeated throughout the rest of the film. The only two moments that briefly took me out of the picture were

Spoiler

Tim Robbins loading his shotgun at the last second

and

Spoiler

Cruise's son showing up at the end. I think there should have been casualties directly connected to Tom to give the film even greater impact.

But the cinematography, acting, and overall sense of *helplessness* and "what would you do in this situation" were awesome. The ferry scene and follow-up on the shore were the highlights of the film. The sheer unpredictability of the tripods, uh oh, you're in their way, will they blast you? Pick you up? They really did feel like alien beings and the ambiguity of their tactics added to the despair. What a fantastic piece of filmmaking.

I could have done without the resolution to the Tim Robbins scene and the manner in which the family issues were ultimately resolved, but there's just too much that this film does right. What an experience.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Just as an aside - there were bodies. I counted two of 'em. (Yeah... just two. One schmuck was still strapped into her seat. Nowhere near the scale that you would think would be appropriate, though.)

Hmm...I probably won't see this again so I'll have to take your word on that. Of course, it then raises the question of why were the clothes raining down in the forest later? I assumed it was a direct way of showing passengers in planes had been heat rayed.

 

[DonTadow]

Hmm...I probably won't see this again so I'll have to take your word on that. Of course, it then raises the question of why were the clothes raining down in the forest later? I assumed it was a direct way of showing passengers in planes had been heat rayed.

I wondered that, but, again I kept quiet. But, thinking along those lines,

In that case, why were the bodies washing up down the river when the girl took a whiz, if, at that point, the pods were dicentegrating people.

::cough cough:: inconsistencies.

 

[CGoat]

Wife and I left the movie... Looked at each other and both thought it sucked. Over-hyped. The whole hiding in the cellar was drawn out way too much. I didn't need to wait 5 minutes for them to hide from the snake sensor. You would think advanced alien technology would rely on more than just a big endoscope to find your prey.

If you ask me... some things should be left alone. Like a classic movie.

Hey wotc won't mess with magic missle... or fireball. So why can't hollywood figure it out.

I agree that signs was much better... directing was a bit cheesy at times but the story was much better.

 

[Nuclear Platypus]

About the Red Weed:

Its been awhile since I've read the book but wherever the Martians went, so too went the red weed. Just as the Martians attempted to exterminate the humans, so too the weed would choke out native plantlife. As for where they came from, they obviously came with the Martians tho intentially or accidently I don't know. AFAIK, the red weed was symbolic of the Martian conquest of earth and / or the native environment being conquered by an alien species.

Here's what one critique of the movie said.

 

[Taelorn76]

Hmm...I probably won't see this again so I'll have to take your word on that. Of course, it then raises the question of why were the clothes raining down in the forest later? I assumed it was a direct way of showing passengers in planes had been heat rayed.

The clothes falling from the sky was way after the plane, it was after they crossed the river IIRC. As far as bodies on the plane I remember seeing one for sure. I don't know why but I remember specificly looking for bodies in the plane.

 

[Mark Chance]

Wife and I left the movie... Looked at each other and both thought it sucked. Over-hyped. The whole hiding in the cellar was drawn out way too much. I didn't need to wait 5 minutes for them to hide from the snake sensor. You would think advanced alien technology would rely on more than just a big endoscope to find your prey.

That what they get for spending so much of their military budget on "probing technologies."

If you ask me... some things should be left alone. Like a classic movie.

That would involve admitting the dearth of ideas. Almost everything coming out of Hollywood is either a remake or a sequel.

Hey wotc won't mess with magic missle... or fireball. So why can't hollywood figure it out.

But they did mess with them. Fireball for example: used to be no damage cap; used to expand to fill enormous, party-threatening volumes.

I agree that signs was much better... directing was a bit cheesy at times but the story was much better.

That, and Signs wasn't a film about an alien invasion. It was about an unlikely nexus of events leading to the rebirth of one man's faith.

 

[Chain Lightning]

Writers can write the best scripts, but the director has the final say so over what gets on the screen and what doesnt get on the screen.

Actually, that's not always the case. Most times its the Producers that get final say. But, when the director is someone with a lot of influence (like Spielberg), they can influence the 'final say'. But if you're a relative newcomer directing a film for Bruckheimer (for example), and you the both of you debated over how a certain key scene should be done, Bruckheimer would have his way.

I in no way want you to think I think anyone who liked this movie is a mindless zombie. I'm referring to the replys that more or less state "great special effects, loved the movie". I think you raise some good points and, again, the ones you picked out about mine are minor ones as compared to major plot holes like the van.

I'll buy your argument on hate vision, but it didn't come on until the last two acts of the movie, when things seemed hurried and nonsensical. I will say that the first act was excellent with the exeption of the working van and the working home video recorder.

Cool. So long as you were lumping me in with mindless zombies, I'm good. Heh heh, yeah... 'hate vision' usually doesn't come on till act 2. Unless its Phantom Menace, it comes on as soon as Jar Jar shows up.