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War of the Worlds
(Paramount: 2005)
War of the Worlds is a movie that I've waited three years to see. It was in 2002 that independent film company
Pendragon Pictures first announced the production of a true-to-the-book retelling of War of the Worlds.
Not long afterwards, another independent film company, The Asylum, announced a modern retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic
novel; and DreamWorks Pictures also announced a modern retelling of War of the Worlds, to be directed under the watchful
hand of Steven Spielberg. All three of these films were to be released in 2005.
This sounded like heaven to a self-proclaimed War of the Worlds fan like me. Only recently did I finish reading through
the H.G. Wells book that started it all, but I’ve had both a copy of Orson Welles’ 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast
on cassette and a DVD of George Pal and Byron Haskin’s original 1953 War of the Worlds movie sitting in my bedroom for years.
The two new independent films, both which I have not yet seen, have received very little press from the mass media and
very many negative reviews from the public. Both have been severely overshadowed by Spielberg’s $128 million film.
But that didn’t matter to me, because I trusted that Spielberg could produce a film that was worth my time and money,
unlike the other two production companies that I had never heard of.
Opening weekend found me in a movie theater, seated next to a group of obnoxious teenage girls who had nothing better
to do than whisper and giggle throughout the entire length of the movie. I had to teach myself to ignore the rude
interruptions as I was drawn into the story of Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise).
Ray is a very selfish man, separated from his wife and living in a New Jersey apartment that’s so filthy you could almost
swear that aliens have already attacked the place. Ray has custody of his kids, Rachael (Dakota Fanning) and
Robbie (Justin Chatwin), for the weekend, and he proceeds to treat them like crap, that is until the aliens stage
their first attack on the world. The rest of the film closely follows Ray and his children as they escape from the
alien invaders and their merciless destruction.
Despite the modern retelling of the original book, I was surprised by how closely Spielberg’s film matched H.G. Wells’
novel on certain principle issues. Almost every retelling of War of the Worlds has presented the alien attacks as
a worldwide, large-scale attack, with constant reports from news rooms, military operations, and so on. Dissimilarly,
Spielberg’s movie, like the book, follows the journey of only one main character as he tries to flee from the chaos wrought
by the alien invaders. We’re not particularly aware of the size and scope of the alien attacks, nor should we be.
Also true to the book, the attacking alien machines are presented as giant, octopus-like creatures with three legs,
several tentacles, and a heat ray as a deadly weapon. The arrival of the alien creatures is almost awe-inspiring, thanks
largely to the incredible special effects work performed by Industrial Light & Magic. So many other retellings of
War of the Worlds have failed to design the aliens the way they are supposed to be designed. The 1953 film, which I still
do appreciate, presented the alien machines as metallic flying devices with a snake-like heat ray protruding from the top,
and I understand that The Asylum’s independent War of the Worlds film didn’t even go to the trouble of giving its aliens
a heat ray. Only Spielberg has managed to bring to life the alien machines from the original book.
Unfortunately, what this movie doesn’t get right is its cast of characters. Ray Ferrier is a jerk at the beginning of
the movie, and though you’d expect him to do some soul-searching by the time the credits roll, he’s still a jerk at the
end of the movie. The film tries to trick you into thinking that Ray has undergone an emotional change throughout the
course of his journey, especially through the use of one very clichéd final scene that shows Ray’s reunion with a
particular loved one; but his personality doesn’t really seem to have taken a turn for the better. Ray’s daughter, Rachael,
makes a reputation for herself as a little brat who screams at just about everything that moves; and Ray’s son, Robbie,
shows a sort of patriotic determinism that’s so far-fetched as to be deemed completely unrealistic.
Luckily, little time is given to the audience to consider character development when the movie's action is practically
non-stop from the beginning of the movie to its renowned ending. If you don't already know how the movie ends, I highly
recommend that you go out and read a good book. I was surprised to find that many people are clueless about the ending
to the movie, and while I admit that the ending does feel just a little rushed and that one particular final scene is
wholly unnecessary, the demise of the aliens is certainly not stupid. It ends in the same way that War of the Worlds
has always ended, and that’s the way it should be.
I admit, by the time the movie had ended, I did feel a little underwhelmed. I’m happy that Spielberg managed to capture much
of the true essence of H.G. Wells’ legendary tale, but the bad choice of characters, and even the film’s pacing in its
later moments, left something to be desired. I enjoyed the movie as it was playing, but I felt unfulfilled as I was
walking back to my car. War of the Worlds may be a decent movie, but it’s certainly not the film that I’ve waited
three years to see.
Score:
(3 UFOs out of 5)
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Release Date: 06/29/05
Profanity: Moderate-to-Heavy
Violence: Moderate-to-Heavy
