Hello all! I'm pretty much the worst blogger ever, so far, it seems. Keeping up with 3 posts a week isn't fairing well for me when I have finals coming up at school, I'm participating in a play at the local community theater, and have work most days of the week. Once school and the show ends, though, I'm sure I'll be able to get back on schedule. Once again, I apologize for my lack of posts lately. Anywho! Time for a review! Today I will be reviewing (among other films) "The War of the Worlds," directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise.
I'm sure you all know the story, but in case you don't, here's a quick recap: "The War of the Worlds," based on the novel by H.G. Wells, is about a hostile alien invasion on Earth, and one family's struggle to survive the brutal and merciless attack by the invaders. The film stars Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, and Justin Chatwin. Oh, and it's narrated by Morgan Freeman. And yes, that is a pro I will mention.
Pros:
1. Okay, the first thing I want to talk about are the aliens and their ships. If you've ever read the book, it stays remarkably true to it in terms of what the aliens and their ships looked like. They were tall, jellyfish like ships with large beams on the tops of them that were able to take down entire cities in seconds. (I'm posting from my phone so I can't include pictures, but I will put in pictures as soon as I can get to a computer). They are truly terrifying, but also paint a picture of classic sci-fi aliens that really brings you back to the old movies of the 1940's and 1950's. They were intelligent, intimidating and very powerful, but also looked very interesting and creative.
2. Along with pro number one, the actors reacted so well to their CGI counterparts. I believed that they were seeing 50-foot alien ships destroying their cities. I was surprised by Tom Cruise's believability as well; he usually disappoints me when he works primarily with CGI, but this movie was spot on. It looked like a super challenging movie that I'd like to work on someday. As an actor, being able to work with CGI nowadays is a must 99% of the time, and that movie is a perfect test of an actor's believability and skill.
3. Even though the plot is about this far fetched idea of an alien invasion, the underlying story about this struggling family is surprisingly human and ordinary. And I don't mean "ordinary" in the sense that it's boring; I mean it in the sense that it's completely relatable. Tom Cruise plays a dad who has become estranged from his two children (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin) after he and his wife get a divorce. Now, it just so happens that the weekend his kids are supposed to spend with him is the weekend that the attacks start, so they have to work together to survive, even though his kids virtually hate him. It's a true test of a family's strength and loyalty during a time of death and extreme destruction. Even though it was about aliens invading Earth, it had a very human quality of life to it that made it relatable to pretty much everyone.
4. It's narrated by Morgan Freeman. Come on; need I say more?
Cons:
1. About halfway through the movie, the alien ships start to excrete red, slimy vines onto the ground. I'm not sure what they're supposed to be; the remains of humans they've killed, compacted into veiny vines? A network of vines to transport said human remains from ship to ship? Plants that they liked? I wasn't sure, but it was distracting and...just weird, honestly.
2. There's a scene where Tom Cruise (and his kids) run into a friend of his while trying to escape the grasp of the alien ships. He tries to help her and her daughter get onto a ferry that will take them to a safe place away from the invasion, but they get separated and the friend and her daughter end up dying. Now, the problem I have with this is the whole duration of that scene. It was way too short a scene to feel any kind of sympathy toward Tom Cruise's friend. They set it up to be a turning point in the movie, and in my opinion it just ended too soon to justify keeping it in the final reel.
Those are just nitpicky, though. As a whole, the movie was exciting, dramatic, and yet had a very real feel to it; something Spielberg does best. What can I say? It's classic genius filmmaking! Thanks for reading! Remember: pictures to follow!
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