War of the Worlds Review

[Sithlord]

I just saw this one this morning before work and I must say one of the best movies this year. Not a very long movie 117mins but felt longer excellent acting amazing effects and some of the best edge of your seats moments. Speilberg has given us a real emotional,suspenceful and gripping movie and holds up to his past offerings. I came out after seeing it quite shaken and just looked at the city and thought well if it does happen where stuffed. I wont go into any great detail as it will spoil things but suffice to say it's definalty worth seeing. I give it :4: out of :5:

[David Meek]

Woohoo! :banana:

[George Bellefontaine]

A local reviewer warns to take earplugs with you. This movie was loud, according to him. But it was probably the crummy sound system in the multiplex. I'm sure there is plenty of crackle and boom in this flick, so it will certainly be loud, but shouldn't be annoyingly loud in the right theater, of which there are few in my viewing area.

[David Meek]

Here's what the Houston Chronicle reviewer said (in part)

the most thrilling and action-packed Spielberg film in the director's broad legacy.

and gave it :35: out of :4:. I should add that this reviewer doesn't give out glowing reviews very often - especially on sci-fi/action films.

[aud19]

I want to see!!! :P

Part of that deal may require that I go see this though.....

[David Meek]

Good taste requires that I just sit here and type no further. . . . :B

Poor Jason. :??

[aud19]

Good taste requires that I just sit here and type no further. . . . :B

Poor Jason. :??

Thanks David :B The things we do for our daughters/girlfriends :roll: :lol:

[David Meek]

Just look at it as a broadening of your intellectual and emotional horizons. . . . :

[aud19]

Just look at it as a broadening of your intellectual and emotional horizons. . . . :

:rofl: :rofl: Riiiiiight :rofl:

I think it will be more like an opportunity to shut off my brain for an hour and a half and ogle the cute young girls on the screen :lol:

[Azeke]

I can't wait for the DVD.

Azeke

[aud19]

I can't wait for the DVD.

Azeke

Big "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" fan too Azeke? :rofl:

[Patt]

Thanks for the review, Sith!

The Traveling Pants show looks like fun to me.

[Sarahbee]

I've also heard good things about WotW...a few friends went last night and said it's worth seeing, although they kept rooting for Tom to bite it...

[David Meek]

I've also heard good things about WotW...a few friends went last night and said it's worth seeing, although they kept rooting for Tom to bite it...

Sarah, I think most everyone that saw the Laurer/Cruise interview hopes the same thing. In the movie that is. :B

[Shane Martin]

From a reviewer I trust:

It's good but nothing special. The SFX are great. The movie goes down hill after the first 45 minutes. 2 1/2 out of 5.

[autio]

Sarah, I think most everyone that saw the Laurer/Cruise interview hopes the same thing. In the movie that is. :B

Really I only saw excerpts of the interview but Cruise definately seemed to be well versed

[Nick M]

Just saw it.

Shane I would agree whole-heartedly with your trusted reviewer.

The first 1/3 of the movie was great with incredible special effects. The casting and acting were excellent.

Somewhere in the middle it lost it's heart-pounding momentum and slowed back down to five under the speed limit. At some point it just became another blow-em up action film that had me yawning. The guy next to me actually fell asleep, I couldn't believe it, he was snoring! :rofl:

Anyhoo, I guess its worth a watch if you're bored. I'd wait for it on DVD though. Certainly not on par with Jaws or ET as some have said (IMHO).

:3: out of :5:

[George Bellefontaine]

Really I only saw excerpts of the interview but Cruise definately seemed to be well versed

It's really strange to see Cruise acting this way. He was always so guarded of his personal life. His actions of late, especially the jumping on the sofa thing on Oprah, makes me think he may be going through a midlife crisis. Well, it doesn't matter, I still think he is a pretty good fellow overall.

[aud19]

Co-worker saw it and she said it was just allright, not bad but not great by any means

[David Meek]

We're heading out tonight to see it. More later. . . .

[hidefdvd]

Just saw it, though it was great and so did the wifey. Guaranteed to make you HT rock.

[will1066]

It is a dark film with a lot of disturbing imagery. There are many visual references to the 9/11 attack. Spielberg still proves he is a master of emotion as some moments are particularly intense.

The computer-generated effects are completely mesmerizing because of the photorealism achieved. I can't remember seeing effects on a grand scale that are so convincing. I will say only a handful of shots look borderline. They completely blow away those in, say, The Day After Tomorrow.

The DVD is going to be a doozy. There is so much bass... bass you can feel. Unrelenting bass. And after that, there's more bass.

[David Meek]

But Will, what about the bass?

We didn't make it last night, but are heading out shortly. Can't wait!!! :banana:

[Sithlord]

Your right Will the BASS was extraordinary bordering on overkill in some parts umm did I just say that. I thought Batman Begins had amazing bass both should make excellent demo discs if done right. I guess we can expect DTS on WOTW for sure not certain about BB.

[Shane Martin]

I guess we can expect DTS on WOTW for sure not certain about BB.

Given it's a paramount disc, we are asking WAY too much. It would surprise me to see DTS on this release. Same goes for Batman Begins which is a WB release.

The movie review I was going to do is wasted because I feel very similar to Nicholas here. The review I read summed it up for me. Great first 45 mintues, mediocre last half. If he only kept the intensity throughout the film, it would have been memorable. Now it's just forgettable.

[David Meek]

Did it live up to expectations? Almost.

The remake of War Of The Worlds takes a bit of a different approach to the story than that of the first film. It's somewhat closer in structure to the original tale written by H. G. Wells in that it focuses on one family's struggle just to stay alive and out of harm's way, instead of the first movie's focus on the tale of the scientists and soldiers leading the fight against the Martians. In doing this Spielberg gives up most of the ability to tell a cohesive story about the war against the invaders, limiting us to riding along in very close focus with no understanding of the the bigger picture, dragged from incident to incident, scene to scene. That's not the only "against the grain" activity here. Tom Cruise isn't a super-heroic, action-loving warrior. He's a divorced, working class dad, that has some serious issues in his relationship with his two children. Once things go bad he's lucky enough to survive to get out of Jersey with his son and daughter, but then he's a fish-out-of-water in trying to deal the nightmare they've been thrust into. Dakota Fanning was (as said before) excellent in her role as Cruise's daughter. Tim Robbins had a small but tasty part as a survivor that wanted to start a new human civilization underground. Readers of the original story will recognize his role. The ending of the film is quite sudden and can leave you going "huh?" but that in and of itself is true to both the original story and the first film. With the close-in viewpoint you are experiencing the film from there is very little warning, very little wind-up and once it has set in, should be understandable to the viewer. One major part of the original story that was omitted was the battle in the harbor with the naval vessel. I was hoping that this would be included this time around as it could have been one of the cornerpieces of the FX-side of the film. It also is an integral part of the story of the ferry, which was included in this current film - if not in the same form or outcome as in the written version.

Overall, the FX was excellent. The take on the tripods was inventive and effective - they were menacing, but not too stylistic. The heat ray was also kind of refreshing in that it wasn't some giant blue or red beam that melted tanks to slag. You heard it more than saw it, and yet saw the results of it striking people quite clearly. The initial arrival of the tripod was, again, well concieved and different enough from what we are used to seeing in sci-fi films to be jarring. Scene after scene was devoted to the disaster(s) striking us. Yes, several were moving, but one in particular hit me rather hard. The scene where they are standing in a crowd at the very edge of the railroad tracks and the passenger train comes barreling through with every car an inferno, with nothing living on it at all, left me feeling like I'd been punched in the stomach. Why that particular image? Dunno. There were only two major army vs. the aliens scenes, with the first building up to a spectacular climax that collapses in on itself as Spielberg doesn't show the attack - just the explosions going on over the top of a hill. Phooey. The second is in close quarter combat in a city street towards the end of the movie. It's a bit more effective in that you see what's happening.

Sonically, this is a bass-fest. Low bass, mid bass, even lower bass. It's all there for your gut rumbling pleasure. Explosions, thunder (yes thunder - go watch the movie), heat rays, racing engines, trains, crashes, hand-grenades, missles, crunches, you name it. Continuous use of the surround channels is expected and WOTW delivers. If this DVD doesn't turn out to be at least a demo-quality disc for sound effects then somebody somewhere fell flat on their face.

To this point this is THE movie of the summer but unfortunately as others said above, it does slip just a bit in the last 30 minutes or so. It's as if Spielberg dials back the intensity just a bit, just a hair in order to let the audience catch its breath, but then it doesn't come all the way back. There are still rollercoaster moments of fear and shock but it's not the same. Actually there are two other things I'll mention - one is a biggie for me and the other isn't, but it was mentioned by several people over dinner after the film. The big one for me is pointed out in the observation from Tim Robbins that the machines had been buried for eons just waiting for the Martians to arrive and to activate them. Well, if the machines had been here for millenia, why didn't they just conquer Earth when they put the machines in place????? Any thoughts would be appreciated. The second issue was that some of our group had a problem with the childrens' grandparents, mother and step-father all looking so clean and refined and living in houses with electricity. Personally, that didn't bother me as I can see people wanting to face the end with dignity and to just carry on in their daily routines.

Overall, I'll go :3: out of :5: for a really good summer sci-fi flick that could have been more.

[Gordon Moore]

Given it's a paramount disc

It's a dreamworks / paramount collaboration isn't it? I thought when dreamworks (Spielberg's company) is involved, DTS (a Spielberg investment, which he is a strong supporter) is a given?

[Shane Martin]

It's a dreamworks / paramount collaboration isn't it? I thought when dreamworks (Spielberg's company) is involved, DTS (a Spielberg investment, which he is a strong supporter) is a given?

Paramount is the distributor of the disc thus they are holding the cards. They do DTS releases though so there is some hope. Dreamworks doing DTS isn't always a given. All of it is speculatory but based on Paramounts past, it is unlikely. Just look Indiana Jones for instance.

[Sithlord]

Well I for one am hoping for a DTS track for WOTW. Being a new movie maybe it's more likely to happen more so than Indiana Jones Trilogy being old material it would have been costly redoing the sound in DTS. Fingers crossed either way it should be an outstanding dvd.

By the way great review David. I agree with everything you mentioned. I wonder if there was any missing material form the theatrical version that will be on the dvd. I would love to see a Tripod against a navy vessel surprised as well that it wasn't in the movie with the fact it's on the cover of the original soundtrack very memorable image. Directors cut anyone

[aud19]

There was sure a long lineup for WOTW when we went to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants :lol:

[David Meek]

Well I for one am hoping for a DTS track for WOTW. . . . I wonder if there was any missing material form the theatrical version that will be on the dvd. I would love to see a Tripod against a navy vessel surprised as well that it wasn't in the movie with the fact it's on the cover of the original soundtrack very memorable image. Directors cut anyone

Sign me up! :banana: Got a petition yet? :B

[Shane Martin]

Directors cut anyone

With Speilberg? Aint happening. He also doesn't do deleted scenes.

Being a new movie maybe it's more likely to happen more so than Indiana Jones Trilogy being old material it would have been costly redoing the sound in DTS

It was being remixed into 5.1 anyway. Paramount is pretty picky. It's possible though but not likely.

[Cat Man]

[/INDENT]WotW ... a great ride as they say in Hollywood. The fx were spectacular, worth the price of admission.
[INDENT]Only had a couple things that gave me concern. First, Tom Cruises character is seen operating an overhead crane at a loading dock. Those crane operators make a LOT of money, I mean a LOT. So he lives in a broken down shack in Jersey, no food in the fridge, works on an engine in the livingroom, a lastly no home theatre. :W Second is the Tim Robbins character, why did Spielberg need to put in a possible pedophile, and if he felt he needed a threatening human characted, why Tim Robbins?
[INDENT]Very curious to read more reviews...

[David Meek]

First, Tom Cruises character is seen operating an overhead crane at a loading dock. Those crane operators make a LOT of money, I mean a LOT. So he lives in a broken down shack in Jersey, no food in the fridge, works on an engine in the livingroom, a lastly no home theatre. :W

Hmmm, I'd imagine that child support AND alimony could chew up a lot of someone's disposable income.

Second is the Tim Robbins character, why did Spielberg need to put in a possible pedophile, and if he felt he needed a threatening human characted, why Tim Robbins?

If you go back to the original story, there is a part where one of the characters the protagonist meets is a deranged soldier that feels mankind can only survive by tunneling underground and building a new society away from the Martians. I thought Robbins portrayed the spirit of this character very well. Possible pedophile? Been reading the tabloids again?

[ThomasW]

It's really strange to see Cruise acting this way. He was always so guarded of his personal life. His actions of late, especially the jumping on the sofa thing on Oprah, makes me think he may be going through a midlife crisis.

It's because he stopped taking is medication ... :wink:

[Sithlord]

It was being remixed into 5.1 anyway

The thing is I've read that coding in DTS in a more involved and expensive than DD. Not sure where I read that but I'm pretty certain. As for a directors cut I can dream can't I 8)

[Shane Martin]

Sure.

Keep also in mind Speilbergs Back to the Future series was also "remixed" into 5.1 by Universal when they determined that the DTS and DD were indistinguishable so they cut out the DTS to give them more room for the video.

Anything is possible though

[RAJAN2420]

War OT Worlds -CG fantasia




The simple fact about the film is without the CG techniques and the pompous music by John Williams the film is a total dud. I expected something extraordinary from Spielberg and the impression I got was that most of the film’s work was done by computer guys. The shots with Cruise and Dakota were probably filmed with a green or blue background to insert the chroma key pictures of the CG generated aliens.
Even the mechanical shot where Cruise escapes with his family in a truck was ludicrous; to watch Cruise turning the wheel left and right trying to imitate a driver dodging cars while speeding and at the same time delivering the father/son correction speech was quixotic.
We have seen tons of movies with these CG effects.
WOFW offers nothing new. Total void is the film. A futile exercise in lazy filmmaking.

[Gordon Moore]

visuals :35: /:5:
sonically :5: / :5:
story :25: / :5:

Well colour me somewhat dissapoionted..... This movie is riddled with plotholes the size of the great lakes. That's what bugged me more than anything. Spielberg (in the past) had been very diligent in bringing up tight concise stories grounded with a lot of realism (Minority Report). He has also taken on some real challenges that are debateable as to wether or not he was fully successful in his attempt (A.I.) but, it was a true challenge (any movie that divides people into love it or hate it with almost no in-between shows how complex a movie it truely is). Saving Private Ryan, Shindler's List, The Colour Purple all explored the human condition in unique and sometimes really dire situations.

WOTW brings nothing new, no challenges....in short, a bit of a let down. I'm not sure if you blame Spielberg or Koepp? What went wrong? To me, this movie was the equivalent of a really great magician who does the same show night after night. Spielberg has a great bag of tricks that he has honed through his various movies. That's what this felt like, "the best of" his film techniques. He really doesn't try to challenge us here. Visually, the elements he brings forth are pleasing, exciting even....but much of it, we've all seen before:
E.T. , Jaws, Jurassic Park, Minority Report, Saving Private Ryan. In all that, he seems to make nods to Hitchcock, and Coppola (it felt like to me).

Sonically this movie is movie of the year. This could be an AMAZING dvd when it comes. The surrounds are ALIVE. The bass is unrelentless. The attention to detail on sound far outweighs EVERYTHING else in this movie. Acting is very capable, Dakota Fanning out-acts everyone else but Cruise brings his acting game. No mega star this time around and not really a hero / superhero type in this one; just a Joe trying to keep alive and not get his kids killed in the process. He downplays and is very believeable. Great Job!

In typical Spielberg fashion he assults us early and the rollercoaster begins. The action is relentless, he dials it back too late and then never ramps it back up to the same intensity. It's too bad because, we are so spoiled by the one-two punch he hits us with in the first and second act, that Spielberg's got nothing left for a knockout punch. Also, in typical Spielberg fashion (of old) he resolves the human elements with a neat little bow and that was really disappointing (not that I'm being sadistic but he's brought us so far with a few of these characters that I didn't like that he grants them full absolution). The ending, while abrupt, ties in well to the prologue.

I guess some directors you hold to a higher standard...if this was Uwe Boll I would have declare this a masterpiece.... For Spielberg....unfortunately he sat on his laurels with this one. Granted it's not bad like in a Batteries Not Included way ( I know he was only a producer there)..... but this movie brings very little new to the table. It's a fun ride, it moves very fast, but you're left pretty empty by the time it's all over. Once is enough.

[saurabh]

Well well, after all these discussions.....whens the DTS DVD coming out......????????....cant wait :roll:

[Sithlord]

Our wish has been granted...

http://www.dvdanswers.com/index.php?r=0&s=1&c=7664&n=1&burl=

[David Meek]

Thanks Simon! :T This one's a no-brainer - gotta have it.

I've put this in the Upcoming DVDs thread.