War of the Worlds

-Predaking- · Post by **-Predaking-** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 1:05 am

Just came back from seeing it at the theater. Dakota Fanning is great. Visuals is awesome, and first 30 mins blew me away. However I have to give it thumbs down for a lot of plotholes and not enough action for the most part. The ending is one of the weakest since it ends quite abruptly. Go see it if you don't have anything else to watch this weekend but I'd save my money for Fantastic Four next week I think that one's gonna be the winner.

BigMaki · Post by **BigMaki** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 2:17 am

This film was much more intense than I was expecting. Humans get trashed early and often. The first 100 minutes is among the best stuff I've seen all year. The last 15 minutes then goes and blows it by rushing it all. In its defense, I've heard that the book is very similar in that regard. It ends up being a lot like Signs. Once they come out of the basement, the wheels kind of come off the train. Still, I really liked it overall and gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars. Click the link in my sig for a much, much longer review that I won't bore you by posting here.

Ravage · Post by **Ravage** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:13 am

In all honesty the book did kinda of just end too. I won't say more than that. So I can't blame anyone for the ending being a bit quick.

Tempest · Post by **Tempest** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:42 am

Go see the 1955 version …

SPOILER! (select to read)
It was the original movie re-vamped for today’s society. Same plot story, same damn ending. However I liked how they changed a few things for the movie. The original machines were ones that flew and weren't buried in the surface they just came down from space. Also the aliens didn't have blue red or yellow eyes this time. Also from what I could tell they didn't feed off the humans. Their were some parts that were exactly as the same as the movie, hiding from the aliens and chopping off one of the eyes. Also the ending … them just dieing. However I was expecting it so eh.

Is anyone else wondering what the red crap was? I thought it was just vegetation or some kind. On a side note, I got to get me one of those machines ...

Wildfire Herald · Post by **Wildfire Herald** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:10 am

Read the book man, it explains the red weed. And the book ends upruptly for a reason, that's the whole point really.

Tempest · Post by **Tempest** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:13 am

I know why it ends like it does and the whole meaning towards but ... I dunno ... I was expecting something ... fancy.

dEcEpTiCoN MEGAtron · Post by **dEcEpTiCoN MEGAtron** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 2:26 pm

I saw it last night. That was a pretty intense movie. I was also taken back by the abrupt ending, but oh well. It was still alright to watch.

Was that Morgan Freeman who did the opening and ending narration? Sure sounded like him.

Tempest · Post by **Tempest** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 2:38 pm

Yeah, and it was the exact same as the original.

Cyberstrike nTo · Post by **Cyberstrike nTo** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:34 pm

Originally posted by Tempest
Go see the 1955 version …

SPOILER! (select to read)
It was the original movie re-vamped for today’s society. Same plot story, same damn ending. However I liked how they changed a few things for the movie. The original machines were ones that flew and weren't buried in the surface they just came down from space. Also the aliens didn't have blue red or yellow eyes this time. Also from what I could tell they didn't feed off the humans. Their were some parts that were exactly as the same as the movie, hiding from the aliens and chopping off one of the eyes. Also the ending … them just dieing. However I was expecting it so eh.

Is anyone else wondering what the red crap was? I thought it was just vegetation or some kind. On a side note, I got to get me one of those machines ...

I have already seen the 1955 George Pal version.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:12 pm

Ah anotehrfiom with a ****ty Speielberg ending. That guy doesn't know a good end to a film since "The last crusade". His endings are really aweful for the last set of films. And Tom Cruise has never been able to play a average joe anyways.

Lambda prime · Post by **Lambda prime** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 9:54 pm

Many won't like it cause the aliens arent fighting humans they are exterminating them, simply sweeping them aside and weren't even fazed by anything man threw at them.
In these days we like to think we'd win anything we fight but it won't always be the case.
Anyway back on topic, the ending stayed true to the original book and film and at least it had some logic, much better then Signs where they never botheres to study basic elements on Earth.

Why are aliens always naked? We wear clothes so why are human harvesting ETs always naked in the movies?

Arcee · Post by **Arcee** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 11:50 pm

Because their society has no nudity taboo?

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:36 am

Batman Begins was better, though I was entertained with WotW.

Sixswitch · Post by **Sixswitch** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 11:30 pm

Distinctly average film.

Good points? The special effects were awesome. And Cruise played 'normal guy who doesn't really know what he's doing' really well, in my opinion.

Bad points? The plot... It could be summed up as 'lots of people die.' it's just bloody depressing, and I fail to see why someone would want to watch billions of people snuff it. Also, the lack of personality for the aliens bothered me.

-Ss

RID Scourge · Post by **RID Scourge** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 3:52 am

SPOILER! (select to read)
Awwwwwe. The widdle aliens got sickypoo!

Eh, it was all right. Wouldn't pay what I paid to see it again (and I got the student discount), but if I ever saw it on the discount rack, I might get it.

Sir Auros · Post by **Sir Auros** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 3:07 am

I haven't seen it, haven't really wanted to see it, and will probably see Fantastic Four this weekend instead (and maybe a matinee of Land of the Dead [if I don't read anything on the internet by George Romero that pisses me off]), but the biggest complaints I've read concern the difficulties with adapting sci-fi material from over a century ago to modern times. Belief was easier to suspend for the story in 1898 than it is in 2005.

Tempest · Post by **Tempest** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 3:11 am

I still say that the radio version by Orsen Welles and the events he caused by it was some of the funniest yet stupidest **** I've ever heard ...

Lambda prime · Post by **Lambda prime** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 7:39 am

The fallout from the 1938 broadcast has been greatly exaggerated a group who did some research into it discovered that all it did was cause a commotion nothing more then people asking their neighbours if it was for real.
Newspapers at the time claimed people were trampling each other to death as they ran from the cities, having heart attacks, commiting suicide and yet both police and hospital records from the night of the broadcast indicate there were no more car accidents, heart attack victims, suicides or crimes then any other night.

Reply to Auros
Actually the film is very faithful to the book in many ways when it comes to the aliens technology and is still effective, as for Land stuff that, according to reviews on Homepage of the Dead forum, GAR is a sellout.

Galvatron91 · Post by **Galvatron91** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 5:45 pm

Originally posted by Tempest
I still say that the radio version by Orsen Welles and the events he caused by it was some of the funniest yet stupidest **** I've ever heard ...

Historical context...when you learn how to think, you may just understand what that means...

DrSpengler · Post by **DrSpengler** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:04 pm

Just got back from it this afternoon. Not hvaing read any of this thread, here's my feelings:

SPOILER! (select to read)
I thought it was pretty good. I read the book when I was in elementary school. In fact, I think it was a "watered down" version for children. I dunno, it was a long time ago. Never saw the old version of the film, either.

Overall, I thought the movie was pretty good. Some of the best CGI I've ever seen and the city-wide destruction looked phenominal. It was also pretty damn violent for a Spielberg movie. I was expecting "ET with explosions" when I heard he was signed on to direct, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I didn't get what those red vines were all about. I know they were misting them with blood, but were the vines made of human flesh, too? If so, what was their purpose? I'm sure someone who read the "grown up version" of the book can tell me, because the movie itself sure didn't. I also didn't dig that the teenage son miraculously survived at the end of the movie. Devalued the tragedy, IMO. Sure, millions upon millions of people died but Tom Cruise's family made it out A-OK cuz, you know, he's the star.

Other than that it was your typical summer blockbuster, just considerably more entertaining than ID4 and Signs.