War of the Worlds

[Worf101]

The storyline really follows the book (which i just finished yesterday as well). I never saw the original WOTW, so i dont know how it compares, but it captures the feel of the book quite well (Although in a direct comparison so fresh in my mind, i liked the book better). While a War of the Worlds is going on.....
:d

What, you're joking. You da film guru that even I bow down to in reverence HAVE NOT SEEN the George Pal Masterpiece???!!!! Man are you kiddin me? Wow, I'm stunned. The noises that special effect were so ground breaking for it's day and in Technocolor it's even more amazing. The different colored death rays, the "we got the bomb" arrogance, the typical shrieking 50's female stupidity. Man you gotta see it.

Da "shaking his head in wonderment" Worfster

[Kam]

What, you're joking. You da film guru that even I bow down to in reverence HAVE NOT SEEN the George Pal Masterpiece???!!!! Man are you kiddin me? Wow, I'm stunned. The noises that special effect were so ground breaking for it's day and in Technocolor it's even more amazing. The different colored death rays, the "we got the bomb" arrogance, the typical shrieking 50's female stupidity. Man you gotta see it.

Da "shaking his head in wonderment" Worfster

i know... am hanging head in shame.... and currently on ebay looking to remedy the situation....

[MomurdA]

I agree the original movie was fun to watch. especially the sound fx of the death rays pewpewpewpewpewpewpewpewpewpewpew. Will try and see the new one this weekend when im visiting the ATL.

[kexodusc]

This movie was fun to watch but a few points for the Kamster:

1) I don't mind Tom Cruise, but his role in this movie was insignificant and the acting was anything but noteworthy. It wasn't bad at all...it's just very average...There are at least 150 million other actors that could have played his role as good or better. That said, I'm not sure the character was really given enough of a chance to shine. The acting in this entire film was taking a far back seat to Spielberg's vision and cinemetogaphy...with the exception of the little girl...she should have been the girl in Jurassic Park. That 6th Sense kid has nothing on her...I was impressed...she's what? 7 years old maybe?

2) What a incredibly crappy way to end the film...no spoilers here, but let's just say it was very rushed and "oh, by the way"-ish....I assume this will be the first of 2 or 3 movies? That's okay..

3) There's no way that plane could have crashed by that house and not killed the family...

4) Aliens were kinda cool looking.

5) Why did the solenoids make cars go? something to do with inductive reactance?

6) King Kong does indeed look like a kick-ass movie!

All in all this was maybe a bit of a disappointment, but only because I expected too much...This was an above average film, worth seeing in theater. If there's more I can't wait!!!

[Worf101]

I enjoyed the film a great deal BUT I found something even more annoying than Jar Jar Binks and that's that friggin 7 year old kid. I hatted her. I hate it when they make kids annoying and the parents don't do what I would've done which is "slap da chite out of her". When she's panicing and screaming for her mom and nothing else while we're running for our collictive lives, I'd a ***** sllapped her to next week. Of course had Cruise even pretended to do that he'd be in court right now.

She was annoying as hell, the plot holes were big enough to drive a truck through... The worst was the idea that Electromagnetic Pulse would kill cars but leave a video camera running. EMP's kill microprocessors, the Van would've NEVER run while his Mustang, with it's old distributor and points system wouldn've been the ONLY thing running in the neighborhood.

As other's have said... why bury machines then come back when we monkeyboys are a problem. Why didn't you take the place when you buried them? Makes abosolutely no sense. BUT I did enjoy the film with all it's annoyiances. and hope they make a sequel. I'd enjoy that roller coaster ride again.

Da Worfster

[ForeverAutumn]

The worst was the idea that Electromagnetic Pulse would kill cars but leave a video camera running.

Hehehe. My husband works for JVC. I noticed this too and whispered to him, "why would the video camera still work when nothing else does?". His response? "It must be a JVC camera".

DOH! I shoulda known better!

Another thing about this movie that bugged me was that, in the end when Cruise returns his little girl to her home, the rest of her family (except her brother) is clean and coiffed. Mom looks like she just had her hair done; clothes clean; make-up on. C'mon people, the world is being blown to smithereens and you're dressed for church!

Let's make the stretch of an assumption that they have electricity and running water and are able to keep clean and do their hair. Why was the son such a mess still? Unless he walked into the house only seconds before, you'd think that he'd have washed up and changed his clothes.

Either way...makes no sense to me.

Overall I enjoyed the movie, but it could have been a lot better. And the family stuff was just a little too cheesy for my tastes.

[20to20K]

Checked it out last weekend with my dad. I liked it a lot...he LOVED it.

I thought the logic holes were far too glaring...even for Sci fi, for it to be a classic. How on earth did that pathetic, loser of a son survive on his own?
Also, I thought him surviving deminished the impact of Cruise bringing back his ex-wifes daughter alive. She's probably like: "If this schmuck can make it back here on his own you better had brought my daugher back!".

Also, if the aliens either incinerated of sucked all the juices out of humans...what was with all those
intact corpses flowing down the river bed that Fanning sees? There's more but I can't think of em' all now.

On the positive...I thought the acting was first rate...always a surprise in a summer blockbuster (especially after suffering through Star Wars), the effects were good enough...yeah the tripods were a little hokey...but I
thought that added a nice 50's campyness to the whole thing. The pace and intensity was its biggest strength. I was on the edge of my seat for pretty much the entire movie.

I didn't take my 12 year old son (who I usually take to PG-13 films) because
he was on a sleepover. I'm glad he was. I have no idea who Spielbucks paid off to get this to pass with a PG-13 but it was money well spent. People incenerated, split in half, quarters, eighths...you name it. All their blood and guts sucked out, then spewed across the country side. Cruise walking around with powdered human remains all over his face and body. And the intesity of that car jacking scene by itself should have garnered an R rating. I was shocked.

Overall I'll give it an 8.0/10. My dad gives it a 9.5/10.

[Geoffcin]

As other's have said... why bury machines then come back when we monkeyboys are a problem. Why didn't you take the place when you buried them? Makes abosolutely no sense. BUT I did enjoy the film with all it's annoyiances. and hope they make a sequel. I'd enjoy that roller coaster ride again.

Da Worfster

Their whole idea is to have us do the hard work of developing the planet, and then exterminate us. Using people as fertilizer is probably the most sickening thing I've seen since Jason put on the mask. How this got a PG-13 is a mystery.

To me Spielburg went to far with the plane crash sequence though. Many people don't remember but in November of 2001 a plane with over 200 people crashed into a town only 15 miles from ground zero. Here in NY those crash scene images had a lot of people gasping. It just wasn't necessary, but you know Steven, he's gotta shock you.

He screwed up the ending too. I don't want to give it away, but he did the same "happily ever after" crap that he pulled in AI. After all that carnage he still has to have a happy ending. I cut a point off just for that.

My Rating

3.5/5

[Worf101]

Their whole idea is to have us do the hard work of developing the planet, and then exterminate us. Using people as fertilizer is probably the most sickening thing I've seen since Jason put on the mask. How this got a PG-13 is a mystery.

To me Spielburg went to far with the plane crash sequence though. Many people don't remember but in November of 2001 a plane with over 200 people crashed into a town only 15 miles from ground zero. Here in NY those crash scene images had a lot of people gasping. It just wasn't necessary, but you know Steven, he's gotta shock you.

He screwed up the ending too. I don't want to give it away, but he did the same "happily ever after" crap that he pulled in AI. After all that carnage he still has to have a happy ending. I cut a point off just for that.

My Rating

3.5/5

Very lucid and well thought out response with some very good points. One gold star fer you...

Da Worfster

[Kam]

This movie was fun to watch but a few points for the Kamster:

1) I don't mind Tom Cruise, but his role in this movie was insignificant and the acting was anything but noteworthy. It wasn't bad at all...it's just very average...There are at least 150 million other actors that could have played his role as good or better. That said, I'm not sure the character was really given enough of a chance to shine. The acting in this entire film was taking a far back seat to Spielberg's vision and cinemetogaphy...with the exception of the little girl...she should have been the girl in Jurassic Park. That 6th Sense kid has nothing on her...I was impressed...she's what? 7 years old maybe?

2) What a incredibly crappy way to end the film...no spoilers here, but let's just say it was very rushed and "oh, by the way"-ish....I assume this will be the first of 2 or 3 movies? That's okay..

3) There's no way that plane could have crashed by that house and not killed the family...

4) Aliens were kinda cool looking.

5) Why did the solenoids make cars go? something to do with inductive reactance?

6) King Kong does indeed look like a kick-ass movie!

All in all this was maybe a bit of a disappointment, but only because I expected too much...This was an above average film, worth seeing in theater. If there's more I can't wait!!!

1 - she's 11, she was 7 when she did I Am Sam with ean penn. defnitely has an easy access to her emotions, but most kids do.

2 - the ending is exactly the same as it is in the book, and they even take a lot of morgan freeman's closing voice over from the pages as well, his opening voice over is from the first paragraph of the book. as far as i know, this was a 1 time thing, not a part of a trilogy, nothing was in the works other than this movie based on the book. even if it does huge business, i dont think a sequel is coming. speilberg already has projects greenlighted through '07. he's shooting now for his munich olympics movie with eric bana to be out this december in time for the oscar race (i think).

3 - ohhhhhhhhh ..... it might of.... just...... glanced off the top.... yeah.... that's it.

4 - i liked 'em too

5 - see worfster above

6 - unbelievably good. that t-rex/king kong fight... holy minkey!!

HAPPY 4TH!!
k2

[shokhead]

Just saw it. It was ok. Strange how the van ran and there was always a path to drive through. Better effects then story. Another half hour would have went a long way.