Saw War of the World yesterday...

TerryBPP · 07-05-2005, 04:35 AM

I pray to god the next movie I see is good. Thats 2 horrible movies in a week. I guess I should stop letting the girlfriend pick them.

So back to W of the W. The alien ships (tripods), where not scary looking at all, more like something out of Star Wars. The plot was weak. I wont ruin the ending, but the whole movie was very anti-climatic. I hate to say it but Tommy boy didnt do a bad job, but the little girl still kicked his ass.

adrian jaye · 07-05-2005, 04:37 AM

what do you mean ruin the ending.

dont tell me they screwed with that ?

the martians catch get the flu and die, because they have no resistance.

plsplsplsplspls tell me they did not mess with that

TerryBPP · 07-05-2005, 04:41 AM

It happens in about 30 sec. The alien are killing everyone and the they are all dead in the blink of an eye. You would think they would have done a different take and put some story behind it.

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

I read the book just as the war in Iraq started. The book was written as a critical observation and commentary about colonialism and the foreign policy of the British Empire.

It was quite fitting that I read it when I did, the warning it holds about the arrogance of war and foreign/alien occupation will give you a mild chill.

84porsche · 84porsche's Garage

I haven't read the book but I thought the movie was horrible. I expected something better. It seemed all special effects and it was a really long movie.

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

** WARNING War of the Worlds Spoilers ahead **

Quote:

Originally posted by TerryBPP
It happens in about 30 sec. The alien are killing everyone and the they are all dead in the blink of an eye. You would think they would have done a different take and put some story behind it.

You're missing the whole point there, Terry!! The 'quick and sudden death' of the aliens acts like a bookend to the story -- they invaded quickly and without warning, and their tyranny ends just as quickly as it started. As H.G. Wells wrote in his original work, that was a significant part of the message -- sometimes even well planned 'attacks' will fall short of the desired goal.

I read the book years ago (highly recommend it to all sci-fi folks - it's far better than some of the crap they're writing today!), and also saw the original movie.

IMHO, the new War of the Worlds movie did a good job of balancing the original elements and message with a more modern story. The 'splinter scene' in the beginning of the movie was an excellent use of foreshadowing. ("Don't worry dad, my finger will simply push out the splinter on its own") The sound effects were well done -- as were the special effects. They kept the gore to a minimum.

In the original movie, you never really see the aliens up close. I thought that gave the original a more suspenseful element - in the new movie they shouldn't have shown so much of the alien beings. In the original, all you see of the alien in the end is his three-fingered hand slowly dying. In the new movie, it looked like that was going to happen, but then they showed the upper body of the ET -- it would have been better to just show the hand again, IMO.

Does anyone else here remember the short-lived "War of the Worlds" series they produced back in the late 80's?

-Z.

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

Z-man, in the George Pal WotW, they did show the alien -- in the farmhouse.

It wasn't the long, lingering look Spielberg gave us, but it was there.

There are too many spoilers in my comments. I put a review of the movie up on IMDB, along with several hundred other people, and the general tone of the reviews is pretty negative.

Great source material, and I think Speilberg could have done much better if he hadn't been so focused on putting in scenes that would translate into theme park rides.

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by techweenie
Z-man, in the George Pal WotW, they did show the alien -- in the farmhouse.

It wasn't the long, lingering look Spielberg gave us, but it was there.

Yes, I know. But that quick shot was more effective, IMHO.

Quote:

There are too many spoilers in my comments. I put a review of the movie up on IMDB, along with several hundred other people, and the general tone of the reviews is pretty negative.

Great source material, and I think Speilberg could have done much better if he hadn't been so focused on putting in scenes that would translate into theme park rides.

I wonder how many people who gave reviews actually read the classic work -- it seems that many folks are criticizing the end, which the way the book and original War of the Worlds movie ended.

I still liked it -- it was a good 2 hour distraction from the worries of the world....
-Z.

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

Z, I don't know if watching humanity being exterminated is that great a way to 'escape the worries of the world.'

...but I guess the idea of a threat that solves itself is attractive.

It's interesting that the resolution of the 1953 movie did not seem to provoke the same response. Maybe more people were familiar with the source material then?

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by techweenie
Z, I don't know if watching humanity being exterminated is that great a way to 'escape the worries of the world.'

...but I guess the idea of a threat that solves itself is attractive.

I had a bad day, & the movie put my life in a better perspective.

Quote:

It's interesting that the resolution of the 1953 movie did not seem to provoke the same response. Maybe more people were familiar with the source material then?

Exactly.

Today's movie standards seem to require a hero that saves the day in the end of the movie. That was not the case in War of the Worlds, and that may be why folks feel the ending was such a letdown.
-Z.

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Z-man
I had a bad day, & the movie put my life in a better perspective.

Exactly.

Today's movie standards seem to require a hero that saves the day in the end of the movie. That was not the case in War of the Worlds, and that may be why folks feel the ending was such a letdown.
-Z.

Of course, you're right. We all want that heroic everyman to stand up and save us... or maybe a robot from the future.

The essence of the original story cannot be regained, since it was so tied in with the blossoming of the Machine Age and the arrogance of man.

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

Of course, you're right. We all want that heroic everyman to stand up and save us... or maybe a robot from the future.

The essence of the original story cannot be regained, since it was so tied in with the blossoming of the Machine Age and the arrogance of man.

There was also the imperialist aspect of it -- which God forbid anyone would see in the Speilberg version -- you know, like the Mujahadeen pushed the Soviets out like a 'splinter in the finger.'

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

I read the original War of the Worlds online last year and it scared the heck out of me! What a great book!!!

pwd72s · 07-09-2005, 09:30 AM

I have the original radio show on Cassette tape...it was great fun watching my then young daughter's face as she listened....no wonder people were running amok during the original broadcast.

cool_chick · 07-09-2005, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TerryBPP
It happens in about 30 sec. The alien are killing everyone and the they are all dead in the blink of an eye. You would think they would have done a different take and put some story behind it.

That's how the book is written. Personally, I think it's an ending that makes you think.....

slakjaw · 07-09-2005, 09:37 AM

I went to see it last week

I thought it sucked really bad, as I left I wanted to ask for my money back plus intrest.

cool_chick · 07-09-2005, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by slakjaw
I went to see it last week

I thought it sucked really bad, as I left I wanted to ask for my money back plus intrest.

Whatever Kyle!

LOL

cantdrv55 · 07-09-2005, 09:28 PM

I saw it last night and thought it was worth seeing. Yes, the ending was abrupt but still a good move overall. Different kind of movie for Tom Cruise. Weird to see him playing a dad of a teenager since he's younger than me. Dakota Fanning should probably get a lot of recognition for her acting as she was really good.

M.D. Holloway · 07-09-2005, 10:06 PM

I would suspect that if any creatures were to come to Earth they would be nasty. Any being that gets evolved enough to do the serious space travel thing hopefully would be evolved enough to think "what the heck do I want to venture out for?"

Call me a paranoid but any thing coming from another plant is here to chow on our livers not make friends.

slakjaw · 07-11-2005, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cool_chick
Whatever Kyle!

LOL

Yeah Whatever, like that part in the beginning where the shop dude was like " i put a starter in it" then the main dude says "try the solinoid" see the thing of it is this, that minivan has a solinoid ON the starter, so if you replaced the starter you would be forced to replace the solinoid at the same time. WTF are these movie people thinking putting this crap out there and expecting me to pay for it???????

GOD

WHATEVER