War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds Full Frame DVD

One cannot help but think of terrorist attacks while watching Stephen Spielberg's update of the classic sci-fi fantasy THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. While the H.G. Wells story dates back to 1898 and has inspired previous adaptations this particular version feeds off its 21st century audience's fear of a terrorist- induced apocalypse. Even if the sight of tall buildings crumbling to the ground and crowds running fearfully away from their demise doesn't trigger post-911 paranoia dialogue such as "Is it the terrorists?" will. Disgruntled divorced father Ray Ferrier Tom Cruise is struggling to connect with his estranged kids who have been dropped off by their mother for the weekend when a severe and unusual lightning storm leaves his New Jersey neighborhood powerless. Over the course of the next few hours it becomes obvious that this was not a storm at all but rather the first sign of a worldwide alien attack. Emerging from the ground in multi-legged tripod-like machines that have apparently been stored beneath the earth's surface since before man's time these aliens begin the process of waging a long-planned war on our planet. While WAR OF THE WORLDS follows Ray's growing closeness with his two children Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin in the face of imminent disaster and his transformation from lousy father to hero their story is used mostly as a vehicle for illustrating an unending series of horrific scenarios. The human element of the story is also briefly explored with Tim Robbins's portrayal of a crazed alien-fighting recluse. Sticking closely to Wells's original descriptions of alien warfare the film focuses mainly on visuals and succeeds through impressive special effects to create two hours of thrilling frightening realistic terror.

War of the Worlds Widescreen DVD

One cannot help but think of terrorist attacks while watching Stephen Spielberg's update of the classic sci-fi fantasy THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. While the H.G. Wells story dates back to 1898 and has inspired previous adaptations this particular version feeds off its 21st century audience's fear of a terrorist- induced apocalypse. Even if the sight of tall buildings crumbling to the ground and crowds running fearfully away from their demise doesn't trigger post-911 paranoia dialogue such as "Is it the terrorists?" will. Disgruntled divorced father Ray Ferrier Tom Cruise is struggling to connect with his estranged kids who have been dropped off by their mother for the weekend when a severe and unusual lightning storm leaves his New Jersey neighborhood powerless. Over the course of the next few hours it becomes obvious that this was not a storm at all but rather the first sign of a worldwide alien attack. Emerging from the ground in multi-legged tripod-like machines that have apparently been stored beneath the earth's surface since before man's time these aliens begin the process of waging a long-planned war on our planet. While WAR OF THE WORLDS follows Ray's growing closeness with his two children Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin in the face of imminent disaster and his transformation from lousy father to hero their story is used mostly as a vehicle for illustrating an unending series of horrific scenarios. The human element of the story is also briefly explored with Tim Robbins's portrayal of a crazed alien-fighting recluse. Sticking closely to Wells's original descriptions of alien warfare the film focuses mainly on visuals and succeeds through impressive special effects to create two hours of thrilling frightening realistic terror.

War of the Worlds [VHS]

Despite super effects, a huge budget, and the cinematic pedigree of alien-happy Steven Spielberg, this take on H.G. Wells's novel is basically a horror film packaged as a sci-fi thrill ride. Instead of a mad slasher, however, Spielberg (along with writers Josh Friedman & David Koepp) utilizes aliens hell-bent on quickly destroying humanity, and the terrifying results that prey upon adult fears, especially in the post-9/11 world. The realistic results could be a new genre, the grim popcorn thriller; often you feel like you're watching Schindler's List more than Spielberg's other thrill-machine movies (Jaws, Jurassic Park). The film centers on Ray Ferrier, a divorced father (Tom Cruise, oh so comfortable) who witnesses one giant craft destroy his New Jersey town and soon is on the road with his teen son (Justin Chatwin) and preteen daughter (Dakota Fanning) in tow, trying to keep ahead of the invasion. The film is, of course, impeccably designed and produced by Spielberg's usual crew of A-class talent. The aliens are genuinely scary, even when the film--like the novel--spends a good chunk of time in a basement. Readers of the book (or viewers of the deft 1953 adaptation) will note the variation of whom and how the aliens come to Earth, which poses some logistical problems. The film opens and closes with narration from the novel read by Morgan Freeman, but Spielberg could have adapted Orson Welles's words from the famous Halloween Eve 1938 radio broadcast: "We couldn't soap all your windows and steal all your garden gates by tomorrow night, so we did the best next thing: we annihilated the world." --Doug Thomas