OT: War of the Worlds

[Neil Hill]

I'm curious if anyone else has seen this yet? I caught it last night after work and thoroughly LOVED it!! Steve Spielberg is a superb director (DUH!) and I seem to at least mildly enjoy nearly everything that he does these days. This film is certainly no exception and I recommend it highly!

[jnapper]

I hope to see it today or tomorrow! :)

[hellboyone]

I tried talking my girl into seeing it last night but after our midnight Batman Begins viewing (where she fell asleep and got mad for missing most of the movie), we'll be going at a decent hour today or tomorrow. :)

R.

[Tad]

I saw it during a long lunch yesterday and thought it was great. I loved how the effects were framed documentary style, partially obscured by smoke or people in the foreground.

Some fantastic imagery. Without spoilers: Flaming tripod and especially the train which I found incredibly eerie.

[zefo]

it was great, but was lacking in plot.

[Neil Hill]

I saw it during a long lunch yesterday and thought it was great. I loved how the effects were framed documentary style, partially obscured by smoke or people in the foreground.

Some fantastic imagery. Without spoilers: Flaming tripod and especially the train which I found incredibly eerie.

I completely agree regarding that train sequence, Tad. Very strange and yet almost poetic at the same time. Great minds think alike I guess :)

[hellboyone]

it was great, but was lacking in plot.

In an interview I read, Spielberg called this movie a 100% character piece so plot was the least of his concerns.

R.

[cantide]

Does it stick very closely to the book's plot? I may go see it if it does (like an updated version- it's obviously modern-day and about someone else).. but hearing good things from you guys certainly makes me want to even if it doesn't. We obviously have similar tastes.. or else I might not have come to this forum to start with!

Without movie spoilers, does it end like the book does? (Yes/no would be the best way to answer without spoiling it for anyone XD)

[jnapper]

Just saw it, really enjoyed it, I was shivering a little from the pace and mood! Considering that I had seen the 1953 version on television and knew the plot, I was still "in the moment" per it all. :)

[Reader]

I'm afraid to see it, there might be some subliminal messages in Cruise's performance that will spontaneously produce the same psychological symptoms he's suffering. Where I did I put that million I was going to send to L. Ron Hubbard's kids?

Reader

[ReptileJK]

I half-heartedly want to see this, but have had concerns. Spielberg's movies have really been annoying me lately (I did like Minority Report, however) and he has a tendency to constantly use children to try and get people emotionally involved in the plot. While this isn't a terrible idea, his use of it is excessive for my tastes and seems unnecessary at times. Isn't the original story of War of the Worlds emotional enough? In the most simple explanation: a man trying desparately to find his wife (who's probably dead) after an alien invasion If he had stuck to that, I would have been very excited. Granted I haven't seen the flick, but many scenes from the trailers have a small crying child in them (don't get me wrong, she is a fine young acrtress, who's name I can't remember :o ,but orchestrating plots and conjuring audience emotion with the use of small children seems like Spielberg's crutch).

This is just my opinion. I've not even seen the movie, but these suspicions are the reason why I may not

Yet, alot of folks on this thread are responding very positively to the flick, so I'm more prone to give it a chance. I do like what I'm hearing about making scenes look "Documentary-esque". Sounds neat. Good to get people's opinions before hand!

[jnapper]

I do like what I'm hearing about making scenes look "Documentary-esque".

I'm super glad you said that. I was hoping Tad would explain more about it-- I'm not sure what he meant, so I feel a little dense.

Tad, when I watched the movie, I didn't notice anything per the framing, but then again, I have no idear what I'm looking for.

Would you explain more if you have a chance? Do spoiler lines if ya have to.

[jnapper]

the train which I found incredibly eerie.

No kidding!

[Tad]

I meant it really looked like war footage. Dust clouds and people often obscure the tripods because in a war situation a cameraman doesn't get to pick his shots. It's like a cameraman getting the best footage he can while trying not to get killed himself.

I also enjoyed the whole conceit of telling the story through the eyes of an ordinary guy, especially in the early action. I've always thought it was silly to run away from Godzilla ahead of him - run sideways and get out of his way. Cruise and many others try this by ducking into stores. It made the bigger story more real.

This is sort of the opposite of the new Star Wars films. Lucas chose to tell the story of a civilization instead of really telling Anakin's story.

[ReptileJK]

I meant it really looked like war footage. Dust clouds and people often obscure the tripods because in a war situation a cameraman doesn't get to pick his shots. It's like a cameraman getting the best footage he can while trying not to get killed himself.

I also enjoyed the whole conceit of telling the story through the eyes of an ordinary guy, especially in the early action. I've always thought it was silly to run away from Godzilla ahead of him - run sideways and get out of his way. Cruise and many others try this by ducking into stores. It made the bigger story more real.

This is sort of the opposite of the new Star Wars films. Lucas chose to tell the story of a civilization instead of really telling Anakin's story.


This sort of stuff sounds very interesting. I may have to give even more serious consideration to seeing the flick.

Question: Is the "black gas" from the books in this movie? I think I've seen the "red fungus" in the trailers. I'm curious about the black gas because, as a friend pointed out, it's description sounds uncomfortably similar to how victims of the holocaust were executed and I know Speilberg is (rightfully) very conscious of such things.

[kid cthulhu]

Can't wait to see it. Love the documentary style filming I'm hearing about thats used in this movie.

And I think Dakota Fanning is an amazing actress.

[jnapper]

I meant it really looked like war footage. Dust clouds and people often obscure the tripods because in a war situation a cameraman doesn't get to pick his shots. It's like a cameraman getting the best footage he can while trying not to get killed himself.

Oooo! Gotcha!

[JohnThompson]

Granted I haven't seen the flick, but many scenes from the trailers have a small crying child in them (don't get me wrong, she is a fine young acrtress, who's name I can't remember :o ,but orchestrating plots and conjuring audience emotion with the use of small children seems like Spielberg's crutch).
I haven't seen the movie either, but as a parent myself, I assume Spielburg features children in his movies so much because the most frightening thing to a parent is imagining your own child in danger. A distressed or horrified child crying or in iminent danger only heightens the fright level for adults with kids of their own.

Before I had kids of my own, I was equally annoyed by child actors in movies. Go figure.

[ReptileJK]

I haven't seen the movie either, but as a parent myself, I assume Spielburg features children in his movies so much because the most frightening thing to a parent is imagining your own child in danger. A distressed or horrified child crying or in iminent danger only heightens the fright level for adults with kids of their own.

Before I had kids of my own, I was equally annoyed by child actors in movies. Go figure.

Yeah, this makes sense. Don't get me wrong, the thought of a child in danger is distressing for me as well (even though I don't have kids) and I think such imagery can be very powerful in films, but Spielberg plays this angle relentlessly in just about EVERY film he's done lately. I really started getting annoyed with how Speilberg used children when the abysmal The Lost World came out. Seeing a little kid kill a velociraptor through the use of a gymnastics routine made me grind my teeth so hard that sparks shot out of my mouth ;) . Since then, I've probably been over-sensitive to kids in Spielberg's movies.

I see your point though, JT.

[alz]

Seeing a little kid kill a velociraptor through the use of a gymnastics routine made me grind my teeth so hard that sparks shot out of my mouth ;)



http://www.spookmaster.com/pumpkin-carving-patterns/pumpkin-carving-patterns-darth-vader.jpg

"NNooooooooooooooooooooo!"

I thought I had successfully forgotten that memory! It's like Richard Collier finding that 1979 penny in his vest!

[jnapper]

"NNooooooooooooooooooooo!"

I thought I had successfully forgotten that memory! It's like Richard Collier finding that 1979 penny in his vest!

Omigosh! That from Somewhere in Time! I loved that movie as a kid!

http://www.spookmaster.com/pumpkin-carving-patterns/pumpkin-carving-patterns-darth-vader.jpg



unrelated:
HAHAHAHAHAH!

[ReptileJK]

I thought I had successfully forgotten that memory!

Sorry to have conjured up such a horrible memory. Every time I think about it, a shudder still runs down my spine, and my left eye twitches (ever so slightly) :D .

[hellboyone]

The movie was a blast. The ground level view of most of the action was a brilliant stroke. It really put the audience in the film. Although it borrowed liberally from much that came before it (most of which couldn't really be helped with this kind of movie) it was still cool and scary and tense and definitely gave the impression that we'd be totally fucked if it really happened.

My few complaints are a bit spoilery so I won't even bother. I had a good time at the movies.

Plus the King Kong trailer on the big screen!

R.

[ReptileJK]

Sorry to have conjured up such a horrible memory. Every time I think about it, a shudder still runs down my spine, and my left eye twitches (ever so slightly) :D .

Unbelievable. As I write, this wretched movie is actually on FOX. I turned on to watch the Simpsons, but get adolescent gymnists killing oversized velociraptors! Some sort of cosmic forces must be at work to punish me for making fun of the flick in the first place ;)