War of the Worlds (2005)

Tom Cruise. Stephen Spielberg, dir. DreamWorks/Paramount.

Fairly good update of the WoW storyline - again falling under my theory that we should never be purists, but accept each retelling of the story as a variation on a theme - look at it as how well the story is told in this version. As such, this version is pretty good, although it's excellent on the visual spectacle that is the War. The creatures bursting forth from the ground, after the most unusual storm builds up the tension to the boiling point - and then the immediate flight from the city, with the machines destroying the entire world - and that's just the first 30 minutes!!

What was added to the original story was the tension about Tom Cruise being the Non-Custodial Parent, who during this tragedy realizes just how much he has lost contact with who his children are. His son, mid-teens, on the verge of becoming an adult himself, is the "coming-of-age" character in this morality tale. While a viewer who just wants to see the world blown up might consider this aspect of the film rather worthless, it nonetheless humanizes the characters. Personally I liked it, even though I might be skeptical of people who are trying to "reconnect" emotionally while the entire human race is being devoured (literally) by giant metallic monsters from Mars.

The "Artilleryman" segment was well-done, if overlong (but to be fair, it was afforded the same amount of time as in the original Wells' book) but Tim Robbins is excellent as usual in showing us a character who has truly lost contact with reality in a world that has completely gone to hell. Cruise eventually taking him to the back room to kill him (out of the sight of his young daughter, of course) I thought was a pretty brave step in this version of the tale. I don't think the character in any other retelling ever was driven to that.

I don't have the correct terminology to describe this, but in the best words I can muster, I have to say this about Speilberg's movies - I will admit that he's a good director, he's always visually stunning and the stories are generally good, but I always get the nagging feeling in every movie that he's directed from Empire of the Sun and forward that he manipulates the audience emotionally. It's as though he knows so completely thoroughly how we are supposed to react, and how we are supposed to feel for this character or that character in whatever situation. Like I said, I wish there were one specific word for this feeling, but I simply can't peel myself away from the notion that I'm watching a movie and being told what to feel.

Maybe it's just me. I dunno. But overall - it's a good movie and a good version of the story.

VG