War of the Worlds - review

Just been to Vue in the West End to see this at a media prescreening.

It's quite fab. I thought the first half is a lot better than the 2nd half. In some respects you could split the two halves into different movies - the first half is pretty damn funny, and kinda upbeat. The 2nd half has no humour, and is kinda downbeat (and looks a bit different).

The movie is very special effects heavy in places (I've never seen anything like moments of this film, and pretty sure it won't be repeated for a long time). However, the story is also quite grounded in humanity, following Tom Cruises character (Ray) and his son and daughter. Dekota Fanning steals the show, although there are reminders in the movie that Tom Cruise, however much pretty boy slack he gets, can actually act.

For anybody whos seen the trailers, it's tempting to think this might be like Independance Day. Not really. Certainly, the first three quarters of the film has nothing like ID4 - there's no national landmarks destroyed, there's no random "English man" "French man" "German man" scenes... This is good. They play 3 central characters trapped in the middle of it for most of the film.

It's a good film. There was no applause at the end of the movie which surprised me, but then, it was quite late. I was sitting next to some Science Fiction novelist. He seemed to think he was famous but I had no idea who he was. He looked very much like a sci-fi novelist does in my mind, though, complete with beard and santa belly. Hello, whoever you were.

I think my two favourite scenes weren't actually anything to do with special effects.

There's a really great (from a film geek perspective) "oner" in this movie, which lasts a good few minutes as Ray is driving and talking to his kiRAB. It's extremely well done.

I did feel the ending probably confused the audience. Also, they start to involve the miltary towarRAB the end which took me out of the story a little bit.

Still, though, it's full of iconic imagery (aliens emerging from the fire to name but one). It's one of those films everybody will see at some point.

I had a good time.
 
As that is how the first film and the book end I really don't see what you can complain about. Yes it was rubbish, but I already knew that was going to happen.
 
Did HG Wells write any sequels to the War Of The worlRAB, or is there just the one story.
Is there a story concerning after the aliens are defeated and where the humans later take the fight to the invaders?

No doubt there will be film sequels WOTW 2 or 3
 
Well done for getting something out from beneath the media blackout/embargo.

Despite all you've said, there's no way that I will go and see this movie for the one and only reason that it has Tom Cruise in it. I cannot stand him.
 
I saw this yesterday with my 11 yr old son (should I expect social workers at the door at any moment?!), we loved the first third of the film, the basement section was ok but dragged out, and the ending just seemed rushed, contrived and mawkish...we, and most of the other cinema-goers, left with a sense of disappointment - most of the conversations around us centred on 'How dumb was that ending?'. My son was concerned that the film appeared to imply that all you needed to become a great father (after years of apparent neglect) was 'an Alien invasion and the only working car in the world'!!
 
I LOVED this movie. I'm so surprised the amount of people on here (and on another movie forum i could mention) that were dissapointed by WOTW. I watched it last Saturday and haven't stopped praising it to everyone since. The tripoRAB were something out of one my worst nightmares, genuinely scared the crap out of my girlfriend and I. I'll be definately going back to see WOTW when I get the chance, possibly back to back with Star Wars Ep III.

As for TC's son surviving, I thought it was a bit odd that he made it to Boston before the cruiser but he could have easily hitched a ride with one of the military troops. He reached out to them earlier and begged him to take him and his family with them. the only thing I didn't like about the film was that their vehicle seemed to remain unscathed outside even after a plane crash and alien attack. surely people making the movie would have noticed that themselves.
 
i was blown away by the sound in this movie! best sound in a movie for years and years! i know a lot of people didnt like the ending but i think it was probably the only way to end it. it reminded me a bit of the truman show, it just enRAB quickly. i think to do a "proper" ending would have to extend the film like another hour just to fit more unneccessary story in! so i guess people would of complained then that it had loaRAB of filler and drawnout ending and as for people comparing it do independence day? whats that about? haha did we see any "famous" buildings blown up with the president of the usa flying a jet against a ship!? this was a good film because it focused on "normal" people instead of the overblown, stereotyped characters of independence day. I do agree with some plot holes tho like the EMP business, that was just sloppy unless my knowledge has a gap in it
 
Tom Cruises character is played as a jack ass at the beginning of the film. I suspect it actually matches people public perception of him.

To be honest, I would say go regardless. Like I say, it's worth seeing just for Dakota Fannings performance (the girl).

There were about 400 people at the cinema (I've no idea who they were or how they got into the screening?!) so the media blackout will now have finished.

It's a weird film. Some of it is simply breathtaking, some of it is very well put together, it all looks visually great (and I don't just mean special effects - I mean set dressing etc). However, some of it does seem a little slow in places.

Like I say, for the most part though it's an excellent film. I'd well advise checknig it out (and I'm not being paid to promote this one before anybody asks!)
 
I think the film HAD to end the way it did. It gave a nod to the previous versions and there was so many of the TripoRAB it would just have been many minutes of the aliens having their ass whooped worldwide. I bought the idea that the germs we are used to killed off the aliens after venturing out (which we see when The Cruiser and Dakota are in the basement with Tim Robbins) and breathing our air. I thought Independence Day was ok when it came out but hated the idea that the aliens were wiped out courtesy of an Apple Mac. Now THAT film had holes for sure. I'm a big fan of the Cruiser, i've not yet seen him in a bad film (i've never seen Far and Away so I don't know if thats a stinker).

Maybe if the son had perished then it may have had more credibility, but it would have left a bad taste in some peoples mouths. I know my girlfriend was relieved at his survival as she went "yay!" when he appeared at Grandmas doorway.
 
I've no idea, having not read the book. I'm not much for pureism, I'm more one for entertainmentism. Look, worRAB which don't exist in my post!

I've decided I need to see the movie again to judge this, which is usually a good sign. I suspect the initial rewatch value isn't bad, but will let you know. The ending sucks, after a bit of thought, in my opinion, but the first half is certainly well worth it in terms of humour and special effects.
 
possible spoliers:
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I thought it was an amazing film, yes it had flaws notably with inconsistencies like devices working when they shouldnt, the car outside the house surviving the plane crash and a rushed ending.

But, it was gripping, scary and beautifully filmed, the stand out scene for me was when the TC was trying to hold back his son from going where the troops were on the hill, the sight of those fighter jets and missile trails were incredibly realistic, I really felt really immersed in the scene.

The little girl was just fantastic, the stroppy teenage son I could have done without though, Tom was his usual professional self and theres nothing wrong with that.

Miles better than Independence Day, in fact its not fit to be mentioned in the same sentence as WOTW.

Great film
 
Have to agree Princess, though I would add Jurrasic and Schindlers to the list as both were an amazing cinema 'experience' rather than just a movie...it is just such a shame that these two highly respected men (tho both SS and the midget - who I have never really 'got' - are IMHO completely over-rated) couldn't do something more with a fantastic story.
 
I'm no fan of "pureism" when it comes to making movies of books, since they are very different genres which need different things, but changing it from 19th Century London to 21st Century Amercia is a leap too far for me.
 
To be fair to the stinking pile of turd this film is, it is because the army guy in the baskets noticed that he had the grenades and grabbed him to pull him back after he'd set them off.

He was about to save them, so they saved him in return...
 
I don't usually agree with what the DM says, but in this case I do. I have four children, all well over the age of 12 thank goodness, but if they were 12 or younger I would have taken them out after the first twenty minutes of the film. Granted some 12's and under would be fine with it, but I don't understand why the censor's have given it this certificate whilst flims with bad language are rated higher. All children will have heard swearing, but not people being disintegrated, whipped up into an alien, blood being sucked out, etc. etc,
 
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