Susan Granger's review of "War of the Worlds" (Paramount Pictures)
(CRITIC'S NOTE: Although my son, Don Granger, did not work on this picture, he is president of Cruise/Wagner Productions.)
Steven Spielberg's contemporary revision of H.G. Wells's 1898 sci-fi classic about a Martian invasion revolves around Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), a divorced dad (i.e.: Everyman) caught in the midst of an assault by immense Tripods from outer space; his mission is to protect his children (Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin), not to save the world. With death and destruction around him, Ferrier takes an emotional journey, affirming the relevance of the survival of family.
Transitioning from immaturity to responsibility, Tom Cruise embodies the reluctant, blue-collar hero. Wide-eyed, precocious Dakota Fanning is endearing, while Justin Chatwin is convincing as a rebellious teen. Miranda Otto scores as Ferrier's ex-wife and watch for quick glimpses of Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, stars of the 1953 film version, as her parents.
Purists will point out ways in which this differs from the original. True. Yet screenwriters Josh Friedman ("The Black Dahlia") and David Koepp ("Jurassic Park") kept the essential alien invasion concept; they've just reinterpreted it on a character-driven, personal scale. Instead of 'the Curate,' for example, there's a cellar encounter with a deranged militant (Tim Robbins). Credit Janusz Kaminski and Industrial Light & Magic with the big-time frightening visuals, along with Rick Carter's production design. Reflecting societal unease since 9/11, those malevolent Tripods and malignant red weeds are a scary twist on Spielberg's benevolent "E.T." On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "War of the Worlds" is a tension-filled 10. Prepare to be terrified!
-- rec-arts-movies-reviews@robomod.net mailing list http://www.robomod.net/mailman/listinfo/rec-arts-movies-reviews
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews