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Author Topic: War of the Worlds (plus OT Spielberg's love affair with 1.85) Mark Pierce Film Handler Posts: 11 From: Mount Juliet, TN Registered: Jun 2005 posted 06-28-2005 11:05 AM                        Oy! What can I say, it was pretty terrible. the visuals were really good but the story line was absolutely horrible. Nothing in the movie was explained and it ended so quickly that it diddn't make any sense. Unfortunately, the movie slump is going to continue... Here's to hoping The Fantastic Four is good!  |  IP: Logged Christopher Seo Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 530 From: Los Angeles, CA Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-28-2005 01:06 PM                     I had the same impression. See it for the visual effects, not for the story (though it's better than "Signs"... ). Maybe I missed some narration at the beginning which would have made the narration at the end less abrupt. The ending is a deus ex machina if I've ever seen one, and unfailingly happy in the hands of Spielberg.  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 06-29-2005 01:20 AM                    Gosh. I actually kinda liked it. Summer movies aren't supposed to have plots, are they? And I'm wondering if you guys saw the original... it also ended pretty abruptly - as did the radio drama. Tom Cruise was himself, Dakota Fanning was marvelous as always, and I thought this movie was a pretty good summer time popcorn flick.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 06-29-2005 04:15 AM                     This one is a nice stinky turd of a summer movie, and probably the worst film Spielberg has ever directed. The CGI effects are ok I suppose, but again just like with most movies of the last few years, when not used sparingly (as in this movie), they become "blah" and have less of an effect, and are often just funny. The sound mix on this was pretty good, but that's about all I have to say positive about this film. Everything from the boring script to the bad pacing and the "I don't care which of the cast lives or dies" to the Vaseline-covered lenses and bleached colors not forgetting the "eyepatch-over-one-eye FLAT FORMAT" to the incredibly shaky image from the printers, the Ed Wood narration by Morgan Freeman and the entire ending scene...this one's just a steamy turd. 1.5 out of 5 stars SPOILER ALERT - yes it's true the son somehow didn't die and is reunited in the end with the entire family who all miraculously survived, even though damn near the entire rest of the planet is dead. Did you actually expect anything less? LAME!!!!  |  IP: Logged Paul Konen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 981 From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-29-2005 10:31 AM                     It was somewhat exciting at times. I saw the shakiness too. Anyone could have probably done Toms' job. Dakota was good. (I wonder how she is going to be mentally when she older doing all these freaky movies) Somethings don't make sense. How did the video camera work when all the vehicles / electrical appliances were dead. Only that van would work. I do think that the visuals were good. Especially the camera work involved when the family was trying to escape through the perfectly placed cars on the road so he could drive around each and every one. Do you think that this was done with green screen and filled in?  |  IP: Logged Michael Barry Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 584 From: Sydney, NSW, Australia Registered: Nov 1999 posted 06-29-2005 11:48 AM                     What Brad said about the photography/print of the movie really stood out for me to the point of distraction. I can't understand why it looked so soft and unsteady either (and the preceeding trailers were pin sharp). To add to this, the print I saw had a vertical scratch all the way through reel 2 and cap code all the way through the entire movie. This is on the second day of a new movie - the theatre should really have the print replaced. I should really be reviewing the movie here, I know. When I finally get the chance to see the movie properly, I will do just that.  |  IP: Logged Kurt Zupin Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 989 From: Maricopa, Arizona Registered: Oct 2004 posted 06-29-2005 12:01 PM                     This was nothing special, along with Brad I would have to say this is not Spielbergs shining moment. But it wasn't beyond watching. Cruise was very flat. I think its worth seeing in the theater if for nothing more then for the Tripods at first before it gets old...and for the boat scenes. Paul the van worked because the guy fixed something in the engine that was fried and it worked. The mass panic when they got to the dock, kinda reminded me of a zombie movie the way they were all trying to get the van. All in all out of  |  IP: Logged Allison Parsons Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 630 From: East Peoria, IL Registered: Oct 2004 posted 06-29-2005 02:38 PM                        First off, tripods in general scare me. Anyone remember the old PBS series called 'Tripods'? I doubt it, but it spooked me when I was a kid. Also, the oringial WOWorlds scared me when I was a tyke as well. So, alien invasions + tripods = a big no no to Allison. So I watched this last night and the first hour or so (start laughing at me now..) scared the living crap out of me. I don't know why, probably going back to the childhood Tripod trama thing. Seriously, watching these huge mechanical machines destroying everything and people being totally helpless really got to me. Then came the introduction of Tim Robins. After that, the movie totally fell apart and I was bored till the end. Nothing like a good rush to the ending to ruin a film! I was hoping for at least a good homage at the end when the alien's hand comes 'crawling' out of the space ship. That was even bad! first hour: 4 out of 5 stars last half: 1 out of 5 stars  |  IP: Logged Dan Suomi Film Handler Posts: 53 From: Aurora/Oswego, IL Registered: Jul 2004 posted 06-29-2005 03:49 PM                        I kinda liked this movie. I do agree though it's not one of Speilberg's best. I don't think that Spielberg needed to direct this film, anyone could have done it and gotten the same result. Tom Cruise's acting sucked, no wonder why he has gone all crazy lately. The more I think about it, the more I think that Speilberg was bored and needed something to do and that's why we decided to make this film.  |  IP: Logged Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 06-29-2005 07:48 PM                     I thought it was more like a collection of scenes than a movie. No flow to it and most of it made very little sense. Possible Spoilers...... The entire Tim Robbins sequence was pointless and boring and I think I already saw the scene of the tenticle chasing them around (only it was a kitchen with Velociraptors in Jurassic Park, reflection and all). How does the son not only survive but somehow beat them to Boston? Why do the tripods vaporize everything excep Tom Cruise when he is near everybody getting vaporized? How does a plane crash leaving a huge debris field yet their van is unscathed and there is a clear path to drive out? This script made Episode III look like it should win best screenplay. Dakota Fanning made me keep checking my ticket to make sure I wasn't watching "Hide and Seek" again. She played her part the exact same way in both movies. 2/5 - Watchable and good visual effects (although I agree with Brad they were overused). Sound mix was good.  |  IP: Logged Tracy Bellar Film Handler Posts: 72 From: Sciotoville, Oh. Registered: Mar 2005 posted 06-29-2005 10:25 PM                        I liked it. Not like I thought I would. I was expecting the big action movie where the star comes in and saves the earth. I think this was a good role for Tom Cruise. Not what you expect out of him. The only complaint is the quikee ending and the sons return without any explaination. What did the tri-pods find distastfull about Boston? Devastation everywhere but in Boston. I think that the feeling of being overwhelmed came accross very good. This made the whole situation believable. I like that Tom Cruise was a dead beat dad and not some superhero. He played a real person with problems for a change.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 06-29-2005 10:27 PM                        I wish I could be a deadbeat dad. Hopefully someday I can be.  |  IP: Logged Robert John Jeromson Master Film Handler Posts: 264 From: Auckland, New Zealand Registered: Jul 2004 posted 06-29-2005 10:40 PM                     quote: Lyle Romer How does the son not only survive but somehow beat them to Boston? Why do the tripods vaporize everything excep Tom Cruise when he is near everybody getting vaporized? The miraculousness of the lead characters survival in the face of certain death is pretty much the same in the book, ultimately concluding with him deciding that he doesn't want to be alive if the rest of the world is dead, he decides to give his life to the Martians only to find, low and behold, CAUTION SPOLILERS AHEAD > > > > > > > > > > that the bugs (micro-organisms) have wiped them out. In a lot of other ways this film follows the book very closely, The curiousness of the humans at the aliens arrival, the devastation of the first encounter, him moving his family to what he believes is safety (although in the book it is his wife, whom incidently he is seperated from and belives to be dead, only to find her at the end) the exodus of survivors, the attack on the river (in the film this scene is a composite of two in the book) the imprisonment in the house with the "Curate" (An Ambulance driver in the film, "Ogilvy" is the Astonomer in the book, but charater in the film is a composite of the "Curate" who thinks the Martians are demons, and "The Artilleryman" who wants to build a civilisation under ground) The subsequent death of the the "Curate" (Altough in the book the lead character doesn't kill him) and "The Red Weed". Yeah, Keopp has taken a lot of licence with the material but in general it is as faithfull to Wells' story as a modern version could be. I am certainly prepared to forgive most of its shortcomings. It isn't ID4, a fact for which I am quietly greatful. 4 out of 5 stars.  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 06-30-2005 12:20 AM                    After reading Brad's review, I realized that I forgot to mention the stupidity of making this movie FLAT. Freakin Honey Mooners and Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants are both SCOPE... but War Of The Worlds? Nope, Flat. WTF, Spielberg???  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: Boulder Creek, CA. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 06-30-2005 02:04 AM                     Apparantly most of Spielbergs crap is flat. I enjoyed it for the most part. It was a little lacking in something good to grab onto. Mostly just a big blur of effects and such. I thought they aliens were funny lookin' though. And I did have a good time heckling it...Not as much fun as The Ring, but fun. 3.5/5 P.S. - *beware of spoiler* In the scene where Rachel asks her dad (Ray) to sing her a lullaby and he couldn't think of any it's fun to start singing "It's the end of the world as we know!" Good effect, I thought  |  IP: Logged

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