War of the Worlds Will Blow You Away
War of the Worlds Will Blow You Away
Steven Spielberg has done it again, surprising all of us by going back to his thriller roots to bring forth an incredible remake of War of the Worlds, an action movie that will have you gripping the edge of your seat with both hands. For those of us who dont ride roller coasters, this type intensity can be somewhat uncomfortable. But this movie dips and swoops in very wide loops, giving us at least two or three minutes to catch our collective breath before the whole ride starts all over again.
This film stars Tom Cruise, and just in case you have been off this planet for the last three months, he is as excited to be in this film as he is to be in love with, yes, that young woman, Katie Holmes. Cruise is his Minority Report best in this film, playing longshoreman Ray Ferrier in full overload: scowling, scrunching his eyes, even crying in frustration and then running, running, running for his life. Dakota Fanning plays his 10 year old daughter, Rachel and Justin Chatwin plays his not-quite-old-enough-to-drive-legally, teenage son, Robbie. The best part of this movie outside of all the awesome special effects (and they are awesome) is the realistic relationship portrayed between this divorced dad and his weekend teen. Their angst, anger and disillusionment with each other is achingly real as is the scene halfway through this movie where Cruise has to choose between which of his children he will help and which he will let take their own path. Okay, its not Sophies Choice, but at that point in the film, it is remarkable that there is time in the plot, and that it feels natural, for this disquieting interchange to take place; that this smaller, more delicate piece of emotion plays well in what is, essentially, a tumultuous and messy battlefield. Spielberg is a master director and he uses both a hammer and tweezers in this movie, with equal skill.
Morgan Freeman provides the voiceovers in this movie, and does so with an artistry that evokes the original War of the Worlds radio program narrator, Orson Welles. Tim Robbins adds dramatic spice in the supporting role of Ogilvy, a creepy survivor who offers Ferrier and his family sanctuary in his cellar. It is there that we first see a close up look of the attacking aliens and also get a close up look at what survival, in this fast-paced, relentless environment, truly means.
Three and a half out of four stars. Rated PG-13 for frightening sequences of sci-fi violence and disturbing images. Not recommended for children under 10 years of age, and even with older children, judge carefully. This movie is intense, frightening and relentless. But not gory and the plot leaves no time for sex or even sexual innuendo, plus there is nary a harsh word spoken. That being said, it is not a good movie for grandma. But for families with tweens and older, go buy tickets: This is one gigantic roller coaster ride you will not want to miss on the big screen.
Long time fan, first time commenter. I have to say that most of your reviews hit the mark. (Although Kingdom of Heaven should at most be given 1 1/2 stars).
Good work, but one question. Why four stars? most people do it with 5. Just seems strange. Oh well.
From the Ranting Klown
Dear Klown
I hope you don’t mind my using your Christian name : )
Why four stars rather than five? I saw a scale recently that had ten! Ten — way too many.
Four forces me to really think about my audience needs. You will find that I rarely give a film less than two stars, as I feel strongly that most films have at least something to give, to someone.
However there are exceptions, and perhaps you are right about Kingdom of Heaven. But I was taken by many of the supporting characters and felt their performances, as well as the cinematograpy of that film, gave it some extra and needed merit. Is a a must-see? Absolutely not.
That’s where the third star comes in. Those movies are, to me, must sees for most audiences. Four stars is reserved for those movies that I feel many of us will watch again and again and are destined to become ‘new’ classics.
And so there is my film reviewing philosophy, such as it is. Not perfect, but hey, what is?
Thanks for the commentary. Keep it coming…