reviewed by Brian "The Naked Gun" Felts
& Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell
The movie is based on the H.G. Wells story about how aliens come to the planet and kick some major butt,
but in the end, they die because of something that on our planet that we humans have grown used too.
The main reason why people won't like this movie is because we get our butts kicked. Unlike Independence
Day, the aliens do come down and destroy and kill us, but this time, we are helpless to stop them and we do nothing
to stop them, i.e. we are helpless. Not a fun movie for the movie crowd on a patriotic weekend such as July 4th. Since
we humans lose by default, there was not a lot of cheering in the theater when I watched.
Spielberg continues to be a great story teller and one of the best directors ever. No scene was
too long, he was able to control the over-acting impulses that Cruise can have, and he brings out
the talents of the adorably wonderful young actress Dakota Fanning (Man on Fire) who plays Cruise's
daughter Rachel Ferrier. I just hope that she is going to school because she is appearing in every
movie that requires a young girl to act. Hey, casting directors, let her go to school will ya?
Tom Cruise (Minority Report), as Ray Ferrier, does a steady but not spectacular job as the deadbeat
dad trying to deal with what is going on. I did find that his reactions to events around him are probably
closer to reality then the courageous hero's we normally find in these kind of movie.
To give an indication of how dark this movie is, the final act begins by having Cruise's character
kill another man who has lost his mind after watching the aliens use humans as fertilizer. There
real is no happy ending in the movie, and yes the children and Tom survive, but there are no rah-rah
scenes here, so don't go expecting it.
I tell you all to go see it, but like I said, I don't think people will like it and it will be a disappointment
at the box office, the blame of which can be put on the story itself, because it is so good, and so depressing
all at once. Give it a shot.
Brian - the Naked Gun This picture is marginally great to me. It bore every reason hiring two time Oscar® winner Steven Spielberg to direct the film in it. "War of the Worlds" is very close to the book, I hear, with the exception of it being set in present day. Material in the picture was extremely intense, especially when the "tripods," which people called the invading army of walking ships, began to light people up. When people are killed, they are turned into an explosion of dust and their clothes go flying in the air. It was very cool and original, and a good way to make the picture violent, but keeping it on a PG 13 level. My only problem with the picture was the exchanges of dialogue between Ray and his disgruntled son. Their first scene together was awesome, but after that, their dialogue got a little stilted and TO ME sounded like an afterschool special. Cruise did a fine job showing us the change in his character from beginning to end, as did Dakota Fanning (Uptown Girls). Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins (Mystic River) stole the show when he came into the picture, and his character provided one of the most tragically heroic moments for Cruise's character late in the second act. Overall, this picture is very well made, exciting, intense, but somewhat depressing. However, I simply can't find a fault about it to make me say anything less than, "It was great. I'll be seeing it again for sure." Benn - Where's the Humanity?
This is a very good movie that nobody will like and probably be a bust at the box office, and it's
a shame because Spielberg did a nice job recreating H.G Wells classic story. This movie should stand
on its on feet and unfortunately has been outshined by the ass that Tom Cruise has become off camera.
Maybe he should worry more about his on screen performance then his off screen tirades about Scientology
or Katie Holmes.