The War of the Worlds, 2005. Steven Spielberg.

 

Hello Earthlings, I hope you are well. It looks like I have found another project to work my way through. I recently watched The War of the Worlds, 1953, and I was surprised by my reaction. I grew up with that film, and always held it in high regard. Don’t get me wrong, I still do, but I think I only realised a couple of weeks later why I didn’t enjoy it as much this time. In 2005, Steven Spielberg reimagined H.G Wells‘s science fiction classic story, and I have to admit, I think it’s brilliant. I realise it gave me a lot more enjoyment than the fifties version, and is currently my favourite adaptation of this story. But is it the best? I think it’s only fair to give the other adaptations of this wonderful story a chance to be ranked. Not that my thoughts hold any credibility, but it will be fun. I do remember reading the original story, but it was a very long time ago. I have listened to some of Jeff Wayne’s album but never learnt much about it, and its adaptation to a stage play. I have also listened to the Orson Welles radio play, but never really thought about its place in history. Hopefully, I can understand the impact this novel has had on society, and learn something new along the way.

The War of the Worlds was written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp, and produced by Paramount and Dream Works Pictures. The film stars Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a crane operator, who is currently looking after his children, who are slowly fading away from his life. As the city around them crumbles, his son Robbie Justin Chatwin, and daughter Rachel Dakota Fanning need to rely on their dysfunctional father to protect them as extraterrestrials invade the Earth. Ray can’t hide away anymore and must do anything to get his children back to their mother. The start of the movie feels like a Twilight Zone episode, and I’m all for that. The opening scene is spectacular, as you witness the building blocks of life coming together in a tiny drop of water, showing humanity’s evolution as our footprint on the Planet expands. Regardless of our consciousness, we look like nothing more than a global farm that is ready for harvesting. I think it’s a strong opening and reminds you of the wonder of life and its complexities.

I appreciate that Steven Spielberg tries to honour the legacy of H.G. Wells. The director invited some of the late writers to the set during filming and tried to understand the true vision of the story. The Tripods are reminiscent of those early pulp magazines that caught my imagination as a child, while also scaring the life out of me. The Tripods stood at one hundred and fifty feet, the height described by Wells in the novel. Spielberg also adds something new, in that Tripods have been buried on Earth for a long time. Wells had a great interest in science and biology, and it makes sense that a creature from another planet would wait for its crop to come to fruition. It is a great twist to the story and makes you realise how fragile we are on Earth.

I enjoy the fact that Speilberg used both practical and computer-generated effects so harmoniously. Steven Spielberg respects the craft of filmmaking and understands what the audience wants, and it pays off. CGI and practical effects are a match made in heaven when used correctly, and great films like Blade Runner 2049, use this same approach to filmmaking today. The first introduction of the Tripod is truly spectacular. Watching that machine rise out from the ground and cause utter mayhem is beyond satisfying. You can feel the weight of that moment, and the vessel. As the panic becomes a reality, the intersection becomes a disintegration zone. The big-money scenes are amazing, and it would be hard to pick my favourite one. The Ferry scene is beyond beautiful, and watching those birds fly around the Tripods is wonderful. It’s hard to sit here and talk about some of my favourite moments because I love them all. It has everything I want from a War of the Worlds movie. I love that we get to see the Tripods up close and personal. I enjoy the sense of scale, and just how vulnerable we would be in such a situation. The bodies floating down the river gave it a horror edge that I appreciated. The crashed Boeing 747 is still astonishing to me, and is perfectly directed in every little detail possible. It is one of my favorite scenes in a film ever. 

Apart from showing his enjoyment and respect for the original novel, it’s also great that Spielberg manages to show some love to the fifties War of the Worlds movie. As the war continues, the landscape changes and red weed starts to cover the ground. You can see that the farmhouse used in the film is set on a sound-stage, and it made me think about the original movie. I loved the change in the texture as the story continued. Let’s not forget that Ann Robinson and Gene Barry also have a small cameo role in this film at the end. I thought that was pretty sweet, considering it was Gene Barry’s final film before his death. The movie was not met with great approval upon its release, but I can see more people appreciating it as time goes by. This movie shows you the reality of an invasion and these characters are just playing witness to it all. The ending is pure Spielberg, as Ray Ferrier finally gets his children back to their mother. Robbie, his son is already there, and I think it would have been a lot more realistic if he didn’t make it, or was missing an arm or a leg or something. 

As for Spielberg and Cruise, things went a bit sour after the release of this film. Steven Spielberg didn’t appreciate that Tom Cruise went on Oprah, and he said the interview hurt the film’s reception. Tom Cruise is the kind of man you love to hate, considering his success and status in the World. However, I enjoy his films, and he is pretty good in them all. I say hate, maybe dislike would be a better word. Spielberg and Tom Cruise’s previous film, Minority Report, is one of the best science fiction films ever. I think it’s sad that they never worked together after this, as a third film would have been the cherry on top of a great collaboration.

The most important ingredient of the film is that it puts you in the middle of the invasion. That is something I have always wanted, and you get that in abundance in this film. I have always enjoyed this film, but now it seems to have turned into a bit of a classic, and I think it’s far too underrated in popular culture. However, when the viewers decide, there isn’t much you can do about it, and I can’t see Spielberg or Cruise losing any sleep over it. However, if this is their last collaboration, it ain’t a bad one to finish with. 

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