Abomination

Rating: 2/10 (1 July 2005)

--Contains spoilers and angry sarcasm-- I'm the type of guy who usually frowns upon giving something the absolute lowest or highest rating. There are only a handful of true classics (50 in the entire history of film?) and very few movies that make one sit in awe at its ineptitude (Plan 9, anyone?) But I had to think about this film quite hard. I wanted to give it a one so bad. War of the Worlds is could be the worst case of media-hype in the history of cinema. I've never seen an entire theater full of people turn against a movie. People walked out, mocked the screen writing and openly laughed at the 'tragic and touching' moments. I felt bad for laughing at the grenade scene and felt bad for laughing, thinking that others might be trying to enjoy the film. However, when I looked around, others were mocking it as well or just leaving the theater completely. This is immediately followed by one of the lamest post-destruction scenes I've witnessed (Oh no, the statue is covered in blood weeds, l'horreur!) The plot holes make other recent bad sci-action films (Godzilla, ST:Insurrection,) seem logical and (gulp,) intelligent. The main family in the movie pilots the only working car in the area, drive 125 miles through broken down autos (without nary a slowdown,) but get near a ferry and get attacked?? Or when they fall off said ferry and swim roughly two miles to shore (together!!) without getting picked off by the aliens. The ending is so ridiculous, it got a sparse pity applause. I wish the family had a dog that the aliens could have took so Fido could have also been at the final reunion. So why not a one from me? The acting is shallow but competent and along with the so-so effects (cool but not awe-inspiring,) bumped this atrocity up to a two for me. It could have even gotten a three if the last scene wasn't so lame (see it to believe it.) Not the worst film ever (or even in its genre, or maybe even of 2005,) but plot conventions that certainly bring 'worst film ever' moments. To summarize, It's been three hours since I left the theater and I'm still ticked off. Five dollars says I'll still be ticked off in the morning, maybe clear through this weekend.