Not As Good As The Book or The 50's Original Film

Rating: 4/10 (17 July 2005)

Having read H.G. Wells novel and seen the 50's version, I was initially thrilled about watching this movie. The trailers for the film looked quite good, though I was not excited about Tom Cruise as the lead. I am still not content with his part in the movie. After the movie, I was very disappointed. The movie is mostly heavy in the special effects department and cinematography, but lacks emotional impact and character development. Tom Cruise as deadbeat dad Ray (he doesn't know his daughter is allergic to peanut butter since birth and doesn't have food in his home, always insisting they order food instead). Dakota Fanning as his daughter. The text from the novel is narrated by, and this is a guess, Morgan Freeman. The plot of the original 50's version is taken to our present time. Some things were changed. The aliens have buried their tripod destroyers underground millions of years ago and now are landing on earth via lightning storms and driving the tripods to exterminate humanity. But bacteria and the earth's environment proves to be too much for them to handle and failing to adapt, they die. Nevertheless, unlike the book or 50's version, which contains messages of hope, this movie in its length attempts to suggest the aliens have won and all is lost, there is no hope for mankind. Tom Cruise despairs along with the rest of us as we see a world driven by fear and panic. It may also appear that the aliens are substitutes for the new threat: terrorism. At one point the little girl Dakota Fanning plays asks "is it the terrorists ?". Memories of 9/11 and terrorist attacks worldwide are present in the film. Yet, there is no mention of God or religion. A church is blown up early in the film. But for all the gloom and doom, no one prays or even mentions God. I thought this was because of Tom Cruise's Scientology background or perhaps some of the other actors or because it was not Steven Spieldberg's thing. In the original 50's version, much of the last portion of the film takes place in a Church as people shelter themselves there hoping God will save them. It's a very disturbing and frightening film that will send chills down your spine. I thought it was OK for what it was, but War of the Worlds as it ought to be.
Special effects is the true draw to this film. The aliens look a lot like the typically sci-fi aliens we expect to see. There is no parallel to 1995's Independece Day at all, as humanity cowers in fear and doesn't fight with such patriotism for mankind as they did in ID4. Some of the film is confusing. Why do the aliens spray blood all around the ground as if it were fertilizer ? Why do they want human blood ? Is it because they hope that by consuming human blood or DNA they will be able to live on earth, an alien planet to them, successfully ? Why was it necessary to deceive the audience into believing Ray's oldest son had died only to see him alive and well at the end of the film. Also, his wife, whom he is separated or divorced with, comes back after only a little intro to her at the beginning of the film. One would think she died too. It has very little development. It's not that bad in the long run but I'm very particular and picky about what makes a movie great. This one is only so-so. Read the novel or see the original 50's version, which is a cult classic of sci fi and a sample of 50's film nostalgia- at that time the aliens were substitutes for Communists. Now the threat is terrorism.