Quite Good

Rating: 8/10 (3 July 2005)

Having seen this film and hearing a lot of people complain or compliment it I decided to voice my opinion on the subject. I thought Spielberg's adaptation of H.G. Wells the War of the Worlds was quite well done. It took me a few days to come to this realization but I finally understood the message Wells was telling us and how Spielberg represented it on the big screen. The message really dates back to the Colonization of the world and the destructive power it had on various countries and people surrounding the globe. For example the English colonizing the East Indies or the Dutch and French colonizing various African nations are a lot like the Aliens trying to conquer Earth. The European countries came in vastly superior over the other countries in every way (better education, weapons, more money) as did the Aliens (better technology, weapons, intelligence) and overwhelming victory was at hand. Then a little thing called a virus (Malaria, West Nile, etc.) struck and suddenly the locals weren't looking so small and weak after all. These viruses struck immediately, had detrimental effects and severely hampered the colonization of the various countries. They were eventually colonized (thank you human medical science) but you can see my point and where I am going with the movie. Spielberg in my opinion did a great job in following Wells's message. The Aliens came, followed through on a plan that was started in motion millions of years ago, kicked our butts in every way for a few days, victory was at hand and then the one thing they failed to overlook with their vastly superior intelligence, the one thing that took them out...an little itty bitty virus. I could go on historically speaking about underestimating the underdog but I digress.
The Movie:
I loved the imagery (I really wanted to know what was going on over the hill in the battle scene, the tripods were scary as hell and I thought Dakota Fanning was terrific as well. That river scene was priceless. Spielberg as always did a great job building the tension (lots of claustrophobic moments in this one) and always making us want to know more.
I did not like that the son lived at the end (yeah right he survived the battle and that barrage of carnage) and I thought the Aliens were too cute. Aliens who don't have a conscience shouldn't have cheeks that are pinch-able. These guys take our blood they should be more evil looking. Something out of Alien or Alien-like would be more like it. Tom Cruise's performance I am 50/50 on. I still can't get the Oprah episode out of my mind but I thought he did a pretty good job playing his character.
A lot of people complained about the ending but it makes sense to me. After seeing those documentaries and such on the Discovery channel about hemorrhagic fevers and how quick they kill I can understand how the Aliens died so quickly. Doesn't anyone remember SARS or EBOLA?!! I could however had another half an hour tagged on to show their demise over maybe a broader scale. I don't know what but it would have at least satiated my need for revenge on these SOB's and the hell they caused.
Overall job well done! For those who haven't already, read the book, it's an easy read and worth it!!