Tom Cruise learns that aliens are mean and we learn that scripts are important.

Rating: 7/10 (29 January 2006)

Okay coming right into this review I'll admit that I have only a passing knowledge of the original War of the Worlds novel by H.G. Wells. I'll also admit that I know virtually nothing about the radio broadcast that apparently scared thousands of people by convincing them that aliens were actually attacking. Luckily for me this remake is specifically tailored for the average explosion hungry moviegoer.
This movie has everything that makes a great (yet mindless) summer blockbuster. You got your mammoth budget, big stars (in this case pretty boy Tom Cruise and the inhuman Dakota Fanning), sparkly special effects and of course your mind numbingly loud explosions. However simply calling it a blockbuster is a bit rude, War of the Worlds is above other films of its type in many ways. The mediocre plot (no I'm not insulting H.G. Well's writing, I'm sure the book had a lot more to it than this dribble) is simply a tether that holds together impressive action scenes and a bit of interesting artistic vision compliments of Steven Spielberg.
"Artistic vision in a summer blockbuster! Has he lost his mind?" No, I haven't. Spielberg very wisely puts everything in the perspective of Tom Cruise and his family. In other words, we see what they see. A perfect example of this would be a scene in which the military fights the invaders along a formerly scenic hillside. This is sure to be a fantastic sight but we don't actually get to see anything other than explosions stretching just above the horizon. It causes us to miss much of the spectacle but also manages to distinguish this as an honest attempt at quality film-making.
Since I already opened the dreaded can of worms that is "artistic vision" I might as well further cement my statement. War of the Worlds isn't afraid to be dark and really wants to be an Oscar worthy masterpiece. We are greeted by images of people fleeing in terror, trampling each other as they desperately try to escape. A scenic river becomes a site of horror as a few dozen human bodies float by. Giant alien war machines gracefully drift across the horizon; their beauty shrouded by the inevitable destruction of everything that surrounds them. These are great images complimented by great special effects and very tasteful direction. Unfortunately the movie's mood shifts very drastically at about the 2/3 point and let me tell you this change is not for the better.
Throughout the movie everybody is running, always running. Even the great action hero Tom Cruise is running like a little baby. Then at 2/3 the movie remembers it's trying to please the average moviegoer and abruptly adjusts Tom Cruise's character so that he is a hero. I won't spoil what he does, but I will say it's too much too soon.
As you can see, this film has a very interesting style. It tries really hard to please everybody and as a result it seems extremely uneven. I didn't even mention the attempts at philosophy in the second act via Tim Robbins who turns in an interesting performance that is unfortunately mutilated by poor writing. This character constantly switches between being a rebel and a coward. He talks big then either hides or acts upon his actions without explanation, you could just say he's crazy but again, that's poor writing.
It's not just this character either; the whole movie suffers from an alternating level of writing. Some parts come across very nicely while others are an exercise in mediocrity. We did not need that huge boat scene, it did nothing for the plot and nothing for the characters. That brings me to the basement scenes. There's two of them that are almost alike; combining these two scenes would tighten the pace of the film (hey then maybe act 2 wouldn't drag so much) and actually make both of them more logical. I won't spoil the specifics but I'll say that what happens at the end of the first basement scene would give a good reason for what happens at the end of the second.
I suppose you're getting mixed feelings by now. "Does he like the film or does he hate it?" Well I can tell you right now it's a good movie and well worth watching but only if you can handle a few dozen flaws. It evens out in the end and is quite entertaining but I for one prefer movies that rise above average and this one only decides to do so periodically. Worth a see, perhaps maybe even a DVD purchase but it's one we'll probably forget about next summer when we're once again bombarded with a series of big budget extravaganzas. Oh, and for the record I hated the design for the aliens in this, hell they were playful of all things. Almost makes me wish the kick ass tripods were on autopilot.
My review from Frider Waves: http://friderwaves.com/index.php?page=warworlds