Lacks Intensity

Rating: 8/10 (30 June 2005)

Well, I think that Wells would have liked the movie. It is technically well done, the aliens & their machines are depicted very much like they are in the book, the visuals are keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. Some scenes are quite intense, especially memorable is the scene, when a burning train is going past the crowd of scared people & of course the battle scenes are breathtaking. I also liked a moment, when the crowd, consumed by fear, is ready to do anything to get the car, showing that humans are just as cruel as aliens. The acting was very good, yet Dakota's part was rather irritating. Direction though is somewhat questionable. I got an impression, that the film is rushed. I think it should've been longer. It doesn't have tension slowly building up as in The Independence Day. The aliens are appearing way too abruptly. We don't see much of the consequences of the war to the humanity, cause the story basically rotates around the Ferrier family & the action mainly takes place in small towns. Needless to say, that scenes of destruction of The Capitol, Empire State Building & the city of Los Angeles in The Independence Day looked more intense, showing the scale of the tragedy. The other small flaw of the War of the Worlds is that we have too little characters introduced. And, boy, how the hell Robbie survives? Now, that's way too unrealistic, even for this genre. And what the hell with the aliens: the scenes with the mirror & bicycle were irrelevant. Spielberg tries with the help of humor to relieve the tension, which is not really there & thus ruins a bit a dark & despair atmosphere, which is only starting to build up. I don't know, but I think that this film has got it all right, except the direction, which is not quite matching the whole thing. A movie like this would be more successful, if James Cameron or at least Roland Emmerich was in the director's chair. The film lacks tragedy, drama, emotional intensity, pain & agony. It's too light. It does keep you focused, but more because of the special effects & music. Something's not there. It could've been better.