(A Review of War of the Worlds)

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2005)

Putting in perspective (A Review of War of the Worlds)
Direction: Steven Spielberg Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks
i pity SS for all the scathing reviews he received because of the disappointing story of War of the Worlds. i myself, was also one of those disappointed audiences who craved for a much deeper storyline or a fresher interpretation of HG Wells' novel. (though latest buzz says that it was the biggest box office opening for a tom cruise starrer and a paramount film)
however, putting it on a perspective makes me wonder that HG Wells' story somehow may not conform to the critical taste of the audience of the 21stC. the story is a typical alien-conquer-earth-invasion plot that all of us bored to death that's why it was not appreciated. for HG Wells, he wrote the novel in the late 1800s and it was a literary breakthrough that time since no other writer depicted a vivid narration of alien invasion. i even read that it created a hysteria when it was adapted over the radio and people believed that aliens are indeed on their way to conquer earth. we are all exposed with the sci-fi-alien flicks and we rant for a new plot that this one fell short.
Spielberg's movie is also the "nth" film adaptation of War of the Worlds. though i haven't seen the other versions, it's a conservative remark to say that this one may still be the best, judging not on the story, but on the direction, cinematography, and special effects. Its superb sfx proved that it is truly a spielberg film. acting wise, i do not bother to comment because all i saw was the running, screaming, stampede and a lot of explosions.
comparing it to another HG Wells film adaptation, The Time Machine, starring Guy Pearce and (popstar-wannabe-what-happened-to-her) Samantha Mumba, War of the Worlds is a far better film. The 2002 film of Time Machine was one of the worst films i ever watched.
needless to say, i'll be more cautious and wary next time when watching films based on an HG Wells.
yet, i still enjoy being a sci-fi fan.