Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine War of the Worlds (Spoilers throughout)

Well?

There were some old threads, but thought I'd start a new one to get some feelings.

The shots of the Tripods crawling out of holes and marching over the hills zapping everything in sight made my skin crawl. It seemed so possible to me. Gave me the chills during and again after leaving the theater and seeing black skies moving in.

I thought the actors did a good job with what they were given, but didn't really care for the hey I'm shrieking; now I'm precocious kid. Did anyone feel the family "getting closer?" I think I kind of missed that, though it was a major point of the movie. Maybe I'll "feel the love" the second time around.

I enjoy a science fiction movie most when I don't get knocked out of the make believe because of something stupid. Lightning that instantly thunders? Bad science. Anyhow, wouldn't it have been more chilling to see the lightning blast, wait, wait, wait, then BOOM!!, feel the sound through the theatre speakers? When people were using cameras and such, I thought that would be the thing that would happen if this were real, but someone pointed out to me later that cameras probably shouldn't have been working because of the EMP. I thought the church splitting a bit hokey, until the final dialogue made clear one of the underlying messages.

The opening dialogue by Morgan Freeman really got me excited and the nerves were jumping throughout the first act. The ending dialogue really brought home the message: here were some badass aliens saying "we're going to plant some battle wagons underground and come grind you to meat whenever we care to" and here was God saying, "I don't think so, this planet's mine." Am I making up that message or was it intended? Anyone else get that?

Really, really good bits spliced with a few not so interesting bits. While I understand the point was to in hindsight follow someone that survived purely on luck of the draw, I could have done with a bit more heroics, even if not by the lead character; in fact preferably not by the lead character. I would have found the boy's trip more interesting (a bit more heroic) I think than the father/daughter's. They spent too much time with Tim Robbins in the basement for my tastes. The ending with the meeting of the Grandparents was a bit eh for me.

Overall, not what it could have been. On one of the older threads, someone mentioned a British version? Any news on that front?

I haven't seen this yet, but I'm really looking forward to it - probably more than any other movie this year.

Is this movie anything more than Tom and Dakota running around a lot? Is there a real story other than the "family" arc?

The Dad becoming a Father is supposed to be the story in the story. Another is what remains of humanity when confronted with you or me situations. I really thought both of these could have been done better. Cruise (for all his recent negative publicity) was able to make me forget it was Cruise. As for the kid, well it was a good acting job but kids and Spielberg? We all kind of know what that means, right?

The main plot is the metaphor of nature doing what man couldn't. I really thought this part was done very well, but the end not where most think it is and they miss it. To get the point, the watcher has to listen to the closing dialogue.


And is has really cool scenes of people getting lasered, blood sucked out of them, and squished.

[Blockade Boy]
{[...] someone pointed out to me later that cameras probably shouldn't have been working because of the EMP. }

We ain't all digital yet, amigo ... good ol'-fashioned fillum isn't affected by EMP. (The chips for automatic exposure might be fried, true enough.)

I'm not that inclined to see this movie, but my brother is, so we'll take it in this weekend. I fear what's been said to be another typical Spielbergian bowl-full-o'-mush about "families" in the last half-hour.

After the astringent pleasures of "Batman Begins" last weekend, I don't look forward to mucking up my movie-going palate with a mouthful of high sentiment. Not this soon. Tickets cost too much.

Dude. I'm still hyperventilating. I just saw it and... yeah. Hyperventilation now.

Good, though, don't get me wrong. Just... God. And... yeah. No coherentness.