Films Science Fiction War of The Worlds (2005) | War of The Worlds (2005) |
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| Written by Daniel Cann | |
| Sunday, 03 August 2008 | |
 This is a surprisingly dark post 9/11 sci – fi offering from Steven Spielberg. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a New Jersey dock worker who is a reckless and irresponsible divorced father of two. His ex wife (played by Lord of The Rings star Miranda Otto) drops off her children to be looked after Ray for the weekend. It is a weekend that none of them will ever forget. First to arrive are the dazzling freak thunderstorms, frightening in their power and intensity. These scenes are genuinely unsettling and a good portent of what is to come. The storms affect everything from watches, mobiles, televisions and cars. The earth literally stands still. A curious Ray goes out in the streets to investigate, shortly after terrifying tripods emerge from the ground emitting a nerve shredding sound before shooting lasers at the crowds of bystanders totally disintegrating them. With modern CGI these scenes are far from corny and the sense of fear, panic and disorder that ensue are palpable. People fight each other to survive. It is literally every man woman and child for themselves as the tripods mercilessly hunt them down. The film excels in conveying the growing unease and then the utter horror and devastation as US cities and the countryside are literally torn apart. The danger is that the film could have been unintentionally funny or silly but Spielberg and co deftly avoid this and the viewer is thrust straight in with the humans dilemma of trying to survive the terrifying onslaught. This is definitely no E.T.! The tone is very dark and the general sense in the film is that of hopelessness and fear. The performances from Cruise and Dakota Fanning as Ray’s ten-year-old daughter have a power and both actors have a convincing rapport. If Ray’s much elder son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) is a little brattish, headstrong and reckless it is because he is a chip off the old block. The characters are well realised and three dimensional so we believe in their plight. There are powerful scenes as thousands of refugees from the cities flee on a ferry, on the highways and in the countryside. It really has a realistic feel to it, you could be watching a news item from a war torn country. There is also a chilling scene where an alien probe searches a bunker snaking its way around looking for new human flesh. This makes for suspenseful and uncomfortable viewing. The only criticism of the film is a pretty hammy turn from the usually excellent Tim Robbins as a survivalist. There are plenty of gross out moments and the film sustains its edginess and uncertainty well. It avoids being another ‘Independence Day’ and stays serious in tone with no ‘Go USA!’ moments and a rousing come back. Instead there is a genuine feeling of pessimism. It stays a dark struggle for survival in a bleak landscape, ordinary people trying to survive under terrible circumstances. The ending is quite sharp when it comes, but provides a neat solution to what had seemed an insurmountable problem. The special effects are amazing. It all looks believable and the harrowing scenes are a cut above the usual summer blockbuster fare. It’s one of those films where you go in with low expectations and find yourself pleasantly surprised by quite a human drama for a plot involving alien invasion. VIEW MOVIE TRAILER BELOW |
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