*** OFFICIAL WAR OF THE WORLDS THREAD ***

[aswedc]

Train scene = awesome

"Yet for all its technical beauty, there's something lacking. It often feels a bit like Spielberg phoned the film in or at the very least painted it by numbers. This has a lot to due with truncated character development, but extremely abrupt ending doesn't help much, either. In fact it feels as if somebody told Spielberg that he was running over budget and out of time and needed to end the picture quickly. As a result we're left with the cinematic equivalent of an 18-wheeler braking for an elephant stumbling across the middle of an expressway. The ending's abruptness only adds to the overall feeling of incompleteness and ultimately causes the film to be devoid of any lasting resonance. There's a feeling left hanging in the air that suggests the whole thing would have worked better as a 3-week mini-series event. This would certainly have allowed for greater character development and a hell of a lot more of the eye popping alien destruction."

Agree.

 

[dudeman007]

It was good. Then it ended.

 

[dr150]

I'LL WAIT UNTIL IT'S ON HBO.......:roll:



...OR MAYBE I'LL WAIT UNTIL IT'S ON CBS......

 

[jpeyton]

OP needs to add a poll to this thread; maybe a simple A through F grading scale for what people thought of the movie.

 

[UNCjigga]

Can't wait for the alternate ending on DVD...and the extra scenes in the 'Director's Cut'

 

[DanTMWTMP]

Originally posted by: BlueWeasel

Originally posted by: VTBigBear
didnt read the book

but just got back from the movie..

ending SUCKED.. just my opinion

That's the same feeling I got from it. The special effects were great, of course, but it felt like the ending was rushed. It's like they had about 10 minutes left, and decided they need to wrap this thing up.

yes. That's EXACTLY how I felt.


I wish spieldburg would've threw the book's ending away, and put a grapes-of-wrath-type of ending --> a hopeful moment, but in the longrun, it looks bleak.


like wtf,

**spoilers***




it's just like Signs. they die from the virusses from earth. ok. shouldn't the aliens know better? sigh

and the son made it back alive? at least make him die, and make it a tragic ending. at least c'mon. phok. it was clearly an adult movie, so make it an adult ending, not some kiddy "happy ending!!" ending. if it had to be that the main cast gets reunited, at least make the whole setting bleak, like the aliens still went on a rampage, and the fight was ongoing (like grapes of wrath).


and when they were hiding inside the basement. WTF so that alien scanner had no infrared, etc?...err.. it was just a suspense type

it was just like in AI. i wish AI ended after that damn robot kept on wishing and wishing in the ocean.


Spielburg, please, we're not casual movie goers, the general population actually thinks goddamn it.


all in all, the movie plain sucked. Great effects, great acting, great psychology of how people may act in crisis, but HORRIBLE story, HORRIBLE ending, waay too optimistic too fast there at the end. rushed ending. all in all, BAD.

 

[WT]

Who said he dies?

Not I ... just said any movie he WOULD be killed in would be a good thing. I have not had the stomach to watch ANY Tom Cruise movie from beginning to end, but Minority Report did keep me mildly entertained.

 

[Queasy]

I wonder what would have happened if Speilberg eschewed the original book ending and came up with something different. How many people would have complained then about the ending not being true to the book?

For what it is worth, the son showing back up alive is similar to the book as well. Though it is the protagonist's wife that shows up after being thought dead.

 

[loic2003]

Originally posted by: BlueWeasel
The special effects were great, of course,

These days we're spoiled by visual effects. We've had so much exposure to what would have previously been mind-blowing special effects that these days we can almost drop the 'special' from special effects.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: VIAN
I just saw it. It was great. I usually don't like Steven Spielberg. There are the only movies that I like from him:

Cast Away
Saving Private Ryan
War of the Worlds

This movie was cool though. From beginning to end. And Cruise gave an excellent performance. The movie gets right to the point and stays there till the end. No other movie had as many explosions.

I feel it's a mix between Signs and The Day After Tomorrow. Really interesting story and the characters are built up quite well.

But I also agree with this:
"Yet for all its technical beauty, there's something lacking. It often feels a bit like Spielberg phoned the film in or at the very least painted it by numbers. This has a lot to due with truncated character development, but extremely abrupt ending doesn't help much, either. In fact it feels as if somebody told Spielberg that he was running over budget and out of time and needed to end the picture quickly. As a result we're left with the cinematic equivalent of an 18-wheeler braking for an elephant stumbling across the middle of an expressway. The ending's abruptness only adds to the overall feeling of incompleteness and ultimately causes the film to be devoid of any lasting resonance. There's a feeling left hanging in the air that suggests the whole thing would have worked better as a 3-week mini-series event. This would certainly have allowed for greater character development and a hell of a lot more of the eye popping alien destruction." ~ign

Spielberg had nothing to do with Cast Away. That movie was directed by Robert Zemeckis. As for all the b!tching about the ending I am among those that would be very upset if it was changed from the way H.G. Wells wrote it.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: loic2003

Originally posted by: BlueWeasel
The special effects were great, of course,

These days we're spoiled by visual effects. We've had so much exposure to what would have previously been mind-blowing special effects that these days we can almost drop the 'special' from special effects.

I think the most special effects today are the ones that are used sparingly. The 3 Star Wars prequels and movies like Van Helsing lose the specialness because of blatant overuse, being too busy, and standing out from the natural surroundings.

 

[purbeast0]

wow. i really REALLY am glad that I am not as picky as some of you guys. i went into this movie expecting a "summer" movie and it delivered perfectly. it was a movie with a simple plot that had a lot of action and great special affects.

what were you guys expecting to see in this movie, something like Momento? they didn't advertise it like it was a damn story driven movie where you had to think the whole movie to know what is going on. they advertised it like it was a movie about aliens taking over the world, and thats exactly what it delivered.

i enjoyed it a lot as did my GF. one of the many movies I plan on seeing this summer ...

EDIT: and also, on the topic of special affects. did anyone else get the preview for King Kong? the graphics in that movie don't look that great, jurassic park looks better than the dinosaurs in that movie (from the preview atleast).

 

[MrBond]

Just got back - those of you saying you'll "wait for the DVD" or "wait for it on HBO" should reconsider if you don't have a stellar sound system. The sound effects were amazng - I saw it in a theater that's fairly old (and has crappy screens), but they crank the sound. I could feel the "thunder" and the machines moving - it was awesome.

I was on the edge of my seat nearly the entire movie.

Then, I left the theater and heard a sound strikingly similar to what the tripods made right before they fired on the people - turns out it was some beater Papa Johns delivery car driving by but it scared the crap out of me.

The ending did feel abrupt - but if I remember correctly they made this movie in like three months (it was a VERY short time - Spielburg and Cruise were both between major projects) so maybe they really did run out of time. I was kind of hoping the son did die, but wasn't overly surprised to see him at the end when the ex-wife/her family showed up.

Edit: Yeah, we got the King Kong trailer too. The CGI looked a little rough, but I saw some high-def shots of Kong from when the trailer was on network TV this week and they look great. Keep in mind that WETA still has a good 5 months to work on the film still.

 

[gotsmack]

Question/ spoiler







The machines were burried under the earth for thousands of years. Whats the deal with that? Wouldn't the alien technology now be like 1000X more advanced then what was burried and make more sense to use that vs using antiquated war technology?

and what were they doing with the humans? harvesting them for food? wouldn't it make more sense to farm them instead (like trout, chicken, or cattle)? and why do it now vs. 100s of years ago before we had the internal combustion engine?

if they were just here to exterminate only the humans why use the laser beams? wouldn't an area effect weapon like a microwave or electricity based type of weapon to get all the people in the cities and using the soldiers for the rural area? (assuming they wanted to keep animals and insects alive)

 

[fustercluck]

The movie didn't make much sense or explain much, but it was entertaining. Worth seeing in the theaters. Best movie of the year still remains to be Batman Begins. I give War of the Worlds 3 out of 4 stars though, was a little disappointed. I felt it could of been done much better, guess Spielberg's much past his prime, even though Minority Report was pretty damn good.

 

[PHiuR]

Originally posted by: jacktackle
The movie didn't make much sense or explain much, but it was entertaining. Worth seeing in the theaters. Best movie of the year still remains to be Batman Begins. I give War of the Worlds 3 out of 4 stars though, was a little disappointed. I felt it could of been done much better, guess Spielberg's much past his prime, even though Minority Report was pretty damn good.

i agree,

batman begins > WotW even tho they are different movies.

with BB - it felt like an amusement ride the whole time. :thumbsup:

 

[jpeyton]

My thoughts:

Sound was extraordinary. If you plan on renting this, you cannot do this film justice without a decent surround sound setup cranked up.

Special effects were also incredible, but they really shined in the first part of the movie when the aliens were destroying Ferrier's neighborhood. That was just a "WOW" moment, from the time the machine emerged to their escape in the van.

Suspense was also high for a good portion of the movie.

Acting was believable.

Since I have not read the book, I too think the ending for the movie was a little abrupt and a little optimistic. But then again, Spielberg wasn't out to make a movie where humanity was destroyed, he was somewhat restricted by the content of the book, and he was approaching the 2 hour mark for the movie. I think the studios may have influenced the ending a little bit as well...2 hour movies are ideal for summer blockbusters, and they wanted to get the movie finished in time for summer.

 

[MrBond]

Originally posted by: gotsmack
Question/ spoiler

I'll throw my two cents in here - I'm not sure if I'm right or not.

They probably saw our planet as being able to support life before life was here, so they buried the machines deep underground. Then they waited, knowing that eventually we'd be "ripe" and they could come pick us like fruit to fertilize their crops. Once all the humans were gone, they'd move to the next "ripe" planet.

Kind of like the aliens in Independance Day - they were like locusts, consuming a planets resources then moving on.

 

[Doggiedog]

and what were they doing with the humans? harvesting them for food? wouldn't it make more sense to farm them instead (like trout, chicken, or cattle)? and why do it now vs. 100s of years ago before we had the internal combustion engine?

The humans were a power source.

 

[Shawn]

I saw it last night. It sucked.

 

[Lifted]

I did not see the movie, but I did read the Wired article on it. Seeing all the comments about how it seemed rushed and the ending sucked, let me rip a few bits out of the article that might explain that.

"The entire production, from location scout to final cut, will have been completed in just 10 months - half the time of a typical blockbuster. Why the rush? Speilberg and Cruise were eager to make the movie, and when they both found unanticipated holes in their schedules after other projects fell apart, they decided to go for it. But they had to move fast, because the studio was counting on Cruise to pack 'em in for the all important July 4 weekend.

Speilberg himself seems as calm as the action on the set is chaotic. He admits, though, that the pace has been frenetic. "I've never prepped a movie this quickly, and I've never gone so fast in post," he says, taking a break as four crew members lift his tent and move it for the next shot. "But it works, and it works without sacrificing quality. That's the amazing thing - we're not giving anthing up. This movie wouldn't be 5 percent better if I had six more months." He repeats himself - for emphasis, or for reassurance. "It would not be 5 percent better if I had six more months."" :roll:

 

[brigden]

I just got back.

I've read some of the complaints and I found them coming from people who seemed to miss the point.

The movie isn't necessarily character-driven, nor are we supposed to realize everything. This was a simple picture in every way. To add in thick character development and load in plotlines is to dilute the basic story, which works.

It's a movie meant to keep you on the edge of your seats. It was simple, and, in my opinion, it worked.

The ending was a bit abrupt, but to explain everything from a character's perspective would run contrary to the simplicity of the film.

 

[Queasy]

The ending was true to the book. It was abrupt there as well. Consider it a Deux Ex Machina with a message. The optimistic ending was in the book as well.

 

[kranky]

Originally posted by: chuckywang
I saw it today. It felt less like a science fiction adventure movie than it does a movie about a guy becoming a better father in the middle of a crisis.

Exactly! That's exactly what it was. Oh, and there are some aliens.

Man, I thought this movie reeked. Great special effects, but that's not enough to carry it. Does Cruise's contract require that he be on-screen for 98% of the movie? C'mon, give a little camera time to the rest of the cast.

Gobadgrs pointed out that the shields went down with no explanation, and I noticed the same thing. What was the gallons of red liquid that poured out of the ships? Blood? If so, why? Who knows?

Why are some humans being skewered by probes and others taken up into the ship? Who knows?

They explained nothing. And I'm not even bothered by the guy's camcorder still working when the first alien ship burst forth. That was trivial.

I was hoping for a sci-fi movie, but that's not what it was.

 

[Insomniak]

Originally posted by: aswedc
Train scene = awesome

"Yet for all its technical beauty, there's something lacking. It often feels a bit like Spielberg phoned the film in or at the very least painted it by numbers. This has a lot to due with truncated character development, but extremely abrupt ending doesn't help much, either. In fact it feels as if somebody told Spielberg that he was running over budget and out of time and needed to end the picture quickly. As a result we're left with the cinematic equivalent of an 18-wheeler braking for an elephant stumbling across the middle of an expressway. The ending's abruptness only adds to the overall feeling of incompleteness and ultimately causes the film to be devoid of any lasting resonance. There's a feeling left hanging in the air that suggests the whole thing would have worked better as a 3-week mini-series event. This would certainly have allowed for greater character development and a hell of a lot more of the eye popping alien destruction."

Agree.

QFT