War of the Worlds
Yesterday evening, before my kickball game, I made a mad dash to get to the theater to see War of the Worlds at 5:50pm. I was close to 10 minutes late, and forced to sit in some very uncomfortable seats in the second row (the seats didn't tilt, and even slouching and tilting my head uncomfortably, it was difficult to see the top of the screen), but I think I saw a full complement of trailers, thankfully missing the stupid TV adds.
The movie was OK, but I don't think it lived up to the hype. Special effects about the destruction of a/the world just don't impress me much anymore. I realize that it's a lot of work for the crew (apparently they bought a real 747 to cut it up, placing it over the back lot of Universal for a 5 minute scene), but it wasn't that stunning.
I did like a scene where a burning Amtrak trail blasts past a crowd of refugees at full speed and the crowd seems completely unfazed. It was a surreal moment, that's for sure. There was another scene where the clothes of the the vaporized victims float eerily down through the trees, like some giant leaves in the fall. That was eerie, but two scenes don't make a movie.
Tim Robins' character didn't have a big enough part in the movie (though it's hard to fault the movie for that -- it's just that I like Tim), and we didn't see enough of the aliens or get enough background on some things for my liking.
I realize that the movie is told from Tom Cruise's character's point of view, so we don't know the things he doesn't know, but that doesn't make me like the movie any more.
I also think that's a limiting view of how to tell this story. Since it is a movie about the attack and destruction of the Earth and its people, it would be more interesting, to me, to see the story told from a broader perspective. Either from that from someone with better communication (like the President), or from the view of multiple people as they scramble about. There was a lot of dead time in this movie where the main characters are sleeping, driving, running, etc. It would have been nice to have seen some other characters at those points.
I think the bottom line is that this story has been told so many times, and everyone knows how it ends, that you have to give us something more. The movie claims to be full of suspense, but it isn't. You know how it ends, and when was the last time you saw a Hollywood movie with three main characters where they all die? Never. Which means there's no suspense.
I'm glad I only paid $4 for the movie. I think I would have been disappointed if I had paid more, especially considering the hype that lead me to believe that this would have been an awesome movie.
The movie was OK, but I don't think it lived up to the hype. Special effects about the destruction of a/the world just don't impress me much anymore. I realize that it's a lot of work for the crew (apparently they bought a real 747 to cut it up, placing it over the back lot of Universal for a 5 minute scene), but it wasn't that stunning.
I did like a scene where a burning Amtrak trail blasts past a crowd of refugees at full speed and the crowd seems completely unfazed. It was a surreal moment, that's for sure. There was another scene where the clothes of the the vaporized victims float eerily down through the trees, like some giant leaves in the fall. That was eerie, but two scenes don't make a movie.
Tim Robins' character didn't have a big enough part in the movie (though it's hard to fault the movie for that -- it's just that I like Tim), and we didn't see enough of the aliens or get enough background on some things for my liking.
I realize that the movie is told from Tom Cruise's character's point of view, so we don't know the things he doesn't know, but that doesn't make me like the movie any more.
I also think that's a limiting view of how to tell this story. Since it is a movie about the attack and destruction of the Earth and its people, it would be more interesting, to me, to see the story told from a broader perspective. Either from that from someone with better communication (like the President), or from the view of multiple people as they scramble about. There was a lot of dead time in this movie where the main characters are sleeping, driving, running, etc. It would have been nice to have seen some other characters at those points.
I think the bottom line is that this story has been told so many times, and everyone knows how it ends, that you have to give us something more. The movie claims to be full of suspense, but it isn't. You know how it ends, and when was the last time you saw a Hollywood movie with three main characters where they all die? Never. Which means there's no suspense.
I'm glad I only paid $4 for the movie. I think I would have been disappointed if I had paid more, especially considering the hype that lead me to believe that this would have been an awesome movie.
posted by Mark at 10:42 AM
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