Talk about "War of the Worlds" here:
Review by: Breanne Derby
Plot Summary
"War of the Worlds" is based on the book written by H.G. Wells in the late 1800's about Martians invading earth and exterminating its inhabitants. The story has been transposed to take place in 2005 rather than the 19th century as it was written, and I'm sure that due to that it is somewhat different than the book. The audience follows Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), a divorcee whose teenage sun Robbie (Justin Chatwin), and ten-year-old daughter, Rachel (Dakota Fanning) are staying with him for the weekend. In their feeble attempt to survive the chaos that has overtaken the Earth, the relationship between father and children is slowly reconstructed, as they are each-other's only chance at survival when aliens are combing the planet in attempt to destroy all human life.
Review
As can be expected from a film with a $135 million budget, the special effects were fantastic. Though some bits were ultimately pointless, they were very realistic looking. The ability of moviemakers to combine computer animations with actual people has improved immensely since it first began (we've all seen some of the earlier attempts), and in this film, the aliens and electronically-rendered machines melded well with the live-action. The actors and actresses also did a great job of working with the machines, as I imagine it would have been somewhat difficult cowering in fear from something that wasn't there.
If one person in particular should be commended for their role in this film, it should be Dakota Fanning. She is an excellent actress, especially for being only eleven-years-old. She did a very good job portraying a distraught little girl, though her scream was ear-splitting, and it would have been nice to hear less of it. The father-daughter relationship between Ray and Rachel blossomed throughout the film, and Cruise and Fanning worked well together. She was very believable in her role, as a terrified, but somewhat insightful ten-year-old. She worked well with every character she interacted with, and the relationship between Rachel and her brother Robbie, was clearly one brought closer by their parents' divorce, and even more so by the alien invasion.
As for Robbie, it's entirely possible that Justin Chatwin was cast solely because he bears slight resemblance to Tom Cruise (especially his profile, I think it's the nose), and that made me sufficiently nervous in the beginning. He made a believable son, because of his appearance, and not necessarily because of his acting skills. Fortunately, however, Chatwin was not a bad actor, and his resemblance to Cruise may have helped his already good shot at being cast as Ray’s son. Though he didn't really hold a candle to Dakota Fanning, he didn't do a bad job, and he overcame my doubts.
My one large complaint about this film was that the end of things came rather abruptly, and it was concluded in about five minutes. This was, without a doubt, the most disappointing thing about the film. The explanation of the ending was done in the last thirty-seconds of the film, without any time to process things. The ending was rushed, and the plotline seemed to falter a bit there. It was the biggest flaw in this film. There were some other things that were easier to overcome, but the quick conclusion of things was difficult to accept. Having seen the 1953 version of the film, I knew it was coming, but I had hoped that this film would have improved on the hasty ending, but unfortunately it did not.
Conclusion
Despite its hurried close, I found this film to be quite entertaining. It is easily better than many "havoc on Earth" films I’ve seen of late (e.g. "The Day After Tomorrow"). I cannot stress how incredibly cool the special effects were. They weren't too showy, they were necessary. Granted, the film was quite different than the book and the 1953 film, but I'd say that it is still a tribute to H.G. Wells' masterpiece. The chaotic nature of humans in a severe situation like that was chilling and almost disturbingly realistic. The people were portrayed quite well in the many different ways they would react to being subject to that kind of stress. I would definitely go to see this film again, and I think it would be fun to see with other people. "War of the Worlds" vastly exceeded my expectations of it, and it's a film that could be enjoyed by all kinds of people.
