War of the Worlds (2005)

When I am about to view a remake of a film I have to approach it with a good deal of trepidation. This is especially true of the original film has been a long time favorite of mine. This is the case with the 2005 War of the Worlds. The 1953 flick has been a one my favorites list for decades; I even passed this down to my daughter who will stop everything to watch it when it is shown on cable. The current trend now is to refer to remakes as re-imaginings, a different view utilizing some of the original plot elements or characters. The one redeeming aspect of the new War of the Worlds is it was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, a man of my generation with an appreciation for classic science fiction flick like this. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a regular sort of man, divorced and sharing custody of his two children, Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and Rachel (Dakota Fanning) with his ex wife, Mary Ann (Miranda Otto). As a dock worker in Newark, N.J. he is just getting used to living on his own. The day starts out routinely as they are dropped off for the weekend but that would soon change. Robbie has the typical teen resentment towards his father, their relationship was rocky enough but the divorce has begun to add even more strain to it. Daughter Rachel loves her dad and has a reasonably good time with him as most daughters view their fathers. In the background are television news broadcasts reporting a strange sky and very odd lightening. Ray only sees the metrological phenomena as something cool to show his daughter. Things start to get worse as the electricity and phones goes out and cars stop suddenly in the street. As Ray watches in horror the street cracks open, an alien tripod machine rises up and people are disintegrated in front of Ray. His paternal instinct kicks into high gear and he rushes home to fetch his kids and get out of town as fast as humanely possible. Once out of the city Ray and the kids come upon a farm owned by survivalist Harlan Ogilvy (Tim Robbins) who warns that this is not a war as much as it is extermination. For the remainder of the flick people are vaporized, buildings crushed like paper and Ray carries a screaming Rachel around. Of course there is the classic resolution that most will know but the ride is what is on display here.

For many fans out there this is the fourth time around for the story of Martians invading the earth. The H.G. Wells 1898 novel, the first alien invasion story ever. Then in 1938 there was the famous Orson Wells’ radio broadcast that struck terror into much of the east coast of American. The aforementioned 1953 film is paid homage with cameo appearances of its stars Gene Barry and Anne Robinson. Spielberg succeeded in giving a nod to what has come before while making the tale uniquely his own to tell. While the 1953 flick was from the point of view of the scientist and the young librarian this is more typically Spielberg, centering on the family and how it is affected by the menace. The survival of humanity takes a back seat to Ray trying desperately to keep his children alive. This gives the movie a much more personal feel, one that allows adults to become emotionally invested in the characters although this personalization may be too intense for children. Ray has to finally step up to the plate and actually be a father. His days as’ a take things as they go’ guy are long behind and survival is all that matters.

The special effects shown here are incredible, we would expect nothing less from Spielberg. This is almost an anti-Close Encounters or ET, the aliens have nothing less than the extinction of mankind in mind and the power to make it happen in short order. Each explosion rips off the screen, the computer effects are seamless in their integration with the live action shots. For those that are familiar with the 1953 film one of the best scenes was the encounter in the farm house, the first sighting of an actual alien. This scene has been updated with regard to the intensity and special effects but the overall impact on the audience remains. In most of the shots of the invading tripods the perspective has shifted from a third person view to one that is close to the ground, offering the audience a first hand view of what is going on. This is consistent with the overall personalization of the story.

Many would be surprised to see the name Tom Cruise in the credits here. It appears that he worked so well with Spielberg in the previous science fiction opus, Minority Report that the master director placed him in this role. To his credit Cruise does well in the role. He makes the transition from slacker dad to protector in a natural fashion. Cruise is a talented actor who can reach out and pull the audience into almost any story as he does here. There is little doubt that Dakota Fanning is one of the rising stars of her generation. Only ten years old at the time this film was made she has a screen presence that few actors three times her age can manage. She can blend adult professionalism with the emotional openness of a child. She can deliver complex dialogue or scream with the best of them. A real scene stealer here is Tim Robbins. He has such an innate sense of humor that he brings life to his role as the farmer. In the midst of all the destruction he manages to bring an almost humorous touch to the proceedings.

Steven Spielberg is a man who grew up watching the classic science fiction films of the fifties and he seems to have never let that child-like wonder go as he grew up. His love for the original is obvious here. This is shown not only in the many scenes reminiscent of the original but more in the way he brought the film’s view point to a more human one. The special effects are among the best ever but they never eclipse the story of a man and his children facing the worse thing that ever happened to humanity. In some ways this was similar to the doctor saving the children in Jurassic Park but amplified several fold. The tripod aliens are right off the original cover art for the H.G. Wells story. While many have mused over the scientific and physical impossibility of such a design I have to say, "Who cares." This is a story of imagination not fact. This film is very intense. If not for Spielberg’s apparent pull with the MPAA this film would have received an R rating instead of the more family friendly PG-13. This film falls into to the somewhat new category of naturalistic science fiction. Here, the technology is the setting not the driving force of the film. The focus is on the fully fleshed out human characters. Here, we see a reasonable man placed in completely unreasonable circumstances.

Typical of the modern trend Dreamworks has released this film in three separate formats, Pan & Scan, widescreen and limited edition two disc set. Considering the average price difference between the regular releases and the deluxe is about six dollars go for the two disc set. All variations have a brilliant video, (don’t even think of the pan and scan) with 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The color palette is reference quality; defect free with colors that are natural and perfectly done. The audio is provided in both Dolby 5.1 and DTS. The DTS did exhibit more back fill and ambience. All audio tracks have excellent channel separation. The extras are great here, that is with the deluxe version. There is an introduction with Steven Spielberg where he goes into his motives behind doing the film. The H. G. Wells Legacy looks at the story from the beginning as a ground breaking novel. There is a two part production diary; one part features the on location shooting in New Jersey while the other goes into the west coast production. How the tripods where created is detailed in a featurette that was better than most special effects explanations. While this film will never replace the special affection I have for the 1953 version it does stand on its own as a worth while film. Just watch it after the younger children have gone to their grandparents for the weekend.

Posted 10/23/05