WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005)

***Originally posted on ITS A MATTER OF OPINION*** SHORT REVIEW: This film demonstrates that just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean you should go through with it. What a cursed waste this embarrassing and thoughtless film turned out to be. Spielberg is one of the masters of film to be certain but it appears that he has survived long enough to see his better days fade. I have my expectations of Spielberg set extremely high. This is a man who is literally one of the most powerful people in human history. Think of what he is. He IS Hollywood. Everyone who thinks of working in the industry references him directly. He has the industry at his feet and can make nearly any movie he wishes. He has the resources available to him to satisfy any creative itch he needs to scratch. When he does produce something it is a global event. His voice is heard across the Earth each time he clears his throat. If, as a world, we are willing to allow Spielberg to breathe this rarified air then we must hold him to the highest standard. With his position, resources and most of all talent, he should be making Schindler’s List level films without fail. Each production stemming from this man’s decisions should be nearly perfect. Is this too high of a standard? No. We should be getting John Ford, Hitchcock or David Lean and we’re getting Michael Bay. This film shouldn’t have been made. There is no purpose to it. We know the story and Spielberg has nothing new to add except that HE’S DOING IT. The whole production stinks of hubris. It says something about a man who would be in the opening of Austin Powers in Goldmember, holding up his Oscar as a means of showing his importance. Yeah, it’s a joke but can you honestly see yourself doing the same thing? Enough of the crapping on Steven for a moment. If you are unfortunate enough to sit through the rattling broken chains of logic that fail to hold this film together you will see that there is truly no point to this production. Here is the whole film: Tom “Sure I’m Straight, Why Does Everyone Keep Asking Me?” Cruise and the rest of the cast spend their time running from unimpressive alien machines and then patching their dysfunctional family. They run some more, they in-fight some more. People get killed then Tom “The Massively Heterosexual” Cruise and family runs some more. Did I mention they run? The story is cold-hearted in its relentless transparency. You know how each scene will play out and you know how the film will end. The fate of the ship in Titanic held more surprises than this sad, sad film. To worsen matters, the internal logic of the whole piece falls apart upon the slightest touch. The rules of the movie are set up in one scene only to be contradicted in the next. The only consistent thing about this film is young actress Dakota Fanning. Fanning is the single bright spot in the film. Other than her convincing performance, we are left with a grand disaster of a film. Steer clear of Tom “Chicks Only” Cruise and Steven Spielberg’s self-congratulatory “Me” fest. They’ve made this film for themselves, let them watch it, you don’t have to. RELATED REVIEWS: Other Steven Spielberg films A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) The Terminal (2004) Categories: film, movie, DVD, review, War of The Worlds, Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning