Prepare

Review by Vives Anunciacion
Inquirer June 29, 2005

War of the Worlds
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Josh Friedman David Koepp
Based on the classic novel by H.G. Wells
Starring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning
PG 13/ 116 minutes
Paramount Pictures/ DreamWorks Pictures


“Is it the terrorists?” asks the horrified Rachel as the family speeds away from the destruction behind them. Her father, Ray can barely answer back in shock. “They’re something else,” Ray says. War of the Worlds is really, something else.

Based on the 1898 seminal classic novel by HG Wells, War of the Worlds begins one ordinary afternoon in an ordinary town in New Jersey. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) has just returned home from work in the pier docks. His ex-wife Mary-Ann (Miranda Otto, Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings) is dropping off their children Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and Rachel (played by the acting ingénue Dakota Fanning) for a weekend visit.

Ray isn’t exactly happy about the setup; he’s rather adjusted to the relaxed life of a single guy once again. As far as he’s concerned, as much as he loves his kids, he’s still childish himself. Just above their heads, a strange electrical storm is brewing in the skies.

The storm brings something else than just dark clouds. To the horror of onlookers, among them Ray, something huge emerges from the ground where the lightning struck. The gigantic object stands up, bellows a thundering horn and starts zapping the humans to ashes. The aliens have arrived and they’re not friendly.

The King of Hollywood Steven Spielberg retells the classic alien invasion story in a modern post-9-11 setting that is at heart, a family story. Spielberg manages to contain the drama focused on the Ferriers who represent ordinary humans caught in extraordinarily severe times. Shots are framed mostly in mediums and close-ups, at times consciously handheld to give the verite effect as if the viewers are there in the scenes.

This is a disaster movie, and as disaster movies go, there’s destruction and death galore. So much so, however masterfully shot or subtly enhanced by CGI, there’s too much repetition on scenes showing people in panic or suspenseful situations that, despite the emotions, render them trite. There are so many scenes that scream we’ve-seen-that-before, at times the movie becomes tiresome. Scenes of destruction, panic and mayhem are spectacularly staged, but the movie’s saving grace is its focus on the Ferriers’ determination to stay together and survive.

Tom Cruise makes a believable divorced everyday man and delivers a solid performance as an immature father tested to his core as he copes with insurmountable situations for his own and his family’s survival. But the real star of the show is Dakota Fanning, who I’m sure will at least receive a nomination for her performance in this movie.

Rachel is the heart of War of the Worlds. Dakota Fanning makes a compelling portrayal of a simple girl desperately trying to make sense of the chaos engulfing her and the trust she needs to give to her father. In her eyes are shown a breadth of emotions from fear, confusion, panic, anger distrust and finally comfort. The interplay between Rachel and Ray drives the narrow narrative to is fitting conclusion, although I’d say I have misgivings for the ending which I will not discuss.

The most compelling scene in the entire movie is the entire sequence involving the SUV. From the moment they hijack the vehicle (where Rachel first breaks down from confusion) to the ensuing race towards Boston (where Rachel screams, “Is it the terrorists?”) to the freeway where Rachel panics and Ray tries to calmly explain the ongoing pandemonium. The climax of this sequence is when they reach the ferry site and other survivors attempt to take the SUV from them forcibly – let’s just say the scene doesn’t show the best side of humans in extreme situations.

War of the Worlds has great moments, the times when the face of humanity is revealed and the bonds of a family are shown to strengthen. There are great moments too whenever Ray shields the harrowing scenes from Rachel’s eyes – but even this treatment is overplayed and repeated.

There are simply too many unnecessary panic shots where the narrative simply stops to show yet another way for an alien to destroy human life – half of the time the movie is really tiring. Add to this the very hurried and clichéd ending, the remake probably would have been better a little differently. But that’s just me, it’s not my movie.

Still the highlight of the show is a strong emotional journey of a family torn apart by events beyond their control. At the end of the day, humanity’s first line of defense is each other.