Moral Aspect : ACCEPTABLE
Technical : AVERAGE
Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), a crane operator, has just been entrusted with the weekend custody of his children by his ex-wife Mary Ann (Miranda Otto) when strange things start to happen in his working class neighborhood. The skies darken suddenly and accompanied by great gusts of wind, lighting bolts strike the ground cutting off electricity and telephones as well as knocking off motor vehicles. Fearful yet curious, Ray goes to the city center and witnesses the ground cracking and collapsing, bringing down buildings. Then, giant machines rise from the earth, stand on three tall spindly legs, fly and from the air, attack with light rays, killing and destroying everything in its wake. Panic breaks loose in the streets as mystery shrouds the identity of the attackers or aliens in control of the machines. Ray together with his rebellions teenage son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and nervous small daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning) flee towards Boston, the home of the children's grandparents. Roads are clogged with thousands of fleeing terrified refugees. Aside from the dangers and hardships on the journey, Ray faces dissension in his family for his son refuses to obey him and wishes to go on his own.
Adapted from the 1898 novel of the same title by H.G. Wells, the present sci-fi film War of the Worlds bears the imprint of Director Steven Spielberg's masterful touch. The mysterious portents of the sky followed by the aliens' surprise firepower and the resulting frenzy and deaths of hapless humans early in the film put the viewers on the edge of their seats. And they stay there through the other breath-sapping scary scenes and awesome spectacular special effects. Viewer's interest does not flag until the end. The suspense highlight ironically happens in the most quiet scene when an alien tentacle slithers around in a farmhouse basement as Ray and family scurry for cover. The perfect framing and timing of this tense episode shows the unerring instinct for suspense of Spielberg and Editor Michael Kahn. Other impressive scenes are the train spewing fire from every window as it races down the tracks and the silent floating of dozens of dead bodies down the stream. The film has a $135 million budget but the story is set in a grubby looking nondescript neighborhood. This deliberate choice of an inelegant visual style helps achieve the seamless weaving of real and computerized action and enhances the action's believability. The characters lack depth and development but Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning give creditable performances.
War of the Worlds is about survival. Today we feel we are living in dangerous times, and looking at the doomsday scenario in this film probably can set us thinking: what if this happens? Probably not with the advent of queer awkward looking machines but probably with the coming of some other equally devastating forces. So how shall we react? Shall we be unprepared like the people in the movie, helpless and lost? How shall we treat each other? Should we think only of ourselves and our families? Shall we be opportunistic, taking advantage of others? It is said that a man's character is defined in times of crisis. Then probably, the innermost core of our being will be revealed. What we truly are, will surface. There will be no pretenses. We will behave without affectation. Perhaps, it is not too early to prepare for that critical moment.
(Date Reviewed: 01 July 2005)
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