BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 30 Jul 05 - 04:52 PM

"if not entirely faithful to the book"

I don't recall seeing more than 15 mins that was faithful to the book!

But yes, the groping tentacle was pretty good.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Cluin
Date: 31 Jul 05 - 03:55 PM

The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, he said
The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one...
But still, they cooooooooooooooome!

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: The Shambles
Date: 31 Jul 05 - 07:57 PM

Must be the vibrations.......

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: The Shambles
Date: 31 Jul 05 - 07:59 PM

Was that all the red stuff? Or all of that goo that gushed out of the fallen machine?

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: ChocolateLover
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 07:48 AM

Why did no one warn me that this was a comedy? Spent the vast majority of the movie giggling especially at the red goo at the end - you know when you've been tango-d! And I always thought that those dentist's lamps were dangerous, but I hadn't realised that they were alien . . .

ChocolateLover

(And they should have put the proper music in it)

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: GUEST,tHE mARTIANS
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 08:28 AM

oUR INTENTION WAS THAT YOU SHOULD DIE LAUGHING, EARTH SCUM. UNFORTUNATELY, YOUR STUPID BACTERIA RUINED THE WHOLE PLAN. aT LEAST, THOUGH, WE MANAGED TO DESTROY A BILLION OF YOU. bETTER THAN NOTHING.

sERIOUSLY, IF YOU FOUND THE MOVIE FUNNY, THEN YOU REALLY OUGHT TO BE EUTHANIZED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE YOU ARE TOO RIDICULOUS TO LIVE.

dAMNED CAPS LOCK!

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 09:44 AM

HG Wells must be turning in his grave.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 10:16 AM

What did I hear about the Red Weed in the film, making it into the bloodsucker???

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: The Shambles
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 02:20 PM

HG Wells must be turning in his grave.

Sombody was telling me in all seriousness that the author was Orson Welles...........

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Amos
Date: 01 Aug 05 - 02:39 PM

Little Hawk,

I rarely hear you say anything I need to differ with. But try as she might, and she tried mightily, Dakota Fanning could not offset the vacuous unbelievability of Cruise and the gaping holes in the plot. All science fiction requires the suspension of judgement, but for Spielberg to have left so many lacunae in the ordinary continuity of his plot and images is annoying to me, because I have come to expect much better of him.

The power of Wells' ending, which as you say is a major testimonial to the power of Nature in the original book, is badly underplayed, in addition to the character flaws of Cruise's portrayal and the bizarre sense of broken continuity and unreality. This despite some wonderful special effects.

Dakota Fanning was a treat, though, and an opportunity to see an extraordinary actress in the early days of her career. She outclasses Shirley Temple by leagues; she's up there with Katherine Hepburn IMHO, and I only hope she stays as clean and sharp as he is now when she grows to young womanhood.

I wouldn't bother taking a child to this movie. Let them read the book -- they'll do a better job with the pictures and the continuity.

That's my $.02 worth.


A

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: GUEST,red
Date: 02 Aug 05 - 08:38 AM

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: GUEST,Redhorse at work
Date: 02 Aug 05 - 08:47 AM

Don't know what happened there

Saw it ten days ago. 21st century special effects tacked onto a 50's B-movie (even down to the wooden acting). Okay America is currently terrified of Terrorism rather than Communism, but otherwise seems to be the same clunky old hokum.

HG Wells wrote an intelligent book. This was not an intelligent film.

nick

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 02 Aug 05 - 06:26 PM

Well, Amos, I agree with you that the H.G. Wells ending was underplayed. No question about that. They could have made it register with much more impact than they did. I did feel a twinge of disappointment about that very thing when watching the movie.

Still, consider how godawful BAAAADDDD most Hollywood movies of this type ARE!!!! Think about it.

This one was pretty good. I count that as a major triumph. I LOVE this story so much...so I was relieved that they did a not bad job with it.

So...I am seeing the glass as half full on this one. You're seeing it as half empty (or more than half empty?).

I like my approach better. It's more fun. ;-)

Face it, man...NOBODY will ever make a movie that meets your stringent requirements for perfection.   (grin)

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: robomatic
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 11:04 AM

LH:
Given Spielberg's abilities and his tendency to squander them, this is an average to below average Spielberg flick.

Sometimes the glass needs to be washed.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: The Shambles
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 11:09 AM

I think this was less a movie version of the book but a re-make of the 50s movie - (starring Gene Barry and also set in the USA). The effects were good but I am not sure that it really succeeded in adding much to the book or the earlier movie.

This director usually manages some original touches but seemed to fail this time. The tentacle scene was well done (if overlong) but did remind me of a similar scene from The Abyss.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 11:17 AM

Yes, it was like the scene in The Abyss...

Well, what I would dearly like to see is this: A completely faithful rendition of the original War of the Worlds story just as H.G. Wells did it, complete with the 1898 setting. That would be marvelous. It would also be very expensive to do, I would expect.

And I doubt that anyone will do it. Too bad.

One thing that was more realistic about Spielberg's film than the original story was this: the Martians invaded all over the World, not just in England. It is highly unlikely that an alien invasion would choose to confine itself to the British Isles, after all. ;-)

(but maybe it shows just how egocentric the British were about themselves back then...)

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 12:36 PM

And it needed Richard Burton's voice and Jeff Wayne's music.
S:0)

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 03:27 PM

Yes, that is the best adaptation yet.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 03:28 PM

Matter of fact, I have that LP. Got a copy of it a couple of months ago from a friend who collects records.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 03:55 PM

Yeah, mum's still got hers. Can't play it though but at least we have the CD. It's also been my introduction to the one and only Phil Lynott.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 06:28 PM

The wobbly camera work and fast images made Manitas feel sick.... Even seeing it a second time, I'm still sticking with my original feelings...

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: number 6
Date: 03 Aug 05 - 08:32 PM

kewl !

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: robomatic
Date: 04 Aug 05 - 02:04 AM

This was 'sigh-fi' as in "(sigh) it could have been a lot better!"

in my $50 remake I'm gonna have the Martians regret torching New Jersey, they're gonna run into Tony Soprano!

Woke up this morning, and got your heat-ray gun
Pod leader always told you you were the chosen one
"You're a clone of a million, but they've got to burn and shine
Too bad about it, born under a two-moon with bacteria hives

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 04 Aug 05 - 08:26 AM

I think the overly fast (changing) camera images are a problem in virtually ALL movies these days! It's maddening. What the hell do they think they're doing, anyway? I think it has resulted as an offshoot of TV advertising and music videos. Whatever it is, it's quite disturbing to the orderly functioning of the human brain.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: The Shambles
Date: 04 Aug 05 - 08:30 AM

It was good on the radio...........

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 04 Aug 05 - 04:30 PM

It was better in the book...

MUCH better.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 04 Aug 05 - 04:42 PM

Unbeatable in fact.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: robomatic
Date: 04 Aug 05 - 11:07 PM

I've got a soft spot for Gene Barry waiting for the end in that church...

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds - Darned good movie!
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 05 Aug 05 - 01:51 AM

So have I but the ducks are still nesting on it...

LTS