<!--QuoteBegin-AlienCow+Jul 1 2005, 05:03 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (AlienCow @ Jul 1 2005, 05:03 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Oh yeh and aside from that little camcorder everyone mentions, what about the film crew recording AS the lightning is striking again and again? Can't use no batteries excuse there <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
So maybe it isn't the lightning. Who's read the book? Does this all happen in the book? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> obviously they were out of the EMP blast radius. >_> <_<
And i can explain the camera(photo). It was a windy one. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I got(had) to sit in the front row of the movie theater. This really enhanced that feeling of "towering tripod" that you got throughout the movie. My little brother started freaking out about when Robby decided to go watch the military attack the tripods.
Black smoke was basicly poison gas the martians used to kill/trap humans. It was mentioned in the book, but was really played up more in the radio broadcasting.
For those that dont know, a version of this story was read over the radio in 1936, and it really scared alot of people who thought it was real. I think I found a copy of what was read <a href='http://www.unmuseum.org/wow.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.unmuseum.org/wow.htm</a>.
I felt the movie was good overall. In fact, I'd say it's one of the best Book --> Movie translations I've seen to date.
The martians vehicles were always Tripods. The 50's movie had them as tripods too, but the legs were energy or some such, it was only mentioned fleetingly.
The black smoke would have been an awesome thing to have added to the movie. The red weed and the "Terraformed" scene definitely had that "We're boned" feel but the black smoke would have sealed the deal.
My main pet hate for this movie though was the scene where the son wants to see the battle and Tom Cruise is begging him not to go. I wanted to see the army make it's charge and get routed damnit! Not some sappy "Oh no! Dont go son! You'll diez0r!" crap.
My secondary pet hate is the fact that the tripods are "Buried". Jesus Effing Christ. That was the largest plot hole since... God only knows when. You'd think that a few thousand years of human development and some geological geekiness would have figured "Oh snap! Theres this thingamabob buried in the ground!"
Anyway presumably the aliens were vaccinated against a majority of Earths pathogens but missed something along the way. A harmless Bacterium, a negligible virus simply could have been glossed over "Oh thats similar to some virus we already know about, no need to bother with it!".
Oh, and did anyone notice that the "Hunting Call" of the Tripods was somewhat lifted from John Christophers the Tripods Trilogy?
I've never read the book, so I have no idea how true to the original the movie was (nor do I care). I loved every second of the movie, and it is a close second to sin city for this year’s movie of the year.
There are going to be some spoilers here, so don't read it if have yet to see the film.
The acting was surprisingly brilliant and the effects were superb, but what I really liked about the movie was the characters.
The film was not shot from a military/government stand point (like in mars attacks, for example) but instead from the viewpoint of a normal guy and his two children. You really get a sense of overwhelming awe and defeat as the story progresses, especially when you see the scale of the slaughter.
I think that the family element worked well, as it helped keep the story interesting. If it had just been about aliens invading, it would have gotten a bit hollow and boring half way through. As it was, they managed to keep me engrossed from start to finish.
The sound effects were brilliant and really helped make the film creepy. Even though it was not a horror film, the basement scenes had me on the edge of my seat. They really gave a sense of "the war is over, we've lost" as the family sit in the basement. The crazy guy was done well, and the scene where Ray killed him was great (Looking back on it, it did seem a little silly how easy the fight went, considering his size compared to the crazy guy). I never once thought about that in the film, though.
My favorite scene had to be the hillside one. Taking the camera over the hillside would have ruined the atmosphere, and Spielberg should be phraised for doing the exact opposite of the Hollywood norm. We didn't need to see what was over the hill. We already know that the army is getting destroyed and doing little damage to the aliens, so we don't need to see that. I also liked how the army was not downplayed during the movie. We could tell that they were strong and up to the task, but the aliens were just too overpowering for them. The scene where the take down the tripod with rockets is a great example of this, and helps tie the ending of the film and the rest of it together.
Also, don't let your experience get spoiled by little problems such as a camcorder working when all other camcorders have been destroyed. If the film was without any little problems at all, it would be boring as hell. Enjoy the movie for being just that, a movie, and not an item for intense scrutiny
Mmm I liked the scene where they rocket launcher'd the tripod too, I'm pretty sure a couple of soldiers got crushed as it collapsed. That sucks <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> Surviving that long and then having an alien machine <i>fall on you.</i>
I think they should've paid tribute to the musical in some way, like having the little kid sing "Forever Autumn" or something. Also the musical ended better then this film did, with the London scene and the dead fighting machine. Those kids were annoying as hell too. "I CAN'T SLEEP ON THE FLOOR I HAVE A BAD BACK. WHY DO I NEVER LISTEN TO MY DAD EVEN THOUGH HE'S TALKING COMPLETE SENSE." I thought the best part of the film was the way the opening action sequences were shot, like it was an actual battle shot by a war correspondent. I'd see it again <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->.
Agreed concerning the musical. I loved the movie, and not that the score of the movie was bad; I just found it to be unremarkable.
I had really hoped that "Eve of the War" or "Forever Autumn" would have made it in. “Even of the War” would have been prefect in the first scene with the tripod shortly before it started attacking. “Forever Autumn” would have fit when cruise and the family were feeling a battle between the army and the tripods. Specifically the scene where they are running through a dense forest and the clothes of the killed troops are raining down around them.
PS. The "Ulla" sound would have been better than the "UGH" sound for the battle call of the tripods.
edit: The musical is called "Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds" in anyone is interested.
<!--QuoteBegin-TheMuffinMan+Jul 2 2005, 05:28 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (TheMuffinMan @ Jul 2 2005, 05:28 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I've never read the book, so I have no idea how true to the original the movie was (nor do I care). I loved every second of the movie, and it is a close second to sin city for this year’s movie of the year.
There are going to be some spoilers here, so don't read it if have yet to see the film.
The acting was surprisingly brilliant and the effects were superb, but what I really liked about the movie was the characters.
The film was not shot from a military/government stand point (like in mars attacks, for example) but instead from the viewpoint of a normal guy and his two children. You really get a sense of overwhelming awe and defeat as the story progresses, especially when you see the scale of the slaughter.
I think that the family element worked well, as it helped keep the story interesting. If it had just been about aliens invading, it would have gotten a bit hollow and boring half way through. As it was, they managed to keep me engrossed from start to finish.
The sound effects were brilliant and really helped make the film creepy. Even though it was not a horror film, the basement scenes had me on the edge of my seat. They really gave a sense of "the war is over, we've lost" as the family sit in the basement. The crazy guy was done well, and the scene where Ray killed him was great (Looking back on it, it did seem a little silly how easy the fight went, considering his size compared to the crazy guy). I never once thought about that in the film, though.
My favorite scene had to be the hillside one. Taking the camera over the hillside would have ruined the atmosphere, and Spielberg should be phrased for doing the exact opposite of the Hollywood norm. We didn't need to see what was over the hill. We already know that the army is getting destroyed and doing little damage to the aliens, so we don't need to see that. I also liked how the army was not downplayed during the movie. We could tell that they were strong and up to the task, but the aliens were just too overpowering for them. The scene where the take down the tripod with rockets is a great example of this, and helps tie the ending of the film and the rest of it together.
Also, don't let your experience get spoiled by little problems such as a camcorder working when all other camcorders have been destroyed. If the film was without any little problems at all, it would be boring as hell. Enjoy the movie for being just that, a movie, and not an item for intense scrutiny <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> <praise> ^^^
Oh and like spacer said, those ****ing kids needed to listen to their goddamn dad. He was the only one thinking straight. I wanted to sucker punch that son when he was talking about going over the hill. It was like... "the ARMY couldn't take it out, what the **** can YOU do, idiot?" I am also reallly damn glad they didn't go over the hill, that would have ruined it.
And on a final note, the music was weak. They could have picked some really great orchestral pieces for this, and yet they didn't.
TalesinOur own little well of hateJoin Date: 2002-11-08Member: 7710NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators
I want the just-short of two hours of my life back, please. Went to see it, not having too much hope. Came back wanting to stab someone for that atrocity.
In case you can't tell already, I didn't like it.
I've read the book, and listened to the rebroadcasts. This was little more than a pathetic excuse to show off special effects and Tom Cruise, as well as sneak in pop culture references (IS IT THE TERRORISTS?!?!?!!!!!oneone!!) which annoyed the living **** out of me, and made me feel even more like stabbing someone. Luckily, I never found out who should be on the receiving end of that vengeance, and was distracted by enough mind-numbing Guinness in short order to wipe a majority of the film equivalent of smearing pig offal on David from my memory.
I can only shudder as they apparently are re-making Fahrenheit 451... but with Bush in office, wouldn't have the ba**s to take on 1984. Quite possibly literally, if anyone seriously considered making a large segment of the populace watch eerie parallels take to the silver screen.
Oh well. At least the current crop of midgets will get to see a tiny slice of actual (adapted) literature, even if it has to be stuffed full of rolling backpacks, iPods, and 2005 Mustang GTs to be 'up to date' enough to garner any kind of attention. Urge to kick someone in the face rising.
<!--QuoteBegin-Talesin+Jul 3 2005, 06:25 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Talesin @ Jul 3 2005, 06:25 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I want the just-short of two hours of my life back, please. Went to see it, not having too much hope. Came back wanting to stab someone for that atrocity.
In case you can't tell already, I didn't like it.
I've read the book, and listened to the rebroadcasts. This was little more than a pathetic excuse to show off special effects and Tom Cruise, as well as sneak in pop culture references (IS IT THE TERRORISTS?!?!?!!!!!oneone!!) which annoyed the living **** out of me, and made me feel even more like stabbing someone. Luckily, I never found out who should be on the receiving end of that vengeance, and was distracted by enough mind-numbing Guinness in short order to wipe a majority of the film equivalent of smearing pig offal on David from my memory.
I can only shudder as they apparently are re-making Fahrenheit 451... but with Bush in office, wouldn't have the ba**s to take on 1984. Quite possibly literally, if anyone seriously considered making a large segment of the populace watch eerie parallels take to the silver screen.
Oh well. At least the current crop of midgets will get to see a tiny slice of actual (adapted) literature, even if it has to be stuffed full of rolling backpacks, iPods, and 2005 Mustang GTs to be 'up to date' enough to garner any kind of attention. Urge to kick someone in the face rising. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Lol. <b>*Spoilers*</b>
How would you do a film about giant alien tripods destroying the city WITHOUT special effects? ¬_¬. And if a bunch of stuff started exploding and people dying, would you automatically think "Oh yeah, Martians. Of course." I dunno about you, but I'd probably blame it on terrorists first, having NOT SEEN ANYTHING APART FROM PEOPLE DYING AND BUILDINGS EXPLODING. Also, the annoying old kid has an Ipod. Big deal. A lot of teenagers HAVE Ipods, it seems reasonable enough that he would have one, it was hardly even a plug. Not as bad as Blade 3, at least. ALSO if they'd directly used the script from the book, then it'd be no fun because you'd know exactly what happens, cutting out the surprises/generally cool parts like Tom Cruise's van getting robbed, or fighting with Olgivy whilst the martians search the basement. It was hardly an atrocity, an atrocity would be turning it into something Independence day style with Tom Cruise kicking a martian in the face shouting "YOU WANT THE TRUTH YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH." for 2 hours.
Also, did anyone notice that they used 28 Days Later/Day After Tommorow music in the trailers? I SURE DID BECAUSE I PAY ATTENTION TO THINGS LIKE THIS HUH HUH.
i love you spacer <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Spacer+Jul 3 2005, 01:08 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Spacer @ Jul 3 2005, 01:08 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> it was hardly even a plug. Not as bad as Blade 3, at least. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> LOL don't remind me.
I have to disagree with Talesin there, as the effects were used brilliantly.
Not once were they the main focus of the scene, which it is pretty damned impressive. The effects were there, but they felt <i>real</i> because Spielberg never used them just for the sake of it. The camera would focus on the crowds running, and you could clearly see the tripods in the background, but that was it. They were in the background, complimenting the rest of the film.
Tom Cruise was great, as always. I may not be a great fan of his attitude in real life, but i am really struggling to find a poor film that he has been in (In the last 10 years, anyway). He played a convincing father, and his breakdown scenes were well acted. I don't expect him to win any awards for his acting, but it was good enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.
Of course, Tom Cruise doesn't really matter. What mattered was the absolutely <i>stunning </i> performance of Dakota Fanning. She was absolutely brilliant, and really helped the family element of the film.
My favourite thing about War of the Worlds was the way Spielberg shot it. Take a look at other invasion films such as Independence Day or Mars attacks, and look at how the camera is positioned. Usually, it gives a full picture of the battle (or whatever it may be), using CG to fill the scene. Spielberg shoots this like he shot Saving Private Ryan, which was brilliant. We rarely got a full view of the tripods. Usually, we saw them from eye level, seeing the legs and the odd tentacle/laser. This, combined with the way that he used his extras to create a very realistic sense of mass panic, is what won the film over for me. It also makes the film a hell of a lot creepier, as we really get a close and personal sense of the slaughter, rather than just seeing dozens of tripods killing loads of little dots on the screen.
This wasn't a film about an alien invasion so much as it was a film about the way mankind, or just your average family, would cope with an alien invasion.
AllUrHiveRblong2usBy Your Powers Combined...Join Date: 2002-12-20Member: 11244Members
<!--QuoteBegin-TheMuffinMan+Jul 3 2005, 11:48 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (TheMuffinMan @ Jul 3 2005, 11:48 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Of course, Tom Cruise doesn't really matter. What mattered was the absolutely <i>stunning </i> performance of Dakota Fanning. She was absolutely brilliant, and really helped the family element of the film. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Oh come on! Dakota Fanning does not act, she just opens her eyes really wide on cue. She really is extremely overrated, even for a child actress she's one note.
Dakota Fanning has gotta've played one of the most annoying characters in any movie. It's like they took every 18 year old jaded art student indie girl in America and condensed it into one, incredibly annoying 12 year old who's main plot purpose is to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
<!--QuoteBegin-Spacer+Jul 3 2005, 12:02 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Spacer @ Jul 3 2005, 12:02 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Dakota Fanning has gotta've played one of the most annoying characters in any movie. It's like they took every 18 year old jaded art student indie girl in America and condensed it into one, incredibly annoying 12 year old who's main plot purpose is to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> I KNOW!
I absolutely hated the main dude's family, and was praying that they'd get killed off. No such luck. WHY DID ROBBIE HAVE TO LIVE? IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE DRAMATIC IF HE'D JUST DIED! AAARGH!
Someone mentioned the black smoke.... I agree that would have pwned, as it would have given even more of a "Oh great, now how are we supposed to fight THAT?" feel.
I like that the aliens felt totally invincible... which was pretty much the whole point of the book; to make people sit up and think "OMG, maybe we're not as great as we think we are". The tripods felt... I don't know what the right word is... although i've heard the word "menacing" thrown around a lot. They were definately apropriately scary, but I can't put my finger on what gives them that eerily scary feeling... I mean, I've seen dozens of movies featuring giant monsters blowing stuff up, but I never so much as batted an eye. The tripods at least earned an "ooh-err" on the brown-trousers scale. The roar they make (in keeping with the book) was definately suitably pants-wetting, and the heat-rays were fine whatever anyone says. I think the disintegrated people's clothes flying around was definately a VERY creepy but very nice touch.
I liked most of the movie, but it definately felt padded in places. You can imagine Spielburg meeting with his producers...
"So what have we got so far?"
"Well... we've got half an hour of totally awesome running away and screaming with buildings exploding and people disintegrating and stuff."
"So we need another hour of material?"
"Umm.... yeah."
"Hey, i've got an idea! Why don't we make the family like... a dysfunctional family... and introduce loads of pointless family issues and make the son a total idiot, and then get him killed! But not really because it's a 12A so we have to have him not REALLY be dead at the end."
"Ok, we can add some throwaway family issues in there, but that still only brings us up to one hour... we need another hour of material."
"Hmmm... how about we make a really long scene where the dude and his retarded daughter hide from an alien tentacle probe thingy?"
"Can you really stretch that scene to an entire hour?"
"Hey, I made the zion rave scene from the matrix reloaded, I can make ANY crappy scene last forever."
<!--QuoteBegin-Dubbilex+Jul 3 2005, 12:12 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Dubbilex @ Jul 3 2005, 12:12 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Well, considering that <i>1984</i> was written as a criticism of socialism, I think Bush would be cool with it. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Did Talesin forget that Michael Moore has made two movies bashing President Bush?
<!--QuoteBegin-MedHead+Jul 3 2005, 03:22 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (MedHead @ Jul 3 2005, 03:22 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-Dubbilex+Jul 3 2005, 12:12 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Dubbilex @ Jul 3 2005, 12:12 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Well, considering that <i>1984</i> was written as a criticism of socialism, I think Bush would be cool with it. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Did Talesin forget that Michael Moore has made two movies bashing President Bush? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Fahrenheit 911 and ....? I remember the other one being US government in general and the NRA.
Anyway, I prefer this one over any other version of War of the World and that Will Smith's version whose name will not be mentioned. Having a three legged aliens to go with the tripod strider is a nice touch.
<!--QuoteBegin-DOOManiac+Jun 30 2005, 02:08 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DOOManiac @ Jun 30 2005, 02:08 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-MedHead+Jun 30 2005, 12:02 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (MedHead @ Jun 30 2005, 12:02 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I know: his agent must weep himself/herself to sleep each night. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> I'm sure he has lots and lots of crisp $100 bills to use as tissues... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> /me reminded of the BMW short film <i>Star</i>
<!--QuoteBegin-Spacer+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Spacer)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Also, did anyone notice that they used 28 Days Later/Day After Tommorow music in the trailers?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Yes. I always notice stuff like that. Have you noticed that all of the SciFi horror movies use this one guy's voice and similar (and lame) "phear of dewm" lines?
And now for some reason I'm reminded of Robot Chicken...
<!--QuoteBegin-nil IQ+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (nil IQ)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I liked most of the movie, but it definately felt padded in places. You can imagine Spielburg meeting with his producers...
"So what have we got so far?"
"Well... we've got half an hour of totally awesome running away and screaming with buildings exploding and people disintegrating and stuff."
"So we need another hour of material?"
"Umm.... yeah."
"Hey, i've got an idea! Why don't we make the family like... a dysfunctional family... and introduce loads of pointless family issues and make the son a total idiot, and then get him killed! But not really because it's a 12A so we have to have him not REALLY be dead at the end."
"Ok, we can add some throwaway family issues in there, but that still only brings us up to one hour... we need another hour of material."
"Hmmm... how about we make a really long scene where the dude and his retarded daughter hide from an alien tentacle probe thingy?"
"Can you really stretch that scene to an entire hour?"
"Hey, I made the zion rave scene from the matrix reloaded, I can make ANY crappy scene last forever." <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Dude, this belongs on TV. Seriously. What a greatly humorous quote.
<!--QuoteBegin-DrSuredeath+Jul 3 2005, 04:37 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DrSuredeath @ Jul 3 2005, 04:37 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Fahrenheit 911 and ....? I remember the other one being US government in general and the NRA. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Oh, my mistake. I didn't see either, but I thought they were both anti-Bush. Still, my point is, a movie that's supposedly <b>similar</b> to what is happening now won't be censored when a movie that's <b>supposedly</b> similar to what has happened has already been allowed to be released.
<!--QuoteBegin-AlienCow+Jul 3 2005, 04:24 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (AlienCow @ Jul 3 2005, 04:24 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Spielberg was involved with the matrix? :S News to me... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> No... that was supposed to be one of the producers... I guess I should have made that clear.
<!--QuoteBegin-Nil IQ+Jul 3 2005, 10:09 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Nil IQ @ Jul 3 2005, 10:09 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-AlienCow+Jul 3 2005, 04:24 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (AlienCow @ Jul 3 2005, 04:24 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Spielberg was involved with the matrix? :S News to me... <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> No... that was supposed to be one of the producers... I guess I should have made that clear. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> It might be clear, I'm just tired. Still made me laugh, before I frowned!
<!--QuoteBegin-MedHead+Jul 3 2005, 03:22 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (MedHead @ Jul 3 2005, 03:22 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin-Dubbilex+Jul 3 2005, 12:12 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Dubbilex @ Jul 3 2005, 12:12 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Well, considering that <i>1984</i> was written as a criticism of socialism, I think Bush would be cool with it. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Did Talesin forget that Michael Moore has made two movies bashing President Bush?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Well if we want to get technical, Miramax - the original distributor for Fahrenheit 9/11 and a part of Disney - dropped Michael Moore because, well, I guess because they thought it just wasn't proper (read: Michael Eisner, then-Disney CEO, was afraid that <i>Jeb Bush would get angry and cause tax problems for Disney World</i>).
Guess that, provided that one finds the right distributor, one could release damn near anything.
TalesinOur own little well of hateJoin Date: 2002-11-08Member: 7710NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators
As much as I'd love to derail this into political bashing of the cokehead-in-chief, it needs to stay on-topic.
Right. So after my comment about how it sucked, we've had a few people defending the movie, and a few defending it, then making fun of how slow it got, and how much filler there was. Not to mention the obvious inconsistencies used to move what they laughably called 'plot' along, covering for the crap they threw in, rather than sticking with the story. The ending was sappy-happy feel-good tripe, everybody back together, but that still didn't please a good number of moviegoers, because the wife kept her new husband, rather than having him killed and getting together with the father of her kids. Never minding that she's already pregnant with the new guy's kid, and that they might NOT want to get back together.
So many people need to be kicked in the temple right now with a steel-toed boot.
Dude its a good film - every film has problems, you're over exaggerating to an insane level <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Talesin+Jul 3 2005, 07:49 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Talesin @ Jul 3 2005, 07:49 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> As much as I'd love to derail this into political bashing of the cokehead-in-chief, it needs to stay on-topic.
Right. So after my comment about how it sucked, we've had a few people defending the movie, and a few defending it, then making fun of how slow it got, and how much filler there was. Not to mention the obvious inconsistencies used to move what they laughably called 'plot' along, covering for the crap they threw in, rather than sticking with the story. The ending was sappy-happy feel-good tripe, everybody back together, but that still didn't please a good number of moviegoers, because the wife kept her new husband, rather than having him killed and getting together with the father of her kids. Never minding that she's already pregnant with the new guy's kid, and that they might NOT want to get back together.
So many people need to be kicked in the temple right now with a steel-toed boot. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Because everyone said the movie was absolutely perfect and there could be no way that there could be anything wrong with it ever. I pointed out the parts I liked and the parts I didn't like, whereas you're like "THIS MOVIE IS SO TERRIBLE EVERYONE ELSE IS WRONG I WILL KILL MYSELF WITH A KNIFE." When it wasn't ACTUALLY THAT BAD. How was the plot even that bad? I can't think of anything wrong apart from Robbie managing to get back to the mum *somehow*.
Comments
So maybe it isn't the lightning. Who's read the book? Does this all happen in the book? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
obviously they were out of the EMP blast radius. >_> <_<
And i can explain the camera(photo). It was a windy one. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I got(had) to sit in the front row of the movie theater. This really enhanced that feeling of "towering tripod" that you got throughout the movie. My little brother started freaking out about when Robby decided to go watch the military attack the tripods.
For those that dont know, a version of this story was read over the radio in 1936, and it really scared alot of people who thought it was real. I think I found a copy of what was read <a href='http://www.unmuseum.org/wow.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.unmuseum.org/wow.htm</a>.
The martians vehicles were always Tripods. The 50's movie had them as tripods too, but the legs were energy or some such, it was only mentioned fleetingly.
The black smoke would have been an awesome thing to have added to the movie. The red weed and the "Terraformed" scene definitely had that "We're boned" feel but the black smoke would have sealed the deal.
My main pet hate for this movie though was the scene where the son wants to see the battle and Tom Cruise is begging him not to go. I wanted to see the army make it's charge and get routed damnit! Not some sappy "Oh no! Dont go son! You'll diez0r!" crap.
My secondary pet hate is the fact that the tripods are "Buried". Jesus Effing Christ. That was the largest plot hole since... God only knows when. You'd think that a few thousand years of human development and some geological geekiness would have figured "Oh snap! Theres this thingamabob buried in the ground!"
Anyway presumably the aliens were vaccinated against a majority of Earths pathogens but missed something along the way. A harmless Bacterium, a negligible virus simply could have been glossed over "Oh thats similar to some virus we already know about, no need to bother with it!".
Oh, and did anyone notice that the "Hunting Call" of the Tripods was somewhat lifted from John Christophers the Tripods Trilogy?
There are going to be some spoilers here, so don't read it if have yet to see the film.
The acting was surprisingly brilliant and the effects were superb, but what I really liked about the movie was the characters.
The film was not shot from a military/government stand point (like in mars attacks, for example) but instead from the viewpoint of a normal guy and his two children. You really get a sense of overwhelming awe and defeat as the story progresses, especially when you see the scale of the slaughter.
I think that the family element worked well, as it helped keep the story interesting. If it had just been about aliens invading, it would have gotten a bit hollow and boring half way through. As it was, they managed to keep me engrossed from start to finish.
The sound effects were brilliant and really helped make the film creepy. Even though it was not a horror film, the basement scenes had me on the edge of my seat. They really gave a sense of "the war is over, we've lost" as the family sit in the basement. The crazy guy was done well, and the scene where Ray killed him was great (Looking back on it, it did seem a little silly how easy the fight went, considering his size compared to the crazy guy). I never once thought about that in the film, though.
My favorite scene had to be the hillside one. Taking the camera over the hillside would have ruined the atmosphere, and Spielberg should be phraised for doing the exact opposite of the Hollywood norm. We didn't need to see what was over the hill. We already know that the army is getting destroyed and doing little damage to the aliens, so we don't need to see that. I also liked how the army was not downplayed during the movie. We could tell that they were strong and up to the task, but the aliens were just too overpowering for them. The scene where the take down the tripod with rockets is a great example of this, and helps tie the ending of the film and the rest of it together.
Also, don't let your experience get spoiled by little problems such as a camcorder working when all other camcorders have been destroyed. If the film was without any little problems at all, it would be boring as hell. Enjoy the movie for being just that, a movie, and not an item for intense scrutiny
I thought the best part of the film was the way the opening action sequences were shot, like it was an actual battle shot by a war correspondent.
I'd see it again <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->.
I had really hoped that "Eve of the War" or "Forever Autumn" would have made it in. “Even of the War” would have been prefect in the first scene with the tripod shortly before it started attacking. “Forever Autumn” would have fit when cruise and the family were feeling a battle between the army and the tripods. Specifically the scene where they are running through a dense forest and the clothes of the killed troops are raining down around them.
PS. The "Ulla" sound would have been better than the "UGH" sound for the battle call of the tripods.
edit: The musical is called "Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds" in anyone is interested.
There are going to be some spoilers here, so don't read it if have yet to see the film.
The acting was surprisingly brilliant and the effects were superb, but what I really liked about the movie was the characters.
The film was not shot from a military/government stand point (like in mars attacks, for example) but instead from the viewpoint of a normal guy and his two children. You really get a sense of overwhelming awe and defeat as the story progresses, especially when you see the scale of the slaughter.
I think that the family element worked well, as it helped keep the story interesting. If it had just been about aliens invading, it would have gotten a bit hollow and boring half way through. As it was, they managed to keep me engrossed from start to finish.
The sound effects were brilliant and really helped make the film creepy. Even though it was not a horror film, the basement scenes had me on the edge of my seat. They really gave a sense of "the war is over, we've lost" as the family sit in the basement. The crazy guy was done well, and the scene where Ray killed him was great (Looking back on it, it did seem a little silly how easy the fight went, considering his size compared to the crazy guy). I never once thought about that in the film, though.
My favorite scene had to be the hillside one. Taking the camera over the hillside would have ruined the atmosphere, and Spielberg should be phrased for doing the exact opposite of the Hollywood norm. We didn't need to see what was over the hill. We already know that the army is getting destroyed and doing little damage to the aliens, so we don't need to see that. I also liked how the army was not downplayed during the movie. We could tell that they were strong and up to the task, but the aliens were just too overpowering for them. The scene where the take down the tripod with rockets is a great example of this, and helps tie the ending of the film and the rest of it together.
Also, don't let your experience get spoiled by little problems such as a camcorder working when all other camcorders have been destroyed. If the film was without any little problems at all, it would be boring as hell. Enjoy the movie for being just that, a movie, and not an item for intense scrutiny <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
<praise> ^^^
Oh and like spacer said, those ****ing kids needed to listen to their goddamn dad. He was the only one thinking straight. I wanted to sucker punch that son when he was talking about going over the hill. It was like... "the ARMY couldn't take it out, what the **** can YOU do, idiot?" I am also reallly damn glad they didn't go over the hill, that would have ruined it.
And on a final note, the music was weak. They could have picked some really great orchestral pieces for this, and yet they didn't.
In case you can't tell already, I didn't like it.
I've read the book, and listened to the rebroadcasts. This was little more than a pathetic excuse to show off special effects and Tom Cruise, as well as sneak in pop culture references (IS IT THE TERRORISTS?!?!?!!!!!oneone!!) which annoyed the living **** out of me, and made me feel even more like stabbing someone. Luckily, I never found out who should be on the receiving end of that vengeance, and was distracted by enough mind-numbing Guinness in short order to wipe a majority of the film equivalent of smearing pig offal on David from my memory.
I can only shudder as they apparently are re-making Fahrenheit 451... but with Bush in office, wouldn't have the ba**s to take on 1984. Quite possibly literally, if anyone seriously considered making a large segment of the populace watch eerie parallels take to the silver screen.
Oh well. At least the current crop of midgets will get to see a tiny slice of actual (adapted) literature, even if it has to be stuffed full of rolling backpacks, iPods, and 2005 Mustang GTs to be 'up to date' enough to garner any kind of attention. Urge to kick someone in the face rising.
In case you can't tell already, I didn't like it.
I've read the book, and listened to the rebroadcasts. This was little more than a pathetic excuse to show off special effects and Tom Cruise, as well as sneak in pop culture references (IS IT THE TERRORISTS?!?!?!!!!!oneone!!) which annoyed the living **** out of me, and made me feel even more like stabbing someone. Luckily, I never found out who should be on the receiving end of that vengeance, and was distracted by enough mind-numbing Guinness in short order to wipe a majority of the film equivalent of smearing pig offal on David from my memory.
I can only shudder as they apparently are re-making Fahrenheit 451... but with Bush in office, wouldn't have the ba**s to take on 1984. Quite possibly literally, if anyone seriously considered making a large segment of the populace watch eerie parallels take to the silver screen.
Oh well. At least the current crop of midgets will get to see a tiny slice of actual (adapted) literature, even if it has to be stuffed full of rolling backpacks, iPods, and 2005 Mustang GTs to be 'up to date' enough to garner any kind of attention. Urge to kick someone in the face rising. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Lol.
<b>*Spoilers*</b>
How would you do a film about giant alien tripods destroying the city WITHOUT special effects? ¬_¬. And if a bunch of stuff started exploding and people dying, would you automatically think "Oh yeah, Martians. Of course." I dunno about you, but I'd probably blame it on terrorists first, having NOT SEEN ANYTHING APART FROM PEOPLE DYING AND BUILDINGS EXPLODING.
Also, the annoying old kid has an Ipod. Big deal. A lot of teenagers HAVE Ipods, it seems reasonable enough that he would have one, it was hardly even a plug. Not as bad as Blade 3, at least.
ALSO if they'd directly used the script from the book, then it'd be no fun because you'd know exactly what happens, cutting out the surprises/generally cool parts like Tom Cruise's van getting robbed, or fighting with Olgivy whilst the martians search the basement. It was hardly an atrocity, an atrocity would be turning it into something Independence day style with Tom Cruise kicking a martian in the face shouting "YOU WANT THE TRUTH YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH." for 2 hours.
Also, did anyone notice that they used 28 Days Later/Day After Tommorow music in the trailers? I SURE DID BECAUSE I PAY ATTENTION TO THINGS LIKE THIS HUH HUH.
LOL don't remind me.
Not once were they the main focus of the scene, which it is pretty damned impressive. The effects were there, but they felt <i>real</i> because Spielberg never used them just for the sake of it. The camera would focus on the crowds running, and you could clearly see the tripods in the background, but that was it. They were in the background, complimenting the rest of the film.
Tom Cruise was great, as always. I may not be a great fan of his attitude in real life, but i am really struggling to find a poor film that he has been in (In the last 10 years, anyway). He played a convincing father, and his breakdown scenes were well acted. I don't expect him to win any awards for his acting, but it was good enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.
Of course, Tom Cruise doesn't really matter. What mattered was the absolutely <i>stunning </i> performance of Dakota Fanning. She was absolutely brilliant, and really helped the family element of the film.
My favourite thing about War of the Worlds was the way Spielberg shot it. Take a look at other invasion films such as Independence Day or Mars attacks, and look at how the camera is positioned. Usually, it gives a full picture of the battle (or whatever it may be), using CG to fill the scene. Spielberg shoots this like he shot Saving Private Ryan, which was brilliant. We rarely got a full view of the tripods. Usually, we saw them from eye level, seeing the legs and the odd tentacle/laser. This, combined with the way that he used his extras to create a very realistic sense of mass panic, is what won the film over for me. It also makes the film a hell of a lot creepier, as we really get a close and personal sense of the slaughter, rather than just seeing dozens of tripods killing loads of little dots on the screen.
This wasn't a film about an alien invasion so much as it was a film about the way mankind, or just your average family, would cope with an alien invasion.
Oh come on! Dakota Fanning does not act, she just opens her eyes really wide on cue. She really is extremely overrated, even for a child actress she's one note.
I KNOW!
I absolutely hated the main dude's family, and was praying that they'd get killed off. No such luck. WHY DID ROBBIE HAVE TO LIVE? IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE DRAMATIC IF HE'D JUST DIED! AAARGH!
Someone mentioned the black smoke.... I agree that would have pwned, as it would have given even more of a "Oh great, now how are we supposed to fight THAT?" feel.
I like that the aliens felt totally invincible... which was pretty much the whole point of the book; to make people sit up and think "OMG, maybe we're not as great as we think we are". The tripods felt... I don't know what the right word is... although i've heard the word "menacing" thrown around a lot. They were definately apropriately scary, but I can't put my finger on what gives them that eerily scary feeling... I mean, I've seen dozens of movies featuring giant monsters blowing stuff up, but I never so much as batted an eye. The tripods at least earned an "ooh-err" on the brown-trousers scale. The roar they make (in keeping with the book) was definately suitably pants-wetting, and the heat-rays were fine whatever anyone says. I think the disintegrated people's clothes flying around was definately a VERY creepy but very nice touch.
I liked most of the movie, but it definately felt padded in places. You can imagine Spielburg meeting with his producers...
"So what have we got so far?"
"Well... we've got half an hour of totally awesome running away and screaming with buildings exploding and people disintegrating and stuff."
"So we need another hour of material?"
"Umm.... yeah."
"Hey, i've got an idea! Why don't we make the family like... a dysfunctional family... and introduce loads of pointless family issues and make the son a total idiot, and then get him killed! But not really because it's a 12A so we have to have him not REALLY be dead at the end."
"Ok, we can add some throwaway family issues in there, but that still only brings us up to one hour... we need another hour of material."
"Hmmm... how about we make a really long scene where the dude and his retarded daughter hide from an alien tentacle probe thingy?"
"Can you really stretch that scene to an entire hour?"
"Hey, I made the zion rave scene from the matrix reloaded, I can make ANY crappy scene last forever."
Did Talesin forget that Michael Moore has made two movies bashing President Bush?
Did Talesin forget that Michael Moore has made two movies bashing President Bush? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Fahrenheit 911 and ....?
I remember the other one being US government in general and the NRA.
Anyway, I prefer this one over any other version of War of the World and that Will Smith's version whose name will not be mentioned. Having a three legged aliens to go with the tripod strider is a nice touch.
I'm sure he has lots and lots of crisp $100 bills to use as tissues... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
/me reminded of the BMW short film <i>Star</i>
<!--QuoteBegin-Spacer+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Spacer)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Also, did anyone notice that they used 28 Days Later/Day After Tommorow music in the trailers?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes. I always notice stuff like that. Have you noticed that all of the SciFi horror movies use this one guy's voice and similar (and lame) "phear of dewm" lines?
And now for some reason I'm reminded of Robot Chicken...
<!--QuoteBegin-nil IQ+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (nil IQ)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I liked most of the movie, but it definately felt padded in places. You can imagine Spielburg meeting with his producers...
"So what have we got so far?"
"Well... we've got half an hour of totally awesome running away and screaming with buildings exploding and people disintegrating and stuff."
"So we need another hour of material?"
"Umm.... yeah."
"Hey, i've got an idea! Why don't we make the family like... a dysfunctional family... and introduce loads of pointless family issues and make the son a total idiot, and then get him killed! But not really because it's a 12A so we have to have him not REALLY be dead at the end."
"Ok, we can add some throwaway family issues in there, but that still only brings us up to one hour... we need another hour of material."
"Hmmm... how about we make a really long scene where the dude and his retarded daughter hide from an alien tentacle probe thingy?"
"Can you really stretch that scene to an entire hour?"
"Hey, I made the zion rave scene from the matrix reloaded, I can make ANY crappy scene last forever." <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Dude, this belongs on TV. Seriously. What a greatly humorous quote.
I remember the other one being US government in general and the NRA. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Oh, my mistake. I didn't see either, but I thought they were both anti-Bush. Still, my point is, a movie that's supposedly <b>similar</b> to what is happening now won't be censored when a movie that's <b>supposedly</b> similar to what has happened has already been allowed to be released.
No... that was supposed to be one of the producers... I guess I should have made that clear.
No... that was supposed to be one of the producers... I guess I should have made that clear. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
It might be clear, I'm just tired. Still made me laugh, before I frowned!
Did Talesin forget that Michael Moore has made two movies bashing President Bush?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well if we want to get technical, Miramax - the original distributor for Fahrenheit 9/11 and a part of Disney - dropped Michael Moore because, well, I guess because they thought it just wasn't proper (read: Michael Eisner, then-Disney CEO, was afraid that <i>Jeb Bush would get angry and cause tax problems for Disney World</i>).
Guess that, provided that one finds the right distributor, one could release damn near anything.
Right. So after my comment about how it sucked, we've had a few people defending the movie, and a few defending it, then making fun of how slow it got, and how much filler there was. Not to mention the obvious inconsistencies used to move what they laughably called 'plot' along, covering for the crap they threw in, rather than sticking with the story. The ending was sappy-happy feel-good tripe, everybody back together, but that still didn't please a good number of moviegoers, because the wife kept her new husband, rather than having him killed and getting together with the father of her kids. Never minding that she's already pregnant with the new guy's kid, and that they might NOT want to get back together.
So many people need to be kicked in the temple right now with a steel-toed boot.
Right. So after my comment about how it sucked, we've had a few people defending the movie, and a few defending it, then making fun of how slow it got, and how much filler there was. Not to mention the obvious inconsistencies used to move what they laughably called 'plot' along, covering for the crap they threw in, rather than sticking with the story. The ending was sappy-happy feel-good tripe, everybody back together, but that still didn't please a good number of moviegoers, because the wife kept her new husband, rather than having him killed and getting together with the father of her kids. Never minding that she's already pregnant with the new guy's kid, and that they might NOT want to get back together.
So many people need to be kicked in the temple right now with a steel-toed boot. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Because everyone said the movie was absolutely perfect and there could be no way that there could be anything wrong with it ever. I pointed out the parts I liked and the parts I didn't like, whereas you're like "THIS MOVIE IS SO TERRIBLE EVERYONE ELSE IS WRONG I WILL KILL MYSELF WITH A KNIFE." When it wasn't ACTUALLY THAT BAD. How was the plot even that bad? I can't think of anything wrong apart from Robbie managing to get back to the mum *somehow*.