War of the Worlds (2005) Reviews

• Surprising

  wildfire1602005-07-03

  I've given this film a vote of 6/10 but i would have been quite happy to give it a much higher rating if the SFXs had been anywhere near as good as the acting and script,from almost the start of the film you can see they had problems with their budget not enough money for extras set design etc..and the cgi for alien "quadpods" was'nt that great though the actual design of them was very good... In the broadest sense the story is very similar to the Spielberg film but where his film was full of clunky plot holes and flaws in the script i found myself very surprised that this version made much more sense than Spielbergs and as for the acting well there were a few god awful actors in it but the lead C Thomas Howell out shone Tom Cruise by a mile i really was'Nat expecting much but enjoyed it more than i thought i would

• Under-funded and a little slow

  mstomaso2006-11-11

  C. Thomas Howell's manic acting style breathes some life (but not quite enough) into this low-budget version of the great H. G. Wells novel. Like most movie versions of this film, this film is more directly derived from Orson Wells' radio broadcast than the novel. Although set in the U.S., this film retains the overall feeling of the novel as well or better than the 1950s and Spielburg versions of the film. It is not, however, entirely successful for two reasons - (1) the film proceeds at a leisurely pace until it reaches an action scene and (2) when it reaches an action scene, it doesn't pay off very well because the special effects budget was lacking. While the fits and starts of the pace does give the film a sort of literary feeling, and lends it more authenticity as a version of Wells' original work, C. Thomas Howell and the cast are expected to carry the film through these lulls with rushed character development. Howell plays a scientist obsessed with his work and distanced a bit from his young wife and daughter. When unstoppable extraterrestrials invade, he must desperately attempt to reach them both, not knowing whether they have survived. Meeting a host of odd characters on the way, he soon finds himself at the heart of a war between to two worlds. For the most part, the acting works, but there are a couple of really startlingly poor exceptions. Howell is excellent and commands his role very nicely. Although some of the other performances are also very good (Giles and Richter), the script does not adequately flesh out any of the supporting characters. This is particularly obvious in Jake Busey's portrayal of a sociopath military man, but only less painful in Giles' portrayal of a stereotype itinerant holy man because of Giles' obvious talent. The cinematography is mostly good, but the thankfully under-used mediocre special effects stick out like sore thumbs. Ultimately, the film tries harder than Spielburg's contemporaneous special effects extravaganza, but doesn't quite challenge the Spielburg film. This version is less likely to annoy fans of Wells' original work, as it more successfully delivers the overall feeling of the book than Spielburg. However, the low budget special effects, the occasional lapses into pseudoscience, and the somewhat cardboard supporting roles are a little hard to put up with. I gave the film a middling rating mainly because I think it is worth seeing as a remediation for some of what Spielburg did wrong and because of Howell's performance, but it doesn't really stand on its own.

• Well written, shot, and acted, better than expected overall

  willywants2005-07-05

  After martians begin an invasion of earth, a man begins his journey across north America to find his family. Along the way he meets many people, including a priest and a military officer. First off, lots of people are gonna compare this film to the $128,000,000 Spielberg version, which in my eye is completely unfair. This independent version was only made for a million dollars, which was probably the catering budget of Spielberg's version! This film comes from The Asylum, a company who's responsible for many low-budget sci-fi/horror films, including the weak "Alien Abduction" and "Jolly Rogers: Massacre at Cutter's Cove". Because the Asylum was behind the film I expected the least, but this film was blessed with three things I never expected from it: Good acting, writing, and a nice look. The actors definitely deserve a lot of credit on this one, just about the entire cast gave very good performances. The only weak actor here is Jake Busey, whom I usually enjoy in movies; his performance here is campy, over-the-top and decidedly unconvincing. The writing, as I said, was a lot better than expected. The characters were well rounded and likable. The priest, Victor, was especially realistically executed. Despite the low-budget, the film was well-shot. Director David M. Latt has done a nice job with what little money he had and produces some memorable images. The score, by Ralph Rieckermann, was also better than average. It's nice to see a no-budget sci-fi or horror film made in 2005 that doesn't resort to heavy metal or pop music or any MTV crap like that, but instead utilizes a real score. The film has some problems, too. The special effects were terrible—everything from the crab-like machines the martians drive to the martians themselves (which resemble mechanical octopuses) are absolutely laughable, and if poor special effects turn you off, you might as well not bother with the film. The makers also resorted to throwing in a brief but gratuitous nude scene, an unwise choice in an otherwise well thought-out screenplay. Overall, I liked "War of the Worlds" more than I thought I would. The production values weren't stellar but good acting, characters, and a well-written screenplay helped what could have otherwise been a disaster. 6.5/10.

• "A" for effort

  JRmf2006-01-17

  I'd be dubious of any movie which rates a 3.1, which is what Invasion was averaging at the time of this comment. However, being a sucker for SF, and after reading several highly approving comments (and also noting the many which denigrated the movie), I decided to give it a shot. I didn't find the movie boring, though it did drag a bit towards the end. One of the problems is that following Spielberg's version, the plot is fresh in people's minds and it's hard to generate any real surprise. You more or less know what is going to happen and when. While what special effects there were, were quite well done, I would have liked to have seen a bit more - at least some display of why Earth's considerable military might was so ineffective, instead of just a few soldiers firing rifles and handguns. I also wish they had stuck to tripods - I'm sure they could have made them look impressive, shiny metallic, with heat rays... Use of the green alien gas was interesting but not elaborated on or consistent enough. The aliens' origins (Mars is seen in the opening scenes) is always a problem, but at least they were represented as simply coming from outer space (cf. Spielberg's convoluted and incredible alternative). And the aliens' ultimate demise due it seems to exposure to the rabies vaccine was too rushed and sketchy, but showed more thought and promise than their simply succumbing to earthly bacteria (unlikely if they were that advanced). The dialogue between George (the astronomer and main character) and the pastor Victor went on too long I felt and use of the fade out between scenes was overdone - some other scene change method could have been better employed. "Invasion" certainly rates an "A" for effort - it was competently, intelligently done, with good cinematography, good acting (if a bit melodramatic as far as Victor role went), good special effects (what there were of them) and music - I gave it a 6/10 on an absolute scale, certainly worth more than 3.

• This one should have been put in theaters.

  stumpmee772006-04-21

  Way better than Spielberg/Cruise crapfest. In some ways even better than the George Pal version. If this ever comes out on video I want it! The changes made were not as annoying (the lone exception, the "Tripods"; they were just wrong) but it fairly followed the book in every other way. C. Thomas Howell stamped all over Cruise as the man stuck in the midst of war. The pace was perfect, the survival over the war torn landscape gritty and real. The portion with the Curate was intense (Why did Spielberg have to alter this character from what he was let alone the fate he met?). There was realism aplenty in terms of what the aliens left in their wake shattered homes, poisoned lakes, no electricity working, tattered clothing, mean, mean heat rays and chill evoking scenes with the black smoke and at the end a busted up Washington and smudged-up people crawling out the rubble. Wow. Again, if there's a video of this movie out I want it.