War of the Worlds (2005)

Ugh. I've read the book a number of times. Seen the original flick a couple times. This? This is painful to watch. Just painful. I don't know what else to say. The whole thing was just set on cruise control. Ugh.

This is the sort of film that critics over-rate, on the basis it visually "looks good" (which it does) and has a big star in Tom Cruise. But that's about the films only positive traits.There's only one battle scene, and you don't even get to see that because the film is too busy focusing focusing on Cruises character Ray (whose an a hole) his son Robby (also an a-hole) and his daughter Rachael (an annoying, know it all, whiny kid.) The whole film primarily focuses on them but they're so unlikable you don't root for them at all. When you wish the aliens would vaporize the three main characters, you know the film has failed. There's no real ending, Ray reunites with Robby who supposedly died halfway through the film, no explanation as to how he survived. Robbys character arc alternates between being a teenage a hole and wanting to join the army and fight the aliens. This behaviour makes no sense, it's just there for the sake of "coolness."The aliens are completely generic, aliens with impenetrable shields has been done as far back as 1953's "war of the worlds" film. The formula was repeated in Star wars, Independance day etc. Not that it's supposed to matter, since the film only wants us to care about this family of a-holes. No real creativity was put into this film, it just exists as a easy cash grab. It bears similarities to "The lost world" which had similar problems. Even people who liked this film probably wouldn't watch it again, it has no replay value.

Phones are out, power is out, cell phones are out but at the beginning with cameras?????? Come on

Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadgerGangbusters effects and terrific camerawork propel Steven Spielberg's film well into its last act, when it runs out of energy and ideas. This collapse is especially disappointing because War of the Worlds begins as a provocative look at how terror affects family and community, that is, something more complicated than an explosion movie. If the first part of the film offers an absorbingly detailed look at the family's dysfunction, the ride in the minivan tightens the focus, as they struggle to make sense of the disaster unfolding around them. "Is it terrorists?" asks Rob. No, says Dad, this "came from someplace else." Rob tries again: "What do you mean, like Europe?" This brief comedy only sharpens the scares that follow, not all caused by aliens. Indeed, two of the most awful scenes involve people fighting each other.This and other particulars -- a monstrous surveillance eye on a sinuous, seemingly endless arm invades Harlan's basement; clothes from disintegrated victims float through tree branches; a peanut butter sandwich Ray has thrown at the kitchen window slides almost imperceptibly down the glass as he wonders what to do next; Ray asks a man who appears to have survived a plane crash, "Are you a passenger?" -- create a potent mix of recognizable and fantastic moments. The film's last minute breakdown is really the loss of such clever details.Overall Rating: 6.4