War of the Worlds
Well, we went to the 10:40 showing of War of the Worlds tonight. I thought it was a solid movie and was well done. Spielberg always seem to know how to get the most out of the big name actors that he chooses for the roles. I would definitely say to go see it in theaters. I give it an 8 out of 10.
Now for the long version. Like I said before, it was a good movie that I would recommend seeing at the theater. But it is not without its downfalls. For one, there is humor in the movie that really shouldn’t have been there. At the first of the movie, it is sarcasm that works pretty well and keeps the overall tone of the movie pretty well-balanced. But further into the movie, it really shouldn’t be in there. I try to immerse myself in these types of movies to get the full effect, and these jokes that are thrown in from time to time really take you out of the experience. I think that Spielberg caught that, but not until too late into the movie so that the damage had already been done. That was my big disappointment. The other item that was a disappointment was the ending. I won’t say what it is, but it just really didn’t end the way I wanted it to. You had all of this build-up and you completely expect the movie to go one way or another, and instead it simply stops and leaves you hanging and wanting more. Since this is not the type of story to have a sequel, then that simply leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.
So those are the bad parts. Now for the positive aspects. Tom Cruise is a good actor. I think that is safe to say. He may not be the nicest, or most humble guy in real life, but he can act very well. This role was made for him. I don’t say that like, he was born to play this role, but instead that they cast him, then wrote the script to fit his character. He plays the cocky guy who finally gets a heart in so many movies that he has really become a one trick pony. But he plays that role very well. He knows better than to try and do comedy. I couldn’t imagine Tom Cruise doing a comedic role like Tom Hanks or Robin Williams, or even John Travolta. He just doesn’t have it in him. I believe he knows that. So he sticks with what he does well. And this role is the same role he plays in many movies, but it works. He is the dad who has kids, but doesn’t really care until he truly becomes a part of their life.
Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin do a great job as the kids of Tom Cruise. Although I did find it hard to believe that Chatwin was his son. Not because of the acting, but because of the fact that Cruise looks like he is 35, and Chatwin looks like he is 25. So, needless to say, it looked a little strange. I mean, the kid is 23 in real life, and is supposed to be 15 in the movie, but it is just a little tough to handle. But in his acting skills, there is nothing lacking. He shows that he has acted for a few years and shows a bit of experience. The young Fanning is very appropriate for Cruise. She really gives a great portrayal of a girl who is just so confused by what is going on in the world. It really would be a traumatic experience seeing what was going on and being too young to understand it completely.
I also didn’t realize that Tim Robbins was in the movie. I tried to stay completely spoiler free for this one, as well as review free, so that I could give my thoughts, and not relay other peoples’. So that is why I did not know that Tim was in the movie. He really has that same quality that Nicholas Cage does, where you feel he could snap at any time. And the best part is that in a lot of his movies, he does. He does a very good job in this film and really there is no one else that I could imagine playing the role he was given.
Overall, this movie was solid. There were also a few things that messed with the continuity of the film, (like the video camera) but then, what would I have to complain about? I would definitely say to go see it in the theater. Try not to think about what you have to do after the movie, or the person in front of you with the squeaky seat, or anything else. But instead just dive in head first into this movie and you will enjoy it. I give it an 8 out of 10.