Hi,
This is just my own opnion ,so those of you who've seen and loved Spielberg's latest don't be offended.If ever there was and is a genuis of cinematic storytelling it's Spielberg BUT I was so pissed at the choices he made in the telling of this tale that I find it almost unbelievable that anyone would give this film a great review.
First I have to say I'm a big fan of the George Pal version and quite honestly that film,regardless of the bad special effects,by today's standards,had a far greater emotional impact on me,for the following reasons.
Spielberg starts off the film (as did GP's version) with an voice over prologue about how our planet is going about our daily buisness without giving much thought to who out in the universe might be watching etc.(I though a rather lackluster reading by Morgan Freeman)
1.First of all I really didn't care for the stock footage of street scenes,cities and the cheesy dissolve from the red planet to the red stop sign.
If you recall GP's version had these very cool looking shots of the universe along with the narration.In my mind ,with the technology of cgi (computer generated effects)Spielberg could have created some really outstanding scenes of stars.black holes,strange landscapes ,etc, that would have been far more interesting.At this point he also introduces this animated virus cartoon which means absolutely nothing...yes I understand it's a bookmarking the end but IMHO so unnecessary and so badly rendered.
2.Ok let's get to the real problem...the film just about dies as soon as the Tim Robbins character is introduced.In my view there is no reason for him to be there,in fact,it's silly for him to pick out of a crowd of hundreds Ray and his daughter,in fact thay even had to have the character explain his action to the audience ...Tim tells them that they looked like they needed help or that he looked like the type that could help him,I don't recall the exact line but it was all too convenient.
3. So how does this character ruin the film ? Well let's see what the character accomplishes in the scene i.e. why is he there?
In my mind for only 2 reasons. 1. To have Ray fight with someone while the Aliens are searching the basement thereby creating conflict and suspense...valid enough.
2. To show how Ray will do anything to protect his daughter,in this case kill the character,and be in conflict within himself for doing so.
So in my view reason #2 is totally unnecessary,since we already know Ray would and is doing all that is possible to protect his daughter...so at this point it's a useless moment,albeit a well acted one by Tom, but nonetheless wasted.
Now, playing monday morning quarterback,imagine this scenario instead.
Ray and his daughter stumble onto the basemant themselves. They find a newsman ,we would need to cut the earlier scene w/the camera woman showing Ray the tape...not a big loss since we already have seen what the tape shows... namely the tripods invading earth we also learn that they are in other countries. OK we could pick that info easily w/ a character whose radio is working.In fact it could have been an ambulance instaed of a tv crew at the aieplane crash site.
Back to the basemant,so Ray finds a wounded newsman with a rigged up tv monitor. So why a newsman? Well one of the bigger problems with the 3rd. act is that 1. it's too long in the basement and more importantly we are so involved w/Ray's internal struggle we lose all sense of what's happening above ground i.e The War of The Worlds! We don't get any information about the scope of the attack.I mean when your ad campaign (which actually borrows from Ben Hur) depicts the the title of the film in tall mountainseque(is that a word?) letters ,you'd expect to see some action on the globe wouldn't you? No, Spielberg stays inside the basement and to his deterement slows down the great pace he had going.
Imagine Ray and the guy getting their info(about other spots around the world) via a badly damaged,static monitor,they think they hear that the govertment is in coundown mode to detonate a nuclear device which so happens to be just within their circle of safety.The aliens begin to enter the basement at this point,Now we have a confllict suspense scene that underscores what's above ground and what's happening to our characters below with a coundown that could mean death either way. We also have a clear sense that this could really be the end of the world.
Think of how effectivetly M.Night Shyamalam uses the tv footage of the sauces over Buenos Aires in "Signs". Or the birthday party footage where we first get a glimpse of the alien via a shakey hand held videocam.BTW "Signs" IMHO is a remake of Hitchcocks "The Birds" only with aliens. If you see the film within that context it's very obvious,but that's another thread.
So now let's say we're cross cutting between the plane and the intruding aliens,everyone's nervous ,do we run for it or stay? Either way, we're trapped...could be a nice little set piece for suspense.
An alien touches the daughters hand,she screams,Ray takes out the axe or gun and starts shooting the bomb expoldes the aliens disappear in a flash,the earth is shaking acomplied by a blinding white light.
The tv guy gets killed from falling debris,Ray decides to get out of the basement and see what happened.
Time for a really grand wide effects shot.Ray and his daughter make there way up the hill and see the large mushroom cloud ...Ray realizes his son is dead(this is the emotional beat that needed in place of the one where he kills Tim) and in fact he is. After the smoke clears we see the tripods still standing unharmed w/ a protective glow surrounding them.
Ray finds out by talking to a nearby soldier that they're retreating... they have to go now!
Ray and his daughter head into one of the army vehicles. All of a sudden the jeep is picked up by one of the tripods Ray w/his daughter grabs onto the alien tripods arm ,the jeep falls ,they get thrown into the cage. When Ray is sucked up it would have been much better had someone reacted to the daughter's scream and then decide to try and save Ray.Remember just before Ray get's sucked up some guy(poor extra) gets sucked up without anyone trying top help him.It was a bad choice ,so hollywood ,to have people react to Tom and not the other guy.
BTW The aliens were for me a big disappointment,they moved like chimps and of course folowing in the design choice made in "Independence Day" the shape of the head mimic's the shape of their tripods. Spielberg shouldn't have shown so much like he did with Bruce the shark in "Jaws"(Bruce was the nickname the crew gave the shark)
In fact the Alien in "ALIEN"was much better and he was a tall guy in a rubber suit!
So now the stakes are high, Ray realizes his son is dead,not even nuclear bombs can stop them and now both are trapped in cages.
Ray detonates the granades,they fall into the water.
One more beat wher we see the tripods wrecking havoc in the countyrside and cities THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY STOP!.
Fade Out/ Fade In... Quite morning,fog surounds Ray and his daughter they get up and see in the distance something peculiar?
The machines are not moving!They run back ....
End film as is but play the last homecoming scene on streets where destruction has occurred.Anyone notice the streets littered with dead leaves ,I guess it turned seasons or was that some sort of objective correlative for Ray's internal state?
Anyway just my take on the film.
