War of the Worlds, the latest outing by the maestro of ’’sci-fi with a heart’’ genre of movies- Spielberg is good but fails to attain the status of a masterpiece. This was a much awaited movie- all his movies are. But the viewers were largely left high and dry.
Well, having said that, one can’t but congratulate Spielberg for being loyal to the novel on which the movie is based (H G Well’s novel by the same name)- even the alien weapons/ war machines- the ’’Tripods’’ are recreated fabulously. The movie spins a believable yarn about what MAY happen when the aliens actually invade and what strategy they might adopt!
Like all movies from Spielberg’s stable, there is a strong undercurrent throughout the movie- and that’s about emotional binding between a family. The movie starts with Cruise as a separated husband, lonely person, and a carefree (or careless?) father who literally brings his work home (watch out for that big equipment in his living room!- a bit overdone maybe). As the movie progresses we see him evolving as a father- we get to see the extent to which he would go for the safety of his children. The bond between Cruise and Dakota Fanning (as his daughter Rachel) and also the uncomfortable truce between him and his son (didn’t get his name) are deftly executed- trust Spielberg for such treatment.
The special effects are simply outstanding. The scene during which the first Tripod emerges out of the ground and the accompanying destruction is amazing. Similarly, the scene when the entire army of the war machine is seen spreading destruction and emerging from over the hill, leaves you on the edge of ur seat. (A small request though- did any of u find the war machines as a magnified version of the tracking spiders we saw in Minority Report..hehe)
What the movie fails to deliver is a punch!! The logic for the end is convincing but the end is not. That’s when you feel high and dry. The whole theory about humans earning their right to live on the planet earth over billions of years while the aliens did not, is very intelligently explained but what about the cinematic intelligence? After such a knockout ride, Spielberg fails to provide the taste which lingers in your mouth and the imagery that stays in your mind long after you have left the movie hall.
But I would recommend this movie to all Spielberg fans- never-mind you would have already seen the movie anyways!!