Finally got to see War of the Worlds today…for the most part, it was worth the wait. First of all, I’ve read the book (many years ago…) and seen the original movie (also awhile back…), so I was looking forward to this re-telling of a good story. The main difference is that this movie is told from a different point of view than the original movie and the H.G. Wells classic. This one is about a dock worker and his family, while the original (1953) involved quite a few diverse characters…and worse special effects. Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning do a good job making the audience feel like they’re going through the frightening times of an alien invasion…and Fanning really makes me glad I don’t have a 10-year-old… 😛
Regardless, the acting and story itself are good, and the special effects are what one would expect from a Spielberg movie. I was kinda disappointed in the amount of action in the movie, however. The obvious comparison between this movie and another would be Independence Day, which is a favorite of mine. ID4 had much more action and more points of view for the story to be seen from, which I have always appreciated. On the other hand, War of the Worlds tells us a very similar story from a different point of view, which is also refreshing.
I also didn’t really like how they brought the aliens into the picture this time around. In the original, the alien ships came to Earth encapsulated in meteors and then started attacking…but this one does it differently and makes less sense… They do at least end the movie the same way as the original and the book, which is the most important, I guess.
Overall, the movie is certainly worth seeing, but I don’t think I’ll end up buying it…seeing it once is probably enough for me, honestly. ID4 is still the favorite in alien invasion movies in my book, but this film definitely brought an interesting story to the table for a new generation.