Filmmaker
Steven Spielberg’s update of the science fiction classic War of the Worlds,
may be a popcorn adventure at heart, but its fight against invaders hits close
to home.
The modern
version of science fiction writer H.G. Wells’ 1898 classic novel, which pits an
unsuspecting public against an unstoppable attack force from Mars, calls on
terrorism fears to spread its message of survival and determination.
With
explosions galore – bring earplugs, you’ll need them – and violence that never
resorts to gore, Spielberg presents a stunning depiction of surprised alien aggression
and humanity’s seemingly ineffective defense.
War of
the Worlds, which
opens in theaters today, follows blundering father Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) as
he bears witness to the destruction of humanity at the hands – or tentacles –
of towering, three-legged machines. He also must keep his daughter Rachel
(Dakota Fanning) and defiant son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) alive on the harrowing
trip between their Newark, New Jersey home and Boston, where safety supposedly
awaits.
Telling a
story of interplanetary war through the perception of one character harks back
to Wells’ original story, which relates Martian aggression as witnessed by a
single protagonist who, himself, is trying only to reach his wife. Cruise’s
still-boyish charm allows the portrayal of Ray to move beyond simple action
hero status to that of caring and – eventually – responsible father. But unlike
most modern disaster films, Spielberg’s Worlds goes refreshingly easy on
major landmarks (there isn’t a dog either, which I used to believe ubiquitous in
such films), without sparing the battles.
As
expected, the film’s special effects don’t disappoint, and combine the pulpy
allure of the tentacled, ray gun-toting Martian tripods in Wells’ novel with
the sleek look of a modern – albeit alien – war juggernaut.
Worlds is darker than Spielberg’s previous
stints with alien visitors, among them 1982’s E.T: The Extraterrestrial
and 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. But then Wells’ aliens
aren’t the sympathy-craving kind, even if they are 107 years old.
Despite its
dark overtones, and liberties taken with Wells’ source material by
screenwriters Josh Friedman and David Koepp, Spielberg inlays his take on Worlds
with several fun gems that fans of the original text and the George Pal/Byron
Haskin 1953 film version can appreciate.
In one, the
earth slowly unscrews to unleash alien war machines. Later, a suitably creepy
Tim Robbins (Mystic River) appears as Ogilvy, a basement-bound survivor
whose plans for a resistance are a far departure from those of ill-fated
astronomer of the same name depicted in Wells’ written tale.
The faithful
finale of War of the Worlds may fall flat for strangers to Wells’ story
(a population which shockingly includes my lovely wife), despite its many
appearances in book, radio, television, film and – yes – rock opera
incarnations.
But
Spielberg offers a new notch in Wells’ legacy, and a refreshing revisit to
interplanetary war.
(War of
the Worlds opens June 29. Running time: 112 minutes, PG-13).