Do you ever sit down to write a review and find that the words just aren't there? Well, I have been trying to write this review for the last week, the thoughts are there, but for some reason the head to hand translation function of my brain is severely out of order. So, I am going to try this again, it may not come across as a review so much as a series of thoughts about the film, and no that is not quite the same thing. I can only hope that my rambling gets my point across.
I was really looking forward to this, if for nothing else the fact that Spielberg can make fantastic event films and I was very interested in how he, and his screenwriters David Koepp and Josh Friedman, would translate the HG Wells novel. I was also wondering how it would differ from the source material, and also if it would take any inspiration from the 1953 George Pal produced feature. On top of that, I was dying to see the alien tripods, and element I missed from that earlier film.
When the film started, I was immediately sucked in. I liked the rather leisurely pace it took as we watched Ray (Cruise) leave work, head home, and get his kids. Then the nightmare begins, and it truly is a nightmare. The lightning strikes, the appearance of the tripods and the sheer amount of destruction that they caused, truly frightening.
As I watched, there were certain details that sort of stood out to me as making no sense at all. Without spoilerizing anything, a couple things would be the functioning camcorder after the EMP strike, the way all of the stopped cars were stopped in such a way that there was always a path for Cruise and crew to drive through. Bigger ones would be things like why haven't any of the tripods been uncovered if they have always been here, how did the aliens know where the cities would be, and what purpose would it serve to show up and destroy everything of value if they were planning this for a million years, as was suggested in the film? I shunted those questions from my mind and let the film just swallow me.
There were some incredible images. The initial fleeing from the tripods. The flaming train. The ferry ride. The battle on the hill. While the film was filled with special effects, it never seemed to be about them. As epic as the scope of the film was, it still managed to remain a personal story about Ray, Rachel (Dakota Fanning), and Robbie (Justin Chatwin).
Just as there are striking visuals, they are equaled by the character moments. The interaction between Ray and the kids at the beginning. The small conversations with his daughter. The conflicts with his son. Particularly wrenching was Ray trying to keep Robbie from joining the fight, while his daughter is slipping away. Watching him struggle to make an impossible choice, it was very powerful to watch.
Then in the middle of the film we get a shift from the interactions with the mechanical monsters, to an interaction of a more personal nature. Ray and Rachel are taken in by a survivalist named Ogilvy, who seems determined to fight to his dying breath while spouting wild theories which put them all in danger. It is an odd sequence, but shows more of the emerging protective nature in Ray.
It was interesting, the development we see in Cruise's character.From the neglectful, take it all for granted father, into the father whose only goal in life is to protect his children, regardless of what he has to do. He goes through this change, but he never loses his base humanity, he never becomes the superhero who single handedly takes down these invaders. It is a very realistic approach and I feel that Cruise did a wonderful job at portraying it.
I loved the ending, it remained true to the novel, and while ending on somewhat of a downer, still shows hope for the future. A nice balance.
After leaving the theater and giving the overall film some thought, I found myself having some trouble reconciling those early issues within the film. They seemed to destroy any type of internal logic. It just defied reason. Then it struck me. First off, the film did not bring in any focus on the military or scientists or political figures, no attempt was really made at explaining the presence, or any real reason for their rampage. The movie is not about that. There is a reason why the focus was on Ray and the kids.
I have come to view the film as Ray's nightmare. Despite being a rather neglectful father, his single greatest fear is that of losing his children, and the movie plays out as such. As those early interactions head south, that is when the nightmare begins, the aliens and their tripods are the physical manifestation of his fear. At their appearance, his first thoughts, after the initial shock, is to get his kids to safety. The film then follows him along this nightmare of trying to keep the family together. He realizes the mistakes that have led him to this point and he is struggling to do the right thing. When viewed through the filter of this being his personal nightmare, the logic issues go out the window. When you are in a nightmare, things don't have to make sense.
The literal epic sized story of an alien invasion is just a smokescreen for Ray's impending realization that his life is meaningless without his children and if he doesn't do something he is bound to lose them forever. This actually turns into a much more interesting story, and delivers us some memorable performances.
In addition to Cruise's very good performance there is also another fine turn from young Dakota Fanning. She is remarkable, doing a great job of playing the frightened young girl, who is also displays a wisdom that belies her youth. Her interactions with her brother and how they differ from dealing with Ray are fantastic. She is such an absolute joy to watch on the screen, and easily one of the greatest young actresses to hit the big screen.
In the end, Spielberg has once again crafted a wonderful event type film with an interesting story at it's core. He shows us all how special effects can be integrated into a film and used as a tool to further the story. Instead of having effects to Oooh and Aaaah over, they are displayed in such a way that they seem natural and a part of the action than being the action.
Bottomline. This is not Spielberg's best films, but it is one of the more substantial special effects summer event films to strike the screen. It is one that needs the big screen in order to be seen properly. It brings together many elements of what makes a great film with it's personal story, good performances and a deft blend of action and drama. It is not perfect, there are still some annoying factors, but they are outweighed by all the good that is accomplished. The WOW factor is in full effect, but it is only one facet of the whole.
Highly Recommended.
Thank you for bearing with me in these troubling times.
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