 
 War
Of The Worlds
(Paramount)
War Of The Worlds
(Dreamworks)
What a difference 40 years makes! The original 1953 version
of the H.G. Wells classic won the Oscar for Best Special Effects, thanks
to producer George Pal and comes off more charming than cheesy. No one
is all that frightened by the fireball that comes out of the sky and
lands on the outskirts of town, least of all the film’s leading
man, Gene Barry. Radiation? – So what! Let’s have a square
dance! When the aliens finally do emerge from the mothership, they travel
in sleek hovercrafts with a gooseneck contraption that fires their lethal
death rays and sends the army running for cover. Even after the rest
of the world comes under attack, the residents of L.A. seem just a little
too blasÈ about the entire affair, which might have something
to do with living in the film capitol of the world.
On the other hand, Steven Spielberg’s recent adaptation is downright
terrifying and much more realistic on a number of levels. For one, the
story has been re-written to imply that the giant tripods that stalk
the planet annihilating everything in their path, were buried deep in
the ground millions of years ago by an alien race who watched and waited
for just the right moment to attack (although why it took them so long
is a mystery). The special effects are phenomenal, particularly when
the machines first emerge from beneath the ground and begin destroying
bridges, buildings and humans alike. The director also grounded his
version in the story of a family trying to escape the destruction and
used their point of view as the axis. Tom Cruise is fairly believable
as a dockworker whose marriage and relationship with his kids has suffered
because of his selfishness, but fights to keep everyone together during
the ensuing chaos. There is plenty of gruesome death without the explicitness
that would have earned an “R” rating by the MPAA and Spielberg
avoids the sentimentality that is so prevalent in most of his work.
As sci-fi blockbusters go, this is one of the best, so if you managed
to miss its theatrical run, grab a copy of War Of The Worlds, find the
biggest TV screen you can and prepare for the ride of your life.--David
Bassin
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