Don't read this if you haven't seen the movie or read the book.
---------------------------------------------
I havn't read the book, so I don't know if it was this disjointed and contradictory as the movie seemed.
If they ate humans for food or fuel or whatever why kill so many of them in the begining?
What was with the roots? not answered
What was with the birds? not answered, at least not clearly.
What was with the God reference at the end?
What was with all the shallow and meaningless friend characters? (two guys in the beginning, lady with child by the ferry) None of them were developed enough to care about them at all.
Same with the guy in the basesment, seemed unneccessary. He didn't seem like a ambulance driver, more like a child molester. Maybe he was both?
TC actually seemed to act well as a scumback father in the beginning but then went back to his acting like Tom Cruise repertoire.
It was entertaining to a degree, but I was left feeling like to many things were unexplained or over simplified and it seemed to go by and end rather quickly.
I'm sure the screenplay made plenty of changes. So why not make positive changes?
Spielberg has shown a great sense of story in previous films, but not here. This was more like a TV movie script with a Hollywood budget.
The movie explained next to nothing. If these aliens were so far superior in intelligence, why did they use such an inefficient means of eliminating humanity, using gigantic tripods to zap us into those smoldering rags, one by one? Why didn't they know about germs? Why did they agree to be in this stupid movie?
Tim Robbins' ambulance driver was supposed to be "everyman." Losing his family and way of life had driven him mad. I got the impression he was probably always nuts, and the aliens helped him get in touch with his inner creep-o.
His (off camera, Duncanesque) killing was more "McBeth" than MacBeth. Little or no suspense.
Would you have gotten onto the big, slow, brightly lit ferry with tripods closing in from every direction? I don't think that was very smart. And yet, hundreds were struggling to get aboard, as if the things that had just destroyed cities by zapping every little thing that moved wouldn't notice as it crossed to... the other side, at 6 knots.
And why did the jetliner have to crash right on top of TC and the kids? Were they crashing everywhere? How come? The lightening storms were over.
Sounds like Orson Wells would be offended as well. But we already know - even for those not having seen it - that this movie will not make even come close to striking the immense fear and panic caused by the 1930s Halloween radio broadcast - we already know that the more recent offering is merely a lame, overblown movie.
Raf, this wasn't a question of willingness to suspend belief. Spielberg was asking (or just expecting) us to suspend our intelligence.
Certain kinds of entertainment work just fine with that caveat, but science fiction isn't one of them, for me anyway.
A good science fiction movie builds an extraordinary experience upon ordinary ones. The ordinary ones need to be consistent with our own experience to create a sound point of departure, or else the extraordinary elements lose all their power to surprise us.
It might be a good movie to bring a date if you plan on paying more attention to her than the Martians - a good drive-in flick.
I do think V was better. Also think Independance Day was better.
The plane crash--too 'plot point' to be believable. Didn't need to be in the movie a tall. At least not on his house! Then he gets the scoop from the reporters--and Ray still plans to go to Boston? Why? To dump off his annoying kids? (The ten year old was written like a five year old.)Because he still loves the ex? The whole logic of going to Boston was not believable due to lack of character motivation. Wouldn't you head away from a major population center, hole up in some cave in the woods with your Spam, if you were trying to survive?
At least in the old movie the scientist hero had information to get to the military.
And everyone around him making insane choices-- Robby, the ambulance driver, his daughter. What was that? Ray was the only one who was able to keep his head--well except the ex, her husband and the in laws, who managed to survive. They were even clean.
Also--more people couldn't figure out how to fix a car? Don't they have parts stores on the east coast?
I also thought there were too many too stupid to live people--the crowd that stood around the hole, and the police who weren't telling people to move back etc. Then there were all those people who ran up the hill like Robbie, to see the action, I guess.
Maybe I've been around rednecks too long. I could just see my sis and her family loading up the campers and heading for some hideyhole in the Bob.With beer.
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lindyhopper
Don't read this if you haven't seen the movie or read the book.
---------------------------------------------
I havn't read the book, so I don't know if it was this disjointed and contradictory as the movie seemed.
If they ate humans for food or fuel or whatever why kill so many of them in the begining?
What was with the roots? not answered
What was with the birds? not answered, at least not clearly.
What was with the God reference at the end?
What was with all the shallow and meaningless friend characters? (two guys in the beginning, lady with child by the ferry) None of them were developed enough to care about them at all.
Same with the guy in the basesment, seemed unneccessary. He didn't seem like a ambulance driver, more like a child molester. Maybe he was both?
TC actually seemed to act well as a scumback father in the beginning but then went back to his acting like Tom Cruise repertoire.
It was entertaining to a degree, but I was left feeling like to many things were unexplained or over simplified and it seemed to go by and end rather quickly.
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satori001
More spoilers...
I haven't read the book either.
I'm sure the screenplay made plenty of changes. So why not make positive changes?
Spielberg has shown a great sense of story in previous films, but not here. This was more like a TV movie script with a Hollywood budget.
The movie explained next to nothing. If these aliens were so far superior in intelligence, why did they use such an inefficient means of eliminating humanity, using gigantic tripods to zap us into those smoldering rags, one by one? Why didn't they know about germs? Why did they agree to be in this stupid movie?
Tim Robbins' ambulance driver was supposed to be "everyman." Losing his family and way of life had driven him mad. I got the impression he was probably always nuts, and the aliens helped him get in touch with his inner creep-o.
His (off camera, Duncanesque) killing was more "McBeth" than MacBeth. Little or no suspense.
Would you have gotten onto the big, slow, brightly lit ferry with tripods closing in from every direction? I don't think that was very smart. And yet, hundreds were struggling to get aboard, as if the things that had just destroyed cities by zapping every little thing that moved wouldn't notice as it crossed to... the other side, at 6 knots.
And why did the jetliner have to crash right on top of TC and the kids? Were they crashing everywhere? How come? The lightening storms were over.
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TheInvisibleDan
Sounds like Orson Wells would be offended as well. But we already know - even for those not having seen it - that this movie will not make even come close to striking the immense fear and panic caused by the 1930s Halloween radio broadcast - we already know that the more recent offering is merely a lame, overblown movie.
I'll wait until it comes out on video...
Danny
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Raf
Jeez, y'all are joyless.
This movie was cool and fun. Had a great time.
It was like a fireworks display: just as loud, just as impressive, just as lasting.
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satori001
Raf, this wasn't a question of willingness to suspend belief. Spielberg was asking (or just expecting) us to suspend our intelligence.
Certain kinds of entertainment work just fine with that caveat, but science fiction isn't one of them, for me anyway.
A good science fiction movie builds an extraordinary experience upon ordinary ones. The ordinary ones need to be consistent with our own experience to create a sound point of departure, or else the extraordinary elements lose all their power to surprise us.
It might be a good movie to bring a date if you plan on paying more attention to her than the Martians - a good drive-in flick.
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TOMMYZ
Hey everybody, go read the book. It was really enjoyable.
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lindyhopper
LMAO, that is funny.
Hey, I saw this at the drive-in and I actually watched the movie. Oh well, the life of parenthood.
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def59
There was a muscial dramatization that came out in the late 70s with Richard Burton. I think Ric Waite did the score.
It was cool. The moody blues had a single called Forever Autumn from the album.
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def59
I won't see it because I don't like TC.
but for those who have, were V or Independence Day better than this?
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Raf
V was better. Independence Day was worse.
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satori001
Didn't see V. Preferred Independence Day by far.
Raf, I'm beginning to think Crash was just a weird coincidence.
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Trefor Heywood
I bought the complete series of V in Philly, some it it seems so corny now.
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Raf
The series is nonsense. It's the original miniseries and 2/3 of the follow-up miniseries I was referring to.
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Bramble
I do think V was better. Also think Independance Day was better.
The plane crash--too 'plot point' to be believable. Didn't need to be in the movie a tall. At least not on his house! Then he gets the scoop from the reporters--and Ray still plans to go to Boston? Why? To dump off his annoying kids? (The ten year old was written like a five year old.)Because he still loves the ex? The whole logic of going to Boston was not believable due to lack of character motivation. Wouldn't you head away from a major population center, hole up in some cave in the woods with your Spam, if you were trying to survive?
At least in the old movie the scientist hero had information to get to the military.
And everyone around him making insane choices-- Robby, the ambulance driver, his daughter. What was that? Ray was the only one who was able to keep his head--well except the ex, her husband and the in laws, who managed to survive. They were even clean.
Also--more people couldn't figure out how to fix a car? Don't they have parts stores on the east coast?
I also thought there were too many too stupid to live people--the crowd that stood around the hole, and the police who weren't telling people to move back etc. Then there were all those people who ran up the hill like Robbie, to see the action, I guess.
Maybe I've been around rednecks too long. I could just see my sis and her family loading up the campers and heading for some hideyhole in the Bob.With beer.
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