I did it again (a re-review of War of the Worlds, 2005 version)

I’ve been wanting to watch the opening scenes of Spielberg’s War of the Worlds (2005) again, and last night I finally did, intending to watch till the end of the scene where the first tripod emerges from the earth.

And watched the entire movie again.

Here are a few errant thoughts on the movie, which I apparently never got to reviewing here. There are some spoilers, in case you haven’t seen the movie, read the book or heard anything about the story that is now over 125 years old:

• The scene mentioned above, where the first tripod emerges through the blacktop of an intersection of Cruise’s character’s neighbourhood, is classic Spielberg, but infused with a kind of jumpy camera that underscores the chaos and uncertainty of what’s happening. Everything is revealed in bits, through snatches of dialog to the initially small hole forming cracks that become fissures, ultimately leading to a hole that swallows cars. The camera assumes a low perspective when the top of the tripod emerges, disguising its ultimate size. People back away, but only a little, snapping photos with pocket cameras (I suspect the one change today would be copious shots of people shooting video on smartphones, which were nascent in 2005).
• The sound design of the tripods is great. The horns cry out like something almost alive, while the weapons operate almost silently, vaporizing people and knocking vehicles aside in ways that show just how much force the beams impart.
• The entire film has a desaturated look, right from the beginning. Everything looks grimy, earthy. Nothing is beautiful, before or after the invasion.
• This is definitely a horror film, not a science fiction one. Spielberg layers on both set pieces and startling imagery to illustrate the devastation, everything from clothing of vaporized people falling from the sky like snow, to a passenger train blasting through a road crossing, all of its windows belching flames.
• Tom Cruise is very good at playing a lousy father.
• On the rewatch, I didn’t find Dakota Fanning’s character as annoying. There are several times when her character loses it and starts screaming, and it just feels so horribly real. Spielberg’s always been great working with kids.
• Some of the CGI–notably the gulls flying away near the start of the ferry scene–is distractingly bad. Kind of weird. Most everything else looks great, though, and there’s a grounded sense of physicality to most of the effects work.
• When Cruise’s character encounters a news team, the reporter quaintly loads VHS tapes to show him what’s been happening.
• Tim Robbins is very creepy.
• Justin Chatwin portrays teen son Robbie and conveys his rage and contempt for his father through these devastating, wordless looks. I love it. Also, the actor was 22 at the time and was born in Nanaimo.
• Do people come together or break into factions when things get really bad? Spielberg’s answer seems to be, “Yes!”
• The bait and switch on Robbie’s fate is still very ham-handed. There’s a gigantic, expanding explosion and fireball meant to tell you in no uncertain terms that ROBBIE IS DEAD. Except he’s not, he’s fine.

Overall, it’s hard to call the movie “fun” but it is an exhilarating experience that offers its own take on a classic story. Spielberg is great at generating and maintaining tension and it works, at times brilliantly, here.