Anyone see it yet? I went the other night... what'd yall think? --SPOILERS-- It was cool to look at, but the ending pisses me off to no end. I still don't understand how the machines magically lost their shields.. gay!
I thought the movie was pretty good - it was suspenseful/scary like Signs and still had all the action like Independence Day. And the ending made more sense than both those movies (if anything is going to kill the aliens, its going to be "that".) -= SPOILERS ANSWER=- They didn't just lose their shields. The aliens were too sick to operate the machines correctly. That's why the soldiers could destroy them in the end.
If you saw the original movie, you already knew that the ending sucked. Sucky part #1: Same three fingered dead alien hand coming out of a superior spaceship. Sucky part #2: Everything about Tom Cruise's characther after said r****ded hand reveals itself. Sucky part #3: Cameo appearences by two people that under the age of 100 don't realize. Sucky part #4: Tim Robbins in yet another psychotic character role (hmmmm) So many other sucky parts, but I need to digress, as I have had a bad fur day. It happens.
I wish they had picked Hanks or Pitt (or whatever big name star) instead of Mr. Scientology, but I really don't think he is the star of this movie anyway... __________________ "It’s Spielberg’s best and truest action film since Jaws, relentlessly paced, pitch-perfectly acted (the young Fanning is almost certain to get a Best Supporting Actress nod come Oscar time), and rife with moments of such horrifically poetic imagery that it’s all you can do not to stop thinking about them long after the film has ended. Spielberg and the gang at Industrial Light & Magic have knocked the ball not only out of the park but out of Earth's orbit as well. The first appearance of the alien tripods is as breathtakingly awesome – in the truest sense of the word, mind you – as anything yet put on film, and that’s only in the film’s first 20 minutes. As Ray and his kids commandeer the only working vehicle in town and light out for Boston with the aim of finding the kids’ mother, they run up against wave after wave of human refugees, panicked and herded by the towering alien craft like so much cattle to the slaughter. And slaughter it is: There’s precious little outright gore in this hard PG-13 film, but one of the film’s most nightmarishly lyrical moments recalls both the awful first seconds after the impact(s) on the World Trade Center towers without so much as a drop of the red stuff." link
Overall I liked it. There were many parts that could be nitpicked, but the special effects were terrific. I felt the tension when I was supposed to. Man, Tom Cruise throws a baseball like a little b****. SPOILER There is no way that basket/cage/jail full of people would have survived a fall of that height when Cruise blows up the tripod machine. At the very least Cruise and that girl would have had broken something. It was at least 100 feet in the air.
I thought the first 90 minutes were great, and the last 30 were a bit ridiculous. *SPOILERS* I thought the aliens dying was a bit silly, but if that's how the book is, fair enough. But the family... first off, the son should have been dead. How did he survive that mess? Second, why was the entire family just sitting at home in Boston, seemingly freshly groomed and showered, while the entire street and city was a disaster zone and no one else was in sight? It's just like they were hanging out, enjoying a normal day at home.
Saw it on Tuesday night, thought it was pretty well done. Although I don't need to see Tom Cruise for another few hundred years. Sheesh. Had some good action scenes, Dakota Fanning started off great, but the 'scream at everything' wore thin after a while. SPOILERS>>>>>>>> The son could never have survived that explosion. At the end of the film I wanted to know how he survived it and found his way to Boston. Would have made for an interesting movie. As for the family surviving in Boston, I just figured Boston had the most bacteria and so the aliens pretty much died out right away there. I could be wrong. The scenes with Tim Robbins and the alien 'eye' searching for them was a lot like the raptor kitchen scene in Jurassic Park. In fact it was almost an exact copy. Worked well though. One thing I gotta say though, is that Spielberg uses special effects really really well. He makes them more part of the scenery, rather than the scenery itself. If that makes sense. George Lucas could learn alot from his old buddy.
I saw it, thought it was awesome. I had read the book so it followed along with it pretty good. The special effects were awesome which is what made the movie, cruise was pretty good in it, at parts the girls screaming was annoying but it makes sense what is a little girl going to do when she is suddenly running away from home and aliens attacking, i thought she played the part pretty well.
Spoilers: I think it's ok to not know the exact motives of the Aliens, though it seems spelled out in the narration, but I think the having the tripods burried on earth millions of years ago thing is stupid. Why didn't they just take the planet over at that point? Another thing that bugs me about these movies in general is why in the bloody hell are aliens always naked? You'd think with all the technology aliens have to do what they do, they would come up with clothes. Of course the plot hole in the book about them getting sick can be forgiven because I'm sure Welles had no concept of space suits. But if you think about it, if they've been studying our planet for millions of years, I'm sure they would have already known they could get sick on our planet.
Spoilers: Maybe on their world, there are no viruses or bacteria. That's why they never considered the biological threat. (Seems like a plausible explanation to me, anyways.) And I always thought that the more advanced a lifeform is, the more focused they are on their mental abilities and less on their physical looks. That's why aliens are never wearing clothes - they don't care too anymore.
Studying our planet? Hell, they were ON our planet when they planted the machines far under the earth. And why didn't they notice something wrong with the air then?
Spoilers: I thought the burying under the ground was an alright idea, i mean it would be easier to study the planet if their on it, than from mars or whatever looking down from space. Although Faos brought up a good point, I'm not sure why they didnt notice, maybe being underground in their protective covers didnt harm them, but i would assume they could still get sick even underground...i imagine theres pathogens that could reach them down there.
Special affects were unreal overall a good movie. Not a great movie by any means but very solid. SPOILER********************************* When the big storm happened and all the electronic prodcuts suddenly lost power. How could that guy use his camcorder.Also they wouldnt eat food at the house they were at in the suburbs of boston?
thats what i would say about it...some good effects. not a good movie, but not a bad movie either. def worth my free movie tickets i got when the ac went out during batman.
I have not seen this movie...but I've read the book, so I know how it ends, anyway. Most of the problems you guys have with this has nothing to do with Spielberg, Cruise or anyone associated with this project. You need to take it up with H.G. Wells. But, alas...he's deceased. The book was written in the 19th century, and was as much social commentary as anything else.
Spoilers: I think some of you guys missed the point that the aliens didn't stay on the planet after burying the tripods. Remember the news lady showing Tom the video fo the alien capsules coming down on each lightning bolt?
Oh good, I was hoping somebody who read the book could discuss some differences. Watch the movie already and compare because that will be faster than me reading the book for the next 2 weeks.
