Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Josh Friedman and David Koepp
Starring: Tom Cruise (Ray Ferrier), Justin Chatwin (Robbie Ferrier), Dakota Fanning (Rachel Ferrier), Tim Robbins (Ogilvy), Miranda Otto (Mary Ann Ferrier), David Alan Basche (Tim)
No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter.... No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of human danger, or thought of them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable....Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.
(From The War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells, 1898)
The opening montage in Steven Spielberg’s classic adaptation of the H. G. Wells novel War of the Worlds starts by displaying a pool of microbes (germs, bacteria, virus strains, etc.) then expands. We see that the pool is just a drop of dew sitting on a leaf high above a city park. Then the dewdrop becomes the face of our earth, which then morphs into a red streetlight. Behind the stoplight, humanity is far from being at a stand still. We see the masses walking the sidewalks and myriads of shining vehicles weaving in and out of concrete buildings. Despite the bustle of it all, there is a sense of order.
This montage, displayed while Morgan Freeman delivers a chilling narration taken from the introductory paragraph of Well’s novel (shown above), however, acts as an ironic caveat, a two-point truth – 1) Social order is a fragile state. Its antithesis, chaos, is a sleeping monster always at the brink of waking, hungry and mad. 2) Humankind in the midst of chaos and fear loses it sense of civilized grounding and falls back on primal instincts to survive at any cost.
Just like the famous 1938 Orson Welles’ Halloween radio show and sub-sequent film adaptations that were released during times of conflict when the fear of annihilation was nearly tangible, Spielberg releases his version in a similar time -- while the images of 9/11 sit vividly in the forefront of our imagination. Not only is it historically relevant to us, even his characters are most prescient of it. This is the underlying power behind this quite horrific, yet amazingly artistic, alien invasion film.
The plot for War of the Worlds could be described best as a mere prop that is used to accentuate the alien invasion and the tripods that unleash a seemingly inevitable annihilation of mankind. This plot-type reminds me of the 1997 film Titanic, directed James Cameron. Two characters from opposite realms of the class structure meet and fall in love on Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage. Their story, their clandestine meetings and escapades, become the vehicle that shows us every inch of the interior and exterior of the majestic and doomed ship–including the gargantuan engine room and nondescript cargo hold.
Friedman and Koepp’s script for War of the Worlds uses the Ferrier’s for the same purpose.
Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is the self-focused, yet courageous and adventurous type under whose viewpoint we get an up-close look at the invasion, for example, the disturbing lightening storm, the rise of a tripod from deep within the ground, the crashing of an airliner, the mass exodus, the hysteria of the masses on the run, the sinking of a ferry, a major military attack on the tripods, how the tripods terra-form, how the tripods search gutted homes, basements, and cellars for stragglers, and finally we see through him the evidence of the alien’s demise.
Truly, Ray’s character helps move the story forward, from the pivotal point where he escaped his besieged city to the point where he ended at the doorsteps of his ex-wife’s parents’ home. And unlike Jack’s character conflict in Titanic, Ray’s conflict of trying to become his kid’s recognized father is more dynamic and ultimately fulfilling.
Rachel, Ray’s daughter (played by the incredibly-talented Dakota Fanning) is the heart of the film. The horrific images and events that we see through her are lent more gravity because of her astounding performance. Spielberg has worked with child actors throughout his career, but I do not think we see such a reversal of fortune or transformation in any of them as we see in Fanning’s character Rachel. Nor do I think any of them had the emotional depth to portray such a loss of innocence, fear, or the absolute horror of facing these indestructible tripods and a seemingly inevitable death. Dakota Fanning, in many regards, carries the weight of the film’s believability.
Speaking of acting, Tom Cruise’s performance is noteworthy as well. There is a most haunting scene near the beginning of the invasion that highlights this, as well as the incredible photography capturing him. The scene occurs when Ray is running away from the tripod that has just come alive in his downtown. Ray is in the forefront of the screen. He is barely aware of what is happening behind and to the side of him. But we know. We watch with dropped jaws as the tripod’s death ray causes humans to literally explode into ash. As he runs for his life, we see how the ash of the victims begin to rest in his thick hair, stick to his face, and saturate the weave and seams of his clothes. He’s the image of a modern Lazarus, a man who has escaped the clutches of death, only to have to wear the dust of the dead.
When he returns home dumbfounded, in shock, and possibly frightened for the first time in his life, Rachel asks him why he is so dirty and this question prompts him to walk into the bathroom to peer into the mirror. In this brief moment, he exudes the sense that he has somehow cheated death and that the ash is a sick reminder of it. He breaks down into fits, trying to shake and wash the soot off of him. Ray’s response is highly realistic and thus believable. Indeed, it is one of the most memorable scenes of the film and in films released so far this year.
There are many more incredibly haunting scenes in this film, some of them delivered with such artistry that it rivals the artistry displayed in Schindler’s List. Consider these scenes as an example:
- When Ray and Robbie are throwing the baseball back and forth in the backyard. The exchange between them proves that Ray isn't interested in getting to know his son but simply in order to lay down the rules of his house. After an exchange of throws that increase in velocity, due to the anger building behind them, Ray returns a pitch that is obviously meant to hurt Robbie. But Robbie steps aside and lets the ball pass by. It shatters the kitchen window. After Robbie walks into the house, the camera captures Ray through the shattered window. It's the image of a man whose life is empty, there are no lasting relationships. He’s as shattered as the window.
- The Ferriers have been driving in the mini-van for hours. Ray is persuaded by his kids to stop and let them go to the bathroom. Amidst innocent-enough farmlands, Ray pulls off the road. Rachel goes off alone in order to find a place to relieve herself, a place where dad can’t see her. But she happens upon a river. Nearly immediately, she spies a body floating by, then two, and then a grouping of them too numerous to count. As the scene ends, the face of the river becomes nothing but a logjam of bodies. Rachel starts to hyperventilate.
- As the Ferriers walk through a forested area after escaping the destruction of the ferry, tattered clothes fall about them like snow flakes would in a light winter flurry. The Ferriers do not even balk at the horror of this sight, but simply walk through it.
- When Ray and his kids are walking to Boston in a massive throng of uprooted people, they approach the tracks to the passenger train. The sirens go off and the guard rails to the train tracks come down. The people stop and wait for the train. You can hear the pleas echoing from the crowd, desiring the train to stop and pick them up. But suddenly the train speeds by, the whole of it on fire. (This is another scene that probably will go down as one of the most amazing in film.)
The cinematography is also captivating in the way that it creates a general sense of uneasiness. Really, War of the Worlds is just as much a horror film in this regards as it is a science fiction thriller. For example, there is a subtle shot (and its probably a most basic filming technique) when Ray walks into the cellar to calm Ogilvy (masterfully played by Tim Robbins). If you recall, Ogilvy is digging a deep tunnel that they can crawl down into in hopes of escaping the tripods. In the shot, Ogilvy is filmed just off-center, to the right. The focus of the shot ends up being the dark hole behind him. It’s a masterful shot that ratchets up the terror of the moment. We half expect an alien’s tentacle to lurch from the darkness and drag Ogilvy down into it. This shot also creates a symbolism for his character, helping depict him as a man whose sanity has been swallowed by a void. There is nothing wise to his reasoning because it is all reactionary. It will lead them nowhere but to certain death.
This isn't your 50's science fiction film. This is more like a modern day horror film depicting not only an invasion and annihilation but a humanity that turns on itself in the face of uncertainty, lost hope, and immanent death. There are images and scenes that reach you deep at the core and haunt you, terrify you. There are many times I caught myself with my mouth wide open; the other times, I was chewing on the end of my wallet!
Steven Spielberg has created a classic that does indeed have the footprints of his previous classics throughout it. But War of the Worlds definitely stands alone as its own phenomenal piece of filmmaking, special effects, and artistry.
Warning: The ending of this film (when they walk up to Mary Ann's parents house) is a complete letdown compared to the film that proceeded it. I felt Spielberg gave into a Hollywoodish "happy ending." It’s terribly mediocre and plain cheesy. The manner in which the characters reacted to each other did not jive with the life-and-death ride they just lived through. But up till that time, War of the Worlds was one helluva show!
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