The Pop Pirate

Can't look away

Like the publicity circus that surrounds it- the fast production, the comparisons with the book and original movie, and of course the wacky wacky Tom Cruise- War of the Worlds is a spectacle to behold. It grabs ahold of you, and doesn't let go for a hundred-odd minutes. From the mass destruction to the relentlessness of the attackers to the darkest part of human nature, there is always something that you can't tear your eyes away from.

Now, that's not quite a compliment. Like Tom lecturing Matt Laurer about Scientology and the history of Scientology- that is, like a train wreck- you're too curious to stop watching. Unfortunately, when you scratch the surface there's nothing underneath the schadenfreude.

The characters run and scream and worry adequately enough, but they don't really have time to earn the relationships that supposedly pay off at the end. Tom's character is supposed to display the main character arc of the film, but he mostly succeeds in merely surviving. And the story is nothing more than exposition that sets up the chase and the weak ending taken right from the book.

As with a lot of his more commercial films, Spielberg takes a mediocre script and okay actors, and makes it engaging. It may not have been a life changing film or even a meaningful one, but it certainly was $10 and 2 hours worth of entertainment. And, in the end, it was at least more satisfying than seeing Tom Cruise embarrassing himself on TV. Again.

posted by Jeff @ 9:20 PM