we went to see “War of the Worlds” yesterday, the latest blockbuster from Steven Spielberg.
everyone knows the story (and if you don’t, then read the book, or listen to the radio broadcast) - the earth is under attack from ALIENS in metal tripods that shoot lasers. we’re all going to die. then the aliens mysteriously die - from the common cold, and other bacteria.
so, the beginning and end is widely known. the big question is “what to do with the rest of the 2 hours”?
spielberg did a great job. for 2 hours, I was excited, shocked, stunned, and actually frightened. he did a great job keeping the suspense flowing for the duration of the movie - working in some quiet times to calm the nerves, and then BOOM your nerves are shot again.
tom cruise was the weakest link. he was the least believable aspect of the movie. Sure, I can believe Aliens left warmachines under our feet for a millenium, I can believe they rode lightning down into those ships. I can believe we’re all going to die - humanity is doomed. I can believe that the aliens forgot to get their immunization shots before traveling. But dammit. I just can’t believe this guy gets paid so much for being such a shitty actor. This movie would have been cast much better with a relatively unknown in the lead. There would be no pre-conceptions about what character he would play, or how it would be performed. Tom Cruise is great at playing over-the-top caricatures of himself. But he sucks when it comes to any role that demands an emotional response. Personally, I think his best acting role was in “Magnolia” as Frank T.J. Mackey. He played an arrogant son-of-a-bitch, which is pretty much what I expect from Tom Cruise.
If you want a great time at the movie, go see “War of the Worlds”. It was exciting, and left me somewhat shell-shocked during the ride home.
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