War Of The Worlds

Check out this neat site for the new Spielberg movie, a remake of "War Of the Worlds"

http://www.waroftheworlds.com/

check out teaser trailer #2

The movie looks like a cool CGI-fest!

that looks amazing! can't wait

Jim Garten wrote: Probably another case of: based very very loosely on an idea Spielberg got after hearing about the book third hand (remember what he did with Philip K Dick's 'Minority Report'). That said however, if you want a well made film you can just switch off the brain, relax into, and enjoy the ride - this looks to be the one...

It seems that most of the books main things are left intact. It is also rumored that the idea for this remake stated some 15 years ago when Spielberg bought the only copy known in existence of a screenpley for the movie by Orson Welles. That said, I hope they don't go on with the original ending of the movie, where the aliens suffered from the same idiocy as the ones from 'Signs' or the Enterprise crew in the original series: How on Earth do you attack or go to a planet unprotected without checking first if the atmosphere is right for you (this is a special case of grave lunacy with the aliens of 'Signs': being alergic to water and come to Earth, a mostly water composed planet totally in the nude. Yeah, great idea.

The case of Minority Report: For what I know, this is a project that started as a sequel for Total Recall using looselly the idea from the original short story adapting it to the Total Recall universe. After several writtings, the project got to limbo mainly for the economical collopse of Carolco, the producers. And then, out of nowhere, the screenplay was rescued and re-written and ended up in the hands of Spielberg, who, for what it seems, saw just another opportunity to tell us AGAIN about the importance of having a family (Tom Cruise is a widower, the precog brothers' need for a family to look after them, etc).

I was hoping the film would be a literal interp[retation of the book i.e set in England at turn of century ( not this one , last one) with the Martians in machines on legs. Its the film I envisioned. When I saw the trailer a couple of months ago I was sorely disaapointed, more of a remake of the movie to be sure.

By the way Paco, the ending you dislike is the book ending actually and it doesnt seem wrong for when its written. Thats another reason it should be set in that period. Victorian aliens you see?

Blacksword wrote: Snow Dog wrote: I was hoping the film would be a literal interp[retation of the book i.e set in England at turn of century ( not this one , last one) with the Martians in machines on legs. Its the film I envisioned. When I saw the trailer a couple of months ago I was sorely disaapointed, more of a remake of the movie to be sure. By the way Paco, the ending you dislike is the book ending actually and it doesnt seem wrong for when its written. Thats another reason it should be set in that period. Victorian aliens you see? For years I wondered why no one ever wanted to make a film of WOTW that was true to the book. It seems to me there would be so many people who would like to see that. Not in America I guess.. Spielberg and all the major motion picture companies know the industry better than I do and I guess this formula is what the masses want while they eat their buckets of popcorn, not some period drama. The original book is so atmospheric. I'll see this film before I moan anymore, but it looks terrible.

Whilst of course your basic argument about the nature of Hollywood is correct,Blacky,dont you feel there is a place for this kind of entertainment?
Spielberg is a master at popular entertainment,but he certainly is not the equivalent of MacDonalds.
Two words:

Schindler's List.

 

Blacksword wrote: Yep, there's a place for it alright. How about a land fill site, along with all his other crap films Must admit I didn't see Schindlers List, but the last Spielberg film I enjoyed was ET, when I was about 12 or so. Its just not my thing Reed. I'm merely expressing my opinion, and also my dissapointment that one of the greatest Sci Fi novels of all time has been put through the Hollywood sterilisation process. I'm surprised more people here dont regard it as unfortunate that a 'proper' film version of this story has never been made.

Too right!  If you look at the film League Of extraordinary Gents, that was set in Victorian England (albeit an alternative past). Imagine War of the Worlds set in that enviroment, imagine the genuine fear of the people at the time more than half a century before tha space programme! In fact in the second League Seriies of graphic books (or comics if you like) the War of the World invasion is the main plot!

Reed Lover wrote: Two words: Schindler's List.

Three more words:

The Colour Purple

Blacksword wrote: I would put money on Tom Cruise being involved in a fist fight, car chase or shoot out with the invaders in this offering

Loath though I am to admit it, I fear you could be right... - at least when you had a similar situation in 'Independance Day' (yes, I know that pile of ordure was not down to Spielberg) it was done with humour:

SMACK!

"Welcome to Earth!"

Face it - we know from bitter experience that a Hollywood adaptation of a British novel will not be set in Victorian London, it will always be in modern America; we know that the Americans will save the world again; we know it will more than likely have a slushy ending ("I love you mommy, I love you daddy"); we also know that if this were not the case, the money-men in Hollywood would not give the backing which allowed the film (which, despite its shortcomings, will be entertaining) to be made in the first place.

Edited by Jim Garten

Snow Dog wrote: I was hoping the film would be a literal interp[retation of the book i.e set in England at turn of century ( not this one , last one) with the Martians in machines on legs. Its the film I envisioned. When I saw the trailer a couple of months ago I was sorely disaapointed, more of a remake of the movie to be sure. By the way Paco, the ending you dislike is the book ending actually and it doesnt seem wrong for when its written. Thats another reason it should be set in that period. Victorian aliens you see?

I am a fan of the Steampunk genre, and also I was quite dissapointed when a read that the new War of the War was going to be updated again. And I don't see the need: Independence Day is still too fresh in moviegoers' memories...

On the other hand I usually defend Spielberg as one of the most reliable directors. He has made some so-so films (Always, Amistad...), but he was the responsible as producer and/or director of some of the best things that came from the 80s adventure cinema (Raiders, Goonies, etc... and in the stempunk genre, Young Sherlock Holmes).

firth_of_Fifth wrote: I think you'll all find there  is also a british version set  in the original era.  Looks far better, I don't think people grasp that setting it in modern days is completely pointless, it's almost an independance day remake. Setting it at the turn of the 20th century makes more sense as we as a race were completely helpless...what could we fight back with? cannons? Rifles? MR SPEILBERG GET ON WITH MAKING THE TRANSFORMERS!! http://www.pendragonpictures.com/WOTWKEY.html

This looks more like it! I'll be looking into this.

I notice that there are no pictures of the fighting machines or the Martians themselves. That either means they are just trying to keep it under wraps until the release, or they look crap because they dont have a spielberg buget. We shall see

firth_of_Fifth wrote: To be honest I'm not worried. I think the special effects in jason and the argonauts have more of an effect than the cgi of today. Too many films rely on Special FX these days. Also looking forward to the new Batman movie..the director said it'll have the least FX of any big budget movie released these days.

I agree that if the direction and acting is good, and the atmosphere of the film is right, then the effects are secondary in importance.