I recently plopped down $10.75 for the new WAR OF THE WORLDS movie, which is really not that much considering crap is typically very expensive. I mean, I still curl up in a ball when I think of the $100 I spent for that Special Super Duper Limited Edition Collector's...Umm...Thingy Beanie Baby whom I am told, after a long decision process, was given the name "Merv" back in the ‘90s. Anyway, that is not why I am here. If you want to hear more stories of failure and wasted money, you can page me on one of my ten pagers. I am here to answer one question: Was this better than the original?
No. Double no. The original WAR OF THE WORLDS, for those of you who don't know, came out in 1953 and starred Gene Barry as a scientist who is the first to witness the Martian invasion of Earth. Ann Robinson also stars alongside Barry. The film was directed by Byron Haskin, who is noted for directing, among others, Charlton Heston in THE NAKED JUNGLE as well as several episodes of THE OUTER LIMITS TV series. The 1953 WAR was the first celluloid version of the H.G. Wells story. Prior to that, it was broadcast over the radio in 1938 by Orson Wells, which sent a panic across the nation (no joke!) as people thought aliens were actually invading the planet. Before seeing any film version, I would urge everyone to listen to that broadcast. I guarantee no movie can compare to the image this reading concocts in one's mind.
However, that's not to say both motion pictures didn't try their best to put forth the best in special effects. The first WAR OF THE WORLDS deserves extra recognition for this since the classic ropes, strings, and beams that kept many objects afloat in 1950s cinema are virtually nonexistent in this movie. Computers, needless to say, played no role in the ‘50s version. Now, I don't know that much about art (I just figured out Monet and Manet were two separate artists, not just a 100-year typo), but I appreciate a director taking a desktop lamp and a few paperclips and making an alien out of them. Give me that over a computer-animated pissed-off-"E.T." any day.
Another important concept here is acting. Tom Cruise is just the poor man's Clint Eastwood, his "son" looked about as old as Cruise, and Dakota Fanning is about as outstanding as the two states that bear her name (Note: I am a professional ranter, don't try this at home). Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, though never in any film too remarkable, at least had some originality in their styles. By the way, Barry and Robinson appear in WAR OF THE WORLDS II as the grandparents of Tom Cruise's kids. Their screen time is short: just long enough for them to wonder what the heck they're doing in this movie.
So first read WAR OF THE WORLDS, the Wells novel. Or, if you're like me and live for the day restaurant menus are on tape, listen to the radio broadcast. Then watch WAR OF THE WORLDS, number one. Then view its remake. But settle for the $5 bootleg DVD. Speaking of which that reminds me—my Pet Rock needs feeding. What in the world do you feed a rock, anyway?
 email this column to a friend
Comment on this Column:
Sorry, you must be a member to add comments to columns.
Join or Login. |
 Subscribe to MatchFlick Movie Reviews through RSS
|
| I'll Be Back... Again |
Every other Wednesday
For anyone who's ever been told "You should have seen the original," this column provides insight into any film that’s been remade, rehashed, or re-envisioned.
|
| Jonathan Alexandratos |
Jonathan is a college student in New York. He is already an accomplished writer, having completed 3 full-length plays and numerous poems. He is also working on his first book.
|
| Contact |
If you have a comment, question, or suggestion, you can send a message to Jonathan Alexandratos by clicking here.
|
|
