War of the Worlds
Saw it last night - and while I won't post too detailed of a review (as most people have likely not seen it yet), I will say this . . .Spielberg is the man.
The dude consistently makes the most engaging mainstream movies around. No one else could have pulled off the movie like him, not to mention that he did it in almost half the time it takes to make most films.
It would be easy to talk about the script and some potential plot holes, but that's like criticizing Shakespeare for his punctuation. Nitpick all you want, but the point is - the movie is f---ing fantastic. It's engaging, exciting, and thought provoking. I really enjoyed the scenes where Spielberg explored the fact that humans would also be each others enemies if a situation like this ever occurred. He brilliantly captured the panic and hysteria that would emerge, and demonstrated the Hobbesian type of instincts that man would likely revert to when forced into survival mode. And the best part is, he did it on both a large and intimate scale (for those who have seen it - the van scene and the basement scene).
In typical Spielberg fashion - he manages to entertain the masses while still inserting elements that can challenge the attentive viewer and add the depth and texture that is missing from most movies these days. No one works within the constraints of modern, big budget Hollywood filmmaking better than the 'berg!
And it is astounding how well he executes special effects. He manages to integrate them into his films much more successfully than other filmmakers - even when you know something is CGI, it is blended into the film seamlessly.
To quote a friend of mine - Spielberg handed Shyamalan his ass with War of the Worlds. It is the alien invasion movie to end all alien invasion movies. Independence what? It isn't a perfect movie, but it is definitely up there with Spielberg's other great films. The man who invented the summer blockbuster proves that he is still master.
posted by Paul at
1:33 PM
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