.
See this movie in a theater. The look of it, the sound design, they are the best things I've seen this summer, longer even; in quite awhile anyway. Leave it to Spielberg, he knows how to use all the tools of the blockbuster trade to astonishing effect; he's the master at these things because he knows how to work over an audience, to wring maximum effect out of large amounts of people. Nobody makes a communal viewing experience like Spielberg. Nobody. See this with a crowd. It's meant to be seen that way, and it adds so much to its effect.
I waited until after seeing the movie to read all of Moriarty's review at Aint It Cool News, but now, having read it, I can say he put my feelings about the film into words perfectly. The film is just shy of being great. It is sloppy, and it's undone by problems in its structure in the bridge between the second and third acts. The scenes in the basement with Tim Robbins, specifically. I know I've warned before that I'll be free with spilling spoilers when talking about films, but I want to reiterate that here since most people have not seen the movie yet - I am about to give spoilers, so stop reading now.
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The scene with the aliens coming into the basement is a big mistake. BIG. It plays as a third-rate knock-off of the scene in Jurassic Park with the velociraptors chasing the children through the kitchen. The scene with the snake-like eye of the tripod winding through the basement that just precedes it is guilty of this as well, but I could deal with that scene because it was different enough as to be forgiven. But once the actual aliens come down and walk around the basement, it killed it for me. And it robbed so much from the final scene when the dead alien drops out of the downed tripod. That should've been the only alien we see. And that alien looked great, the CG was flawless there, if it even was CG; it looked good enough that it could've been an actual dummy. But the aliens moving through the basement just looked silly, and were so unnecessary I was pissed off by them.
This whole sequence had real issues, the fantastic pace that Spielberg had built until then just dropped dead. I get that it was an important turning point for TC's character, that it was vital to show the depths to which a father would go to protect his children. It just really needed some tightening, something worked out that just wasn't there. And I've got a really strong feeling that it would've played better without the superfluous scene of aliens looking at old photographs.
But MAN, everything leading up to those scenes was just fantastic. UNBELIEVABLY good. Like I said, the photography was stunning, Spielberg needs to keep working with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski on every film he does. There are images through the film that are the stuff of nightmares, beautiful poetic horrible nightmares. The river of bodies was absolutely horrifying. The revelation of the first tripod lifting out of the street was jaw-dropping. And I have to give it to TC, especially in these early scenes post-attack, he was great. He captured that awed look of stunned terror that I remember being burned onto everyone's faces on 9/11 so well. In the scene where he returns to his house to gather up the kids after witnessing the tripod's rise and obliteration of dozens of people he knew... when he discovers their ashes covering him, and freaks out to wash himself... that was just really good acting.
It does say a lot that I feel so hostile to giving him credit these days, though, and there were moments through the film where I saw flashes of his crazy eyes and kept expecting him to jump on a couch, and for that I say I hate you, Tom Cruise. I hate you for fucking up my feelings toward this film. I hate you and your stupid religion and your psychotic fucking mouth and I hope I never have to see you in a movie again. Steven, never hire this fucktard again. He might've gotten it right through parts of the film, but I can scarcely even look at him anymore without putting those thoughts right on the screen. I hope his career rots.
I liked Dakota Fanning a lot. It's the first movie I've seen her in, and I thought she was great. Justin Chatwin, who plays the son, was passable. Nothing special. If you believe Victoria Gotti, he was just there to give TC head anyway.
The tragic iconography of 9/11 is here heavily, and it didn't bother me like it has some reviewers. I've been waiting for a summer movie to exploit those things, and I think it really worked. Those are our modern horrors, the rain of papers and clothes from a smoky sky, the walls of pictures of missing loved ones, the smoking airplane debris. Someone needed to have the guts to confront these things, and I don't think I would've picked anyone other than Spielberg to do it in this form. Like I said, I don't think there's anyone out there who makes better mass entertainment, who's better at tapping into our communal consciousness, and working over those fears and anxieties, for good or for bad, and I am really glad he went there.
I really do recommend this film. See it with a big crowd, grab your armrests, take the ride. The ending is a little too neat, the appearance of the family in Boston without a speck of dust on them is too clean for my liking, but there is so much good here, and so many important to work through issues dug right into. And sit as close to the screen as you're willing to, fill your eyes up with it. It's an impressive spectacle.
I waited until after seeing the movie to read all of Moriarty's review at Aint It Cool News, but now, having read it, I can say he put my feelings about the film into words perfectly. The film is just shy of being great. It is sloppy, and it's undone by problems in its structure in the bridge between the second and third acts. The scenes in the basement with Tim Robbins, specifically. I know I've warned before that I'll be free with spilling spoilers when talking about films, but I want to reiterate that here since most people have not seen the movie yet - I am about to give spoilers, so stop reading now.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The scene with the aliens coming into the basement is a big mistake. BIG. It plays as a third-rate knock-off of the scene in Jurassic Park with the velociraptors chasing the children through the kitchen. The scene with the snake-like eye of the tripod winding through the basement that just precedes it is guilty of this as well, but I could deal with that scene because it was different enough as to be forgiven. But once the actual aliens come down and walk around the basement, it killed it for me. And it robbed so much from the final scene when the dead alien drops out of the downed tripod. That should've been the only alien we see. And that alien looked great, the CG was flawless there, if it even was CG; it looked good enough that it could've been an actual dummy. But the aliens moving through the basement just looked silly, and were so unnecessary I was pissed off by them.
This whole sequence had real issues, the fantastic pace that Spielberg had built until then just dropped dead. I get that it was an important turning point for TC's character, that it was vital to show the depths to which a father would go to protect his children. It just really needed some tightening, something worked out that just wasn't there. And I've got a really strong feeling that it would've played better without the superfluous scene of aliens looking at old photographs.
But MAN, everything leading up to those scenes was just fantastic. UNBELIEVABLY good. Like I said, the photography was stunning, Spielberg needs to keep working with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski on every film he does. There are images through the film that are the stuff of nightmares, beautiful poetic horrible nightmares. The river of bodies was absolutely horrifying. The revelation of the first tripod lifting out of the street was jaw-dropping. And I have to give it to TC, especially in these early scenes post-attack, he was great. He captured that awed look of stunned terror that I remember being burned onto everyone's faces on 9/11 so well. In the scene where he returns to his house to gather up the kids after witnessing the tripod's rise and obliteration of dozens of people he knew... when he discovers their ashes covering him, and freaks out to wash himself... that was just really good acting.
It does say a lot that I feel so hostile to giving him credit these days, though, and there were moments through the film where I saw flashes of his crazy eyes and kept expecting him to jump on a couch, and for that I say I hate you, Tom Cruise. I hate you for fucking up my feelings toward this film. I hate you and your stupid religion and your psychotic fucking mouth and I hope I never have to see you in a movie again. Steven, never hire this fucktard again. He might've gotten it right through parts of the film, but I can scarcely even look at him anymore without putting those thoughts right on the screen. I hope his career rots.
I liked Dakota Fanning a lot. It's the first movie I've seen her in, and I thought she was great. Justin Chatwin, who plays the son, was passable. Nothing special. If you believe Victoria Gotti, he was just there to give TC head anyway.
The tragic iconography of 9/11 is here heavily, and it didn't bother me like it has some reviewers. I've been waiting for a summer movie to exploit those things, and I think it really worked. Those are our modern horrors, the rain of papers and clothes from a smoky sky, the walls of pictures of missing loved ones, the smoking airplane debris. Someone needed to have the guts to confront these things, and I don't think I would've picked anyone other than Spielberg to do it in this form. Like I said, I don't think there's anyone out there who makes better mass entertainment, who's better at tapping into our communal consciousness, and working over those fears and anxieties, for good or for bad, and I am really glad he went there.
I really do recommend this film. See it with a big crowd, grab your armrests, take the ride. The ending is a little too neat, the appearance of the family in Boston without a speck of dust on them is too clean for my liking, but there is so much good here, and so many important to work through issues dug right into. And sit as close to the screen as you're willing to, fill your eyes up with it. It's an impressive spectacle.
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