Posted on 06/28/2005 10:32:17 AM PDT by Cool Chick
"War of the Worlds" Spielberg-esque Message: Don't Fight Terror
By Debbie Schlussel
I'm violating Steven Spielberg's review policy for "War of the Worlds" and telling you what I think ahead of tomorrow's scheduled release date. I saw the movie at a press screening, last night, and was disturbed by the message: Don't fight terror, and everything will work out. (Security was literally tighter than that for going to the White House to meet the President. No purses allowed. Three wandings by security.)
It's bad enough that Steven Spielberg is adding "balance" and factual inaccuracy to the story of the Israeli Mossad's efforts to assassinate terrorists who killed Israeli Olympic athletes--in his upcoming film, "Vengeance" (I've detailed that here). It's bad enough that his message in "Vengeance" is that fighting terrorists and killing them is bad and doesn't work. But his similar message in "War of the Worlds" is arguably worse--because the movie, with fantastic special effects, is likely to be one of his bigger hits.
Spielberg said "War of the Worlds" is a parallel for 9/11 and serves as a "prism" through which to view 9/11, the War on Terror, and our presence in Iraq. The movie makes that very clear. People running from exploding and falling buildings, walls and kiosks covered with "missing" signs and pictures for those looking for lost relatives, people giving blood -- these are all 9/11 references.
But the message is: Don't fight terrorism. It will miraculously go away if you leave it alone and it breaths our air and culture. Puh-leeze. I'm sure Roger Ebert will just love it.
(Excerpt) Read more at debbieschlussel.com ...
I think Speilburg is saying to let smallpox take care of it.
That idea never entered my mind. Reminds me of the claptrap interpretation laid on the 50s Sci-Fi film "Bodysnatchers". "It was a metaphor of the paranoia generated during the McCarthy era." The producer said, "No, it was just a good thriller". The same people marvelled over Romero's "Night of the Living Dead." - "Gripping, terse and to the point. Romero's genius uses only two reels to tell his story." According to Romero, it was a two-reeler because they didn't have enough money for three. These people must be related to those who ooh and ahh over an "abstract" painting that was done by a chimp.
It sounds like the ending of this movie has the same ending as the book and its previous radio and screen adaptations.
Viewed in that light, this polemic transforms further. It is the modern Liberal zeitgeist offering its throat and cowering before the conservative war-mongering colossus. Unable to fight back with any effect, per the movies plot, the Liberals hope we all die of some rapid disease. We will not! Nor do we want war -- we just reject the alternative.
So the movie is a white flag of a sort from leftist Hollywood.
I think everyone needs to read her entire column. The Tim Robbins part, especially, cannot be part of the original book. Is there anything in the original book about Tom Cruise hiding with his daughter and Tim Robbins in a basement? How about Robbins' characters statement abour insurgencies defeating occupations? Read this from Schlussel, and tell me if she's still wrong. I'd like to know because I did not read "WOTW.":
"Then, there is Tim Robbins. His character, Ogilvy, says occupations "never succeed ... . local insurgencies always bring you down." Gee there's no agenda there, right? Isn't this the same Tim Robbins, universal sensitive man and girlfriend to Susan Sarandon, who has tiraded against Bush and the War on Terror everywhere that will have him (excluding Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame, thankfully)? Why, yes, it is.
Robbins says the movie's message is "how any kind of terror can change a peace-loving person in an instant." So now we are "war-mongers" because we've chosen to fight terrorism, instead of giving in to it, like the lucky idiots, a la Tom Cruise, in this movie?"
Schlussel means "key." I wonder what the significance of that might be...
Moral of the story, bury your head in the sand, ignore the bear tearing away at your leg, and hope for the best.
And if the Islamonazis demand that you worship Allah as a slave or else face beheading, well at least you'll have your (new) faith...
In the 1960s their slogan was "Better Red Than Dead".
They claimed we could never defeat the Soviet Union and would do best to co-exist. Some said the same of Hitler's Germany.
We can DO it if we TRY. The whole world is better for it. Our existence is not threatened and millions upon millions are safer. We DO NOT conquor other nations for territorial gain.
Steve is no Orson.
He's saying that viruses have a "right to life" too. Who are we to judge? < /sarcasm >
How about this expose of the liberal response to terrorists in Iraq? SUPPORT THEM!
GLOBAL ANTIWAR MOVEMENT DECLARES SUPPORT FOR TERRORISTS AGAINST US, UK
Obviously, Speilburg's and my take on the War of the Worlds is a bit different. My take is "Give it all you've got. Fight evil however you can. God will take care of the rest."
Well Hitler went away by himself, didn't he?
Wasn't that the message of Schlindler's List and Band of Brothers?
In the end, doesn't everyone fail the test, and evil is destroyed by grace?
The one thing I'd like to point out is that this movie looked like a movie, after seeing the death and destruction of 9-11. I did not feel the need to dissect the movie, but rather watch it like an old sci-fi movie, with better technology. The movie was very sanitized. I expected a better plot from Spielberg.
If Spielberg was using this movie as an anti-war vehicle, I didn't get it. If anything, it showed how one can be provoked to protect their own. It showed how his son was called to go and fight to help others.
IMO he killed Robbins because he was unbalanced and would not shut up, and he was putting Tom C's daughter in danger. It was just the two of them, and Tom C's character realized that they couldn't fight the creatures themselves. While Tom C was no hero to start off with, he showed he would fight to protect his daughter.
If anything, this movie should be an example to people that it takes more than two people in a "cave" to fight something so powerful.
I don't go to the movies often. This is one I wanted to see on the big screen. If you go with the idea of seeing a Sci-Fi movie, you won't be disappointed. Personally, I didn't find any political message in it. It was worth it to see the lightning scenes.
Loved the Moody Blues' take on WOTW...
I think the rule about including pics when posting Michelle Malkin threads should apply to Debbie too.
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