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"War of the Worlds" Remake -- good news, bad news
dowse_com | 1/13/05

Posted on 01/13/2005 1:41:37 PM PST by pabianice

OK, movie fans. First, there was the Wells novel, written in 1898 and astonishingly ahead of its time. Then, there was the first movie in 1953 -- also ahead of its time and very watchable for its effects, although Gene Barry was arguably not the best guy for the lead role. Now, we have the Speilberg remake, due out this summer.

The good news is that the film appears to try and recreate as much of the novel as possible, updating it from 1898 to 2005. The trailer looks like fun. And of course, CGI now lets a producer create visual effects undreamed of 50 years ago.

The bad news is varied. First, we have Speilberg, one of the great visual movie makers around but crippled with a political correctness that has turned most of his recent movies into dinner theater for the DNC. Tom Cruise takes the lead again, but he, too, is hot and cold and often seems unclear about a character's motivation. The, there is the tortured history of this remake, apparently set to have begun filming in 2001 but since re-re-re-written and had cast and crew changes. Such a history is, in Hollywood, usually a predictor of a really bad final product. Usually.

As noted in another thread, the recent remake of "Flight of the Phoenix" is notable only because it crashed and burned at the box office, returning just under $ 20 million on a $ 70 million+ investment to date.

We'll have to see what happens with "War."

Production sketch from remake of "WOTW."


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: moviereview
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To: unbalanced but fair
"But why do all space ships have to enter amidst moving clouds?"

Bad mufflers?

21 posted on 01/13/2005 2:02:55 PM PST by WestVirginiaRebel (Conservatism pays off. Liberalism just wants to be paid.)
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To: unbalanced but fair
Tim Robbins

We won't go see it. I'll not give a penny to that anti-American POS.

22 posted on 01/13/2005 2:03:53 PM PST by processing please hold (Islam and Christianity do not mix ----9-11 taught us that)
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To: TXBSAFH

There's a rumor that Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise are going to do an "Ishtar"! ;)


23 posted on 01/13/2005 2:05:46 PM PST by JZelle
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To: unbalanced but fair

oh cool...i didn't know that one actually. I'll check IMDB when i get home to see what his role is, as well as the trailer. as for the spaceships...well i dunno really :) i don't wanna ruin the movie by saying what the book did.


24 posted on 01/13/2005 2:07:27 PM PST by tfecw (dolphins are the spawn of evil)
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To: unbalanced but fair
"It's interesting you mentioned Tim Robbins...But why do all space ships have to enter amidst moving clouds?"

"Because there's a chill wind blowing...."

25 posted on 01/13/2005 2:10:39 PM PST by Joe 6-pack ("We deal in hard calibers and hot lead." - Roland Deschaines)
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To: dubyaismypresident

I betcha the church is destroyed but it turns out it's not a church at all, but a converted mosque and all the muslims die and the aliens turn out to christians, wearing Kellogg, Brown Root ID tags on their shirt pockets. The main alien ship is commanded by a VP Cheney look-alike.


26 posted on 01/13/2005 2:11:05 PM PST by rabidralph (Keep your laws off my money.)
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To: Soul_of_Chogokin

LOTR was kinda sorta a remake.


27 posted on 01/13/2005 2:13:50 PM PST by Restorer
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To: labowski
The death of HMS Thunderchild. I found this one of the more riveting parts of the book.
28 posted on 01/13/2005 2:14:24 PM PST by Junior (FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC)
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To: pabianice
I must be on an entirely different wavelength than Spielberg. I have not liked any of his movies since the one about the runaway truck.

I especially thought ET was awful. Also noted that PC seems to permeate his films.

Also don't like HG Wells. He has great ideas but his books are a little hard to get into. Jules Verne is far better.

29 posted on 01/13/2005 2:18:10 PM PST by yarddog
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To: Pride in the USA

Keepin' an eye out for this one


30 posted on 01/13/2005 2:18:10 PM PST by lonevoice (Vast Right Wing Pajama Party)
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To: tfecw

You wouldn't ruin anything. I've read all of the books by Welles. But War of the Worlds is my favorite. My comment about the spaceships was more about Spielberg and other movies. The clouds are a cool effect though.


31 posted on 01/13/2005 2:20:29 PM PST by unbalanced but fair
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To: pabianice

In the remake, all alien heat rays will be replaced by walkie-talkies.


32 posted on 01/13/2005 2:20:48 PM PST by Liberal Classic (No better friend, no worse enemy. Semper Fi.)
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To: weenie
This genre can be a real blast for sci-fi geeks like me

I agree. I am looking forward to Spielberg's vision/version of WOTW.

Now if we could just get someone big to pick up Niven's "Ringworld" for the major motion picture treatment....

33 posted on 01/13/2005 2:23:16 PM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (All I ask from livin' is to have no chains on me. All I ask from dyin' is to go naturally.)
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To: unbalanced but fair

well in the book the the baddies use a gas that kills stuff, so that might be the clouds? I had a pretty good mental picture what that'd look like so we'll see how the movie turns out


34 posted on 01/13/2005 2:25:15 PM PST by tfecw (dolphins are the spawn of evil)
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To: yarddog
I must be on an entirely different wavelength than Spielberg. I have not liked any of his movies since the one about the runaway truck.

Jaws?
Raiders of the Lost Ark?
Jurassic Park?
Saving Private Ryan?
You are a hard dog to please.
35 posted on 01/13/2005 2:27:36 PM PST by drjimmy
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To: pabianice
Tom Cruise takes the lead again...

Huh?? Wasn't Rip Taylor available?

I'm sorry. A "man's man" need to carry this role, not 'Blue Boy.'

36 posted on 01/13/2005 2:32:06 PM PST by F16Fighter
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To: tfecw
Tom cruise...first off...he's too pretty for the role...there is no love story in the book. The main character has a wife that he mentions every once in a while..but thats it.

So sorta like in real life, except the main character isn't pretending to be hetero.
37 posted on 01/13/2005 2:33:45 PM PST by Xenalyte (For the Loudon Wainwright FReeper fans, if there are any.)
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To: pabianice
In order to not offend them, the Martians in the story have been replaced with neo-nazis.
38 posted on 01/13/2005 2:34:02 PM PST by KarlInOhio (Blackwell for Governor 2006: hated by the 'Rats, feared by the RINOs.)
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To: WestVirginiaRebel

For one thing, Spielberg has developed a crush on Fidel Castro.


39 posted on 01/13/2005 2:38:54 PM PST by Paul Atreides (Why can't you be like Endicott?)
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To: weenie
like "Independence Day"

Independence Day was, of course, a remake of the 1953 version, updated to incorporate the world view of Hollywood at the time

40 posted on 01/13/2005 2:41:15 PM PST by jscd3
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