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Directed by Timothy Hines
Written by H.G. Wells (novel)
Timothy Hines (screenplay)

"I am now convinced that the only way to make WAR OF THE WORLDS is to be one hundred percent true to the book. In the light of current world events, Wells' vision is more timely than ever and it needs to be translated to the big screen intact.” Timothy Hines quoted in 2004.

Before we go further, let me say that I will give 3 to 5 that most people will not enjoy this film version or won’t understand it. Which is really sad, since I think this will be such an overlooked piece of cinema this year, what with Spielberg and Cruise new film coming out quite soon.

When I first heard about the ‘war of the cinema worlds’ between Spielberg and Pendragon studios last year, I will admit that I automatically started rooting for the underdog. Come on, like Spielberg and Cruise actually need more money? I wish I had their spare change.

Anyway, I wanted Pendragon to finish first so that perhaps they could get in some decent screen time before the big summer blockbuster hit the theaters. If nothing else, I was hoping they could get some time in a few of the art house theaters. Looks like my hopes are going to be dashed.

The film went into retail stores like Wal-Mart, Target, Sam’s Club and some 95% of the markets in the U.S. and in Canada early in June, and probably won’t see any time on the big screen. Which sucks in my opinion. This is actually a pretty good film, with a few little caveats.

First, for those of you who have been living somewhere under a rock for the last 107 years, let me give you a bit of background into H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.

In 1898, the world looked like a much different place then what we have today. It was a world where many thought that the ‘Golden Age of Mankind’ had been achieved; many felt that all of science had reached a plateau, and that all that could be invented, had been invented.

When War of the Worlds first hit the market in 1898, it was an immediate success, not just because of the story but because of the author as well. Wells’ was already famous (as well as infamous) for his teachings on social life, the future of man, and his past writings such as The Time Machine and other ‘science-romances’.

War of the Worlds was both a commentary on life at the turn of the century and a statement about what Wells’ feared happening in the world. It was his attempt to warn man about his own ego and pride while trying to entertain the masses.

It has kept its appeal for over 105 years, still in print and still being read by old fans and new readers alike. It’s appeal has not stayed in the literary field, with at least two very well known radio versions and one other movie, filmed in 1953.

The first radio version was broadcast on Oct. 30, 1938 on the Mercury Theater and changed its location from England to New Jersey and resulted in numerous suicide attempts, rioting and terrorized citizens in the state, who really thought Martians were invading them.

Orson Welles’ became famous on that night, a name known in households around the world.

The story is simplicity at it’s best, and has been re-used over and over again by modern screenwriters and Science Fiction authors. Man is certain he is the highest life in the universe, invaders show up and kick our butts, and man survives by sheer luck or utter tenacity.

Here, we are faced with the invasion from Mars via ‘cylinders’ that are first mistaken for meteorites. When they land in the peaceful English countryside, they are an instance source of entertainment and excitement.

Even when the suggestion is made that the cylinders might have something or someone alive in them, the population seems less worried about their own safety then they are about the spectacle about them. Children are playing, husbands and wives are holding hands and laughing with their neighbors, vendors are working the crowds.

It is only after the appearance of the invaders and their attacks with the ‘heat ray’ weapon do the people panic.

And this is as much a part of the differences between this film and modern society as anything else is. While the director, Timothy Hines, seemed to want to convey the attitude of turn of the century living, he also gave us a film that looks more like a History Channel Documentary then a movie.

The film is intentionally grainy looking, the effect of the work with the special effects and the blue screen combined. But, while to us so used to CGI monsters and giant aliens face huggers it will look odd, if you look at it as if you are watching a newsreel from over a century ago, it will make complete sense and have an even deeper impact.

Today, by the time the cylinders hit the earth they would have been surrounded by the military and the ‘men in black’. The government would have the area sealed off, and weapons would be leveled at the invaders well before they had a chance to start unscrewing their capsules.

In Wells’ story, it is at least 24 hours before the military is able to meet the attackers. And that is a part of the sheer joy of this film.

The invaders are armed with death-rays, poison gas, tripod creatures that stride across the earth in giant steps, sensor devices that can track down humans when they are hiding, flying machines and very advanced science.

And man is armed with horse drawn cannon and rifles. No aircraft, no anti-aircraft weapons, no atomic weapons, no machine guns or automatic weapons, no tanks or ‘WMD’s’.

This is what they faced in Wells’ story, and this is what the film tries to show. Mankind at it’s lowest, almost beaten and saved by something so small it hardly ever crosses the mind of most people.

Yes the special effects will look strange when we try to compare them to a multi-million dollar film, ala Spielberg, Lucas or one of the major studios. But that is where this film will differ from the ‘summer blockbuster’.

It tried to put an emphasis on characters and what they were experiencing instead of spectacular explosions and mindless violence. Don’t worry, there is plenty of violence here along with man’s inhumanity to man. The film does it’s best to capture Wells’ own anger with humanity and his treatment of his fellow beings, and I think it succeeds sometimes to well.

This is not a film to watch for ILM type effects, or for Star Wars screen magic. It is a film designed to make you think, to make you question what would you do in a situation where you had no control and where you could measure your life in moments and not years.

How would you feel in or the Old Testament Canaan? Or a Jew living in Egypt during Pharaoh’s time? The Assyrian Empire regularly deported entire ethnic groups, as did the Babylonians. Jews were expelled from England, Hungary, Austria, France, Spain after the Reconquista, Portugal, Russia in 1720’s, and lets not even discuss Jews and Germany.

Spain's large Muslim minority, descended from the former Islamic kingdoms, was expelled twice, first in 1502 and again in 1610. Gypsies were expelled from France, England and other European countries in during the 16th century. France expelled Huguenots in the 18th century.What about being an American Indian after British and American settlers ethnically cleansed millions of them? Entire tribes and peoples were removed from their lands in Africa and Austrialia.

During the Boer War and the Second Boer War, Britian removed large populations of Boers so the British settlers could come in. Ever hear of the Acadians? Maybe not, they were forced from their lands in the 1750 by the British Military in Canada.

These were the ones that Wells’ knew about, he had experienced it and read about in in his own newspapers, history books and listened to it being discussed in restaurants and pubs.

He could only live in fear of what the future might bring; The Armenian Genocide; The expulsion of Poles from Belarus and Ukraine to Kazakhstan in the 1930’s. The expulsions of Jews from Austria after the Anschluss, and deportations of Poles and Jews from Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany. Nazi Germany wiping out whole populations of Jews and Gypsies during World War II. Generalplan Ost, in which the Nazis planned to kill or expel most or all ethnic Slavs from large regions of Eastern Europe and replace them with German settlers. The German exodus from Eastern Europe. The deportations of Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians from areas occupied by Soviet Union 1939–1941. The deportations of Karelians from East Karelia by Soviet Union in 1930s. The ethnic cleansing of Volhynia by Ukrainian guerrilla groups.

And yet all of this was demonstrated by Wells’ in War of the Worlds; he was trying to show that man is not the ultimate power in this world or in the Universe. He was trying to show both the injustice man can inflict on himself and the agony he is willing to do to others to achieve his own goals.

That is the message of War of the Worlds and that is the message Pendragon Studios and Timothy Hines wanted to put out with this film.

The acting was not bad, with the script being taken almost directly on Well’s book, it would have been difficult in my opinion to do it really bad.

Anthony Piana as The Writer and Jack Clay as Ogilvy the scientist both conduct themselves well, with Clay the pompous genius who wants to revolutionize the world of science and Piana doing triple service as the Writer, his brother the Doctor, and as the Narrator, it seemed at times like he might be stretched too far but he was able to give each role the emotional level in needed and deserved. The scenes between the Writer and the Priest (John Kaufmann) were especially dramatic, and showed the level that a person will sometimes reach to in order to survive.

Were there problems? Certainly. My biggest one was with the fact that while ‘the Writer’ was forced to walk almost everywhere, did we really need to see him walking? Was there any purpose served other then to show how pretty everything was or make people like me jealous of how healthy he is?

I always hated this sort of situation wheather it was in a really cheap, low budget film or a film with a big budget. There must have been ways this time could have been better spent on the screen.

Also, as I said the special effects were not ILM or Star Wars type; they were designed more to make a point then to blow stuff up real good. The walkers were done quite well, however.

I also found the use of various colored lenses on certain shots to be distracting. Also, many of the backgrounds simply didn’t work. They were either very poorly made or the way they were set up didn’t mesh with the camera work.

The length of the film will cause some viewers problems, coming in at just under 3 hours. I would have preferred the film to be three hours, but with more substance and less shots of walking about here and there. I would have thought that they could have padded some of the scenes with Ogilvy and the cylinders, or even with the villagers talking.

I also thought the scene with the Writer and his cousin having tea made no sense. And what was going on with the Horses?

Now, could I have done a better film with the money they had? Nope, not a chance in heck since I have no idea what I would be doing. But, that is why I am a movie reviewer and not a “Critic”. A “Critic” would probably hate this film, saying how its artistic quality of the germane characteristics made it transdeterminational with an overabundance of color driven crappolo.

Who cares about all that? I liked the film, and think it did a good job or showing exactly what Wells’ wanted. And I have a hard time saying that Spielberg is going to be able to do a better job. Will Spielberg be a faithful adaptation of Wells’ novel?

Not likely. But, it will make a billion dollars for him and Cruise since it will have lots of explosions, body parts strewn about, cars rushing all over the place and lots of pretty people who stay pretty, no matter what happens.