When I saw the video box I said to myself, finally, a version of War of the Worlds that's done in the same setting and with the same story as the novel. Been waiting a long time for this, but now I guess I'll be waiting a long time more for a good version.
The production deserves credit for sticking to the Wells' story as much as it could, and that I liked. I did not like it being 3 hours, and it could have been less. There were too many moments spent on lingering upon the lead's histrionics about the invasion, and the lead was not an endearing person either. He seemed rather weak. I liked his brother much more, who was a stronger personality.
The effects were haphazard, sometimes very good and sometimes pretty bad. I didn't really like the design of the alien tripods, they didn't seem to be at all like what was described by Wells, and in fact seemed more complex than necessary. The flexible arms looked like remnants of some sort of beaded necklace. There were four when two would suffice. Sticking to the Wells description probably would have been better and perhaps an easier effect to create, and would have integrated better with the actual scenery.
The alien Martians were not like Wells' description either, but not too far off. In the novel, they had 5 tentacles, in the film, they had 16! Would not 5 have been enough to create by CGI? I recall Harryhausen's octopus from It Came from Beneath the Sea had only 6 tentacles because 8 was too much work.
The Red Weed wasn't really addressed in this version, though it could be seen growing around. That was a mistake. However, the scene where we learn the aliens are like vampires (actually it seems that they drain all the liquid from a living creature like a spider) for nourishment, and the collection of the nourishment from living creatures by their machinery was grisly, terrifying and well-done. This scene alone almost made the film worth viewing for 3 hours.
The production deserves credit for sticking to the Wells' story as much as it could, and that I liked. I did not like it being 3 hours, and it could have been less. There were too many moments spent on lingering upon the lead's histrionics about the invasion, and the lead was not an endearing person either. He seemed rather weak. I liked his brother much more, who was a stronger personality.
The effects were haphazard, sometimes very good and sometimes pretty bad. I didn't really like the design of the alien tripods, they didn't seem to be at all like what was described by Wells, and in fact seemed more complex than necessary. The flexible arms looked like remnants of some sort of beaded necklace. There were four when two would suffice. Sticking to the Wells description probably would have been better and perhaps an easier effect to create, and would have integrated better with the actual scenery.
The alien Martians were not like Wells' description either, but not too far off. In the novel, they had 5 tentacles, in the film, they had 16! Would not 5 have been enough to create by CGI? I recall Harryhausen's octopus from It Came from Beneath the Sea had only 6 tentacles because 8 was too much work.
The Red Weed wasn't really addressed in this version, though it could be seen growing around. That was a mistake. However, the scene where we learn the aliens are like vampires (actually it seems that they drain all the liquid from a living creature like a spider) for nourishment, and the collection of the nourishment from living creatures by their machinery was grisly, terrifying and well-done. This scene alone almost made the film worth viewing for 3 hours.