Be afraid, very afraid – again

Today in class we looked at a couple of Mark Kermode’s film reviews. I have added part of his review of Steven Spielberg’s ‘War of the Worlds’. A movie I must admit that I have chosen not to watch (the Tom Cruise factor) but it is one that many of you have seen and as it is directed by Spielberg it will get you thinking about his directing style.

Almost exactly 30 years ago, in the summer of 1975, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws established a template for the modern blockbuster which helped make him the world’s most bankable director. Adapted from a bestseller about everyday folk being hunted by an unstoppable killing machine, Jaws sold 25 million tickets in 38 days.

In one mighty gobble, Spielberg’s sleekly mechanical hit swallowed up Hollywood’s European-arthouse affectations and dragged mainstream cinema back to its carnival sideshow roots, offering a rollercoaster ride through microcosmic Americana, filled with threatening chills and thrills, but ending with the promise of a family hug.

With War of the Worlds, Spielberg has come full circle. Since Jaws he has salved his artistic conscience with worthy dirges such as Schindler’s List and Amistad and even toyed with Stanley Kubrick’s sombre mantle by adopting his unrealised dream project Artificial Intelligence: AI. Now he returns to his popcorn roots, serving up a voracious big-budget action-spectacular with a pleasingly ravenous bite.

Even more so than Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds mimics the trusty Jaws formula of helpless Americans preyed on by ruthless inhuman predators. ‘They’re from someplace else!’ gasps Tom Cruise after first setting eyes on the towering Tripods, to which his slacker son replies: ‘What, you mean… Europe?’ In fact, he means outer space, but in the post-9/11 climate of Spielberg’s explosive potboiler, there is really very little difference … read the rest here.