Spielberg's War of the Worlds forced Americans to look in the mirror
Starring a smooth-sprinting Tom Cruise at the top of his game, Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi thriller shows the scales falling from his own country’s eyes
TL;DR
- Spielberg's 2005 'War of the Worlds' is argued to be the best adaptation of H.G. Wells' novel.
- The film's alien design, intended to be clichéd, reflects collective fears.
- Tom Cruise's character, Ray Ferrier, is a flawed father on the run with his children.
- The invasion renders wealth and status irrelevant, reducing everyone to prey.
- The movie critiques military triumphalism and can be read as political commentary on contemporary conflicts.
- The ending, where nature defeats the aliens, reinforces the idea that some threats cannot be fought conventionally.
- Critics overlooked Spielberg's focus on "infinite complacency" and the film's commentary on environmental issues and forced migration.
- Inspired by British settler atrocities, Wells' novel called the invasion "the great disillusionment," a theme Spielberg's film captures for America.