War takes attention off Toms troubles

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Tom Cruise may be making headlines with his recent behavior, but even Cruises bad boy antics cant sink War of the Worlds. The Steven Spielberg adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel features plenty of chills and thrills, making it one of the summers big-ticket releases that actually lives up to the hype.

Cruise plays Ray, a dock worker and divorced dad trying to connect with his estranged children (Justin Chatwin and Dakota Fanning) during a weekend visit. The familys struggles take a back seat when a bizarre lightning storm proves to be the precursor to an attack by beings from another world.

It doesnt take Ray long to round up his kids and head for safety, avoiding the increasingly horrific attacks from the aliens.

Cruise carries the picture, and even manages to make me forget about the fact that he might be having a very public mid-life crisis. Fanning is fine, but I cant help but think her career goes out the door when she reaches adolescence.

But this is a film where the actors let the special effects be the star.

Spielberg does a masterful job of building the tension and creating an effective science-fiction thriller. The films strongest moments come during two edge-of-your-seat sequences. The first attack is the films best, which really had me anticipating what was going to happen next.

That sequence is nearly topped by an attack on a ferry that reminded me a lot of the final half of Titanic with its panic-induced hysteria combined with jaw-dropping destruction.

These two scenes really push the envelope when it comes to the films PG-13 rating this isnt a movie for younger children but it helps enhance the effectiveness of the films rather grim feel.

War of the Worlds does suffer from a disappointing final act. The usually reliable Tim Robbins is slightly out of place in a small role and the wrap-up seems rushed and rather convenient. Still, its much more satisfying than Spielbergs A.I. which left most audiences feeling frustrated and cheated.

War of the Worlds doesnt reach the heights of Spielbergs last collaboration with Cruise, Minority Report, but it still sets the bar pretty high. With the exception of Star Wars, this may be the summer seasons best high-profile event.

Discount dud of the week

This weeks discount dud is The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (C) an average science-fiction adventure that probably will appeal more to the fans of the popular book and BBC mini-series that the film is based on.

The plot is simple. Brit Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is rescued by his friend, an alien in disguise, Ford Prefect (Mos Def), right before Earth is destroyed.

The pair set off on a whirlwind adventure across the galaxies meeting some unusual characters along the way.

There were moments in Hitchhiker where I was mildly amused, including a musical number by dolphins right before they leave Earth, but for the most part, the dry British humor just fell flat. It was like watching a gag reel of all the Monty Python moments that didnt work.

Part of the problem could have been the cast. Freeman and Mos Def just arent that dynamic in their respective roles. Hitchhiker does throw in small parts for John Malkovich and Bill Nighy, as well as speaking parts for Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman, but none is given enough screen time to connect.

The best performance comes from Sam Rockwell, who plays the president of the galaxy as sort of a cross between George Bush and Jim Morrison.

But even Rockwell isnt enough to prevent this from being middle-of-the-road. I can respect what everyone involved was trying to do in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, but that doesnt mean I have to like it or recommend it to anyone else. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy opens Friday at the Plaza 6, where all movies are $1.50.

Sportswriter/movie reviewer Micheal Compton is so tired of evil aliens in film, he is taking the rest of the summer off to find more cute and cuddly E.T.-like aliens. If he has time, he will answer your questions about films or aliens. Just drop him a line at mcompton@bgdailynews.com.

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