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Jewish World Review July 12, 2005 / 5 Taamuz, 5765 Spielberg's anti-war ‘War of the Worlds’ By Debra J. Saunders
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
If there is a theme to Steven Spielberg's new alien-invasion movie, "War of the Worlds," it is not that the human spirit has the courage that justifies human survival. Or that American know-how and grit can defeat invaders, even when the situation seems impossible. No, it is more like: If aliens invade, don't fight back. Run.
No need for self-defense. Mother Nature will take care of the non- indigenous occupiers.
While set in the Northeast, Spielberg's alien war seems very much like what would happen if aliens invaded Hollywood. There would be no praying, no talk of G-d, no homeowners defending their homes, no posses defending their communities, no 90210 teens enlisting to defend their country.
In Spielberg's world, as the invaders appeared, movie moguls would be finding a quick way out of town, while extolling their children to run faster. (Those aerobics classes should be good for something.)
Consider the rare civilians who have guns in the movie: Tom Cruise's character, Ray Ferrier, has a gun.
There is also a rifle-toting ex-paramedic played by Tim Robbins. Even though he, unlike the countless other civilians who are butchered while trying to evade the alien killing machines, chooses to do battle, he is revealed as "a bug-eyed maniac," says Chronicle reviewer Mick LaSalle, or "a fruitcake who fancies himself a member of the 'resistance,' " says the Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan. You know he's a nut because he has a gun, a big gun. Mentally unstable, he, of course, invites his own demise.
"War of the Worlds" also has to be one of the few alien-invasion movies in which civilian guns only are fired at humans, not the space invaders. Compare "War of the Worlds" to the 1996 sci-fi flick, "Independence Day." Yes, most civilians run from attacking forces in that movie. But their flight doesn't convey the every-man-for-himself feel of the Spielberg exodus. People rescued each other. They supported military efforts as they fled and were mindful of the need to seek a place for a final stand.
For his sorry part, Ferrier doesn't try to help anyone else on the road in "War." He actually impedes the departure of a ferry so he can scramble on.
In "Independence Day," civilians show an appreciation for military efforts, however futile and fatal the initial forays were.
Humans are angry in "Independence Day." They are afraid in "War."
"Independence Day" focuses on the demise of iconic buildings and monuments. "War" doesn't bother to evoke anger or patriotism movie-goers might experience watching cherished buildings implode.
When a caravan of young soldiers drives past the fleeing Ferrier family, the viewer knows the soldiers are all doomed. If Ferrier is grateful for the young soldiers' sacrifice, he certainly doesn't show it. If you ever wondered what kind of men would pay a poor man $300 to take their place in the Union Army during the Civil War, take a long look at Ferrier. He would rather die running, and he is willing to kill to do so.
Imagine, when every human will die unless people figure out how to beat this invading force, the idea of fighting back is absent from all of the main characters — save Ray's teenage son, Robbie, credit the impetuousness of youth.
His aliens aren't Martians; they first appear rising from underground.
So Spielberg could have written in a macrobiotic demise that at least followed heroic efforts to repel the invaders. Instead, he focused on valiant efforts to run away, rewarded, as the narrator explains, by nature and occupiers' failure to develop an immunity to germs.
And how do moviegoers learn that the aliens are near death? As Ferrier noticed, birds that once fled the alien's tripods (walking tanks) now had begun to perch on them. Mother Earth saves the day.
Too bad Spielberg forgot to show butterflies cavorting among the killing machines. That would have been a nice touch.
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Comment JWR contributor Debra J. Saunders's column by clicking here. © 2005, Creators Syndicate |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
