Finally saw it yesterday, and I give it a B. I agree with most opinion here (after reading all the WoW threads last night). I recognize that Spielberg wanted to follow the actual story line. However, he did take some liberties to make it better (the crashed airliner), why not take more? The original ending to the WoW wasn't a cop out, IMO but now has become one. Aliens have as much of a chance of catching a human disease as we have of catching a disease from an oak tree. So, I'd like something better. I've been thinking on what it would have taken for me to give it a A+.
1) Get rid of Tim Robbins and everything afterwards, and replace it with the following:
2) Have the aliens catch Tom Cruise and both kids legitimately. It was about time that their luck had run out. If you want to add some suspense, have a tunnel or something that they make it too, barely in time. Just to have the long tentacle thingy reach way in there and grab them.
3) While in the cage, add some more drama by having the caged group fight each other to avoid getting picked. Maybe even have stronger guys pushing weaker people to the top.
4) After a few hours (not real time.. just give the impression that Tom Cruise and his son has successfully protected the young girl for a good while), a new guy gets dropped into the cage. Make him a big burly guy, who pulls out a pistol to force everybody to calm down. This guy announces that he is a Army/Marine sergeant (in civilian clothes), and announces that everyone in there will eventually die, unless something is done. He will then open his jacket and show them that he has a belt full of grenades. He tells them that he will go next, and that he will try to blow up the alien tripod. Have him end by saying that if any of you survive, spread the word about what we are doing. We need recruits like me. They are getting smarter, and they don't pick men in military uniform anymore. He spends the remainder of his life standing in the middle, while everybody else lays down.
5) Like in the real movie, the tripod explodes from the inside, and everybody falls down (a few die). Have Cruise and Co. get out and go into run mode again. Have the son tell Tom Cruise that he wants to volunteer. Cruise tells him no. They fight about it some more, and cruise tells him hell no, and they keep running together.
6) Eventually, they see more tripods, and a skinny guy with a grenade belt on runs up to the tripod, and says, "pick me you <expletive of choice>!". The alien simply vaporizes him and keeps moving on. When the alien is looking elsewhere, Tom's son runs out there (with Tom trying to get him to stop) and grabs the belt and runs back. Tom, yells to him, "what are you doing?" and tells him to put it down. The argument gets the attention of the alien again. They all start running, and as the son is running, he straps on the belt, falling behind slightly. He yells to Tom to get the girl out of here, and turns to run another direction. The alien follows the son and eventually sucks him up. Meanwhile Tom and the girl do a good job of hiding, and watch as that alien keeps killing and collecting people.
7) When all is quiet (everybody out in the open is dead or snatched), the alien is quiet for a little while, then it explodes. Tom tears up, and the girl cries, but they, and a bunch of other hiding people get up and walk past the dead alien.
8) Eventually they make it to Boston. Some of them are dead some are alive (perhaps have the mom dead). They definitely shouldn't be dressed like they just had Thanksgiving dinner. Anyway, have the movie end there. That way, there was a glimmer of hope for mankind, and perhaps the potential for a sequel.
Anyway, those are my thoughts.
[This message has been edited by aTmAg (edited 8/1/2005 8:26a).]
1) Get rid of Tim Robbins and everything afterwards, and replace it with the following:
2) Have the aliens catch Tom Cruise and both kids legitimately. It was about time that their luck had run out. If you want to add some suspense, have a tunnel or something that they make it too, barely in time. Just to have the long tentacle thingy reach way in there and grab them.
3) While in the cage, add some more drama by having the caged group fight each other to avoid getting picked. Maybe even have stronger guys pushing weaker people to the top.
4) After a few hours (not real time.. just give the impression that Tom Cruise and his son has successfully protected the young girl for a good while), a new guy gets dropped into the cage. Make him a big burly guy, who pulls out a pistol to force everybody to calm down. This guy announces that he is a Army/Marine sergeant (in civilian clothes), and announces that everyone in there will eventually die, unless something is done. He will then open his jacket and show them that he has a belt full of grenades. He tells them that he will go next, and that he will try to blow up the alien tripod. Have him end by saying that if any of you survive, spread the word about what we are doing. We need recruits like me. They are getting smarter, and they don't pick men in military uniform anymore. He spends the remainder of his life standing in the middle, while everybody else lays down.
5) Like in the real movie, the tripod explodes from the inside, and everybody falls down (a few die). Have Cruise and Co. get out and go into run mode again. Have the son tell Tom Cruise that he wants to volunteer. Cruise tells him no. They fight about it some more, and cruise tells him hell no, and they keep running together.
6) Eventually, they see more tripods, and a skinny guy with a grenade belt on runs up to the tripod, and says, "pick me you <expletive of choice>!". The alien simply vaporizes him and keeps moving on. When the alien is looking elsewhere, Tom's son runs out there (with Tom trying to get him to stop) and grabs the belt and runs back. Tom, yells to him, "what are you doing?" and tells him to put it down. The argument gets the attention of the alien again. They all start running, and as the son is running, he straps on the belt, falling behind slightly. He yells to Tom to get the girl out of here, and turns to run another direction. The alien follows the son and eventually sucks him up. Meanwhile Tom and the girl do a good job of hiding, and watch as that alien keeps killing and collecting people.
7) When all is quiet (everybody out in the open is dead or snatched), the alien is quiet for a little while, then it explodes. Tom tears up, and the girl cries, but they, and a bunch of other hiding people get up and walk past the dead alien.
8) Eventually they make it to Boston. Some of them are dead some are alive (perhaps have the mom dead). They definitely shouldn't be dressed like they just had Thanksgiving dinner. Anyway, have the movie end there. That way, there was a glimmer of hope for mankind, and perhaps the potential for a sequel.
Anyway, those are my thoughts.
[This message has been edited by aTmAg (edited 8/1/2005 8:26a).]