| wminsing | 05 May 2015 8:53 a.m. PST |
So this sort of fell off my radar but jumped back on when I stumbled across in on Netflix! It's a 'sequel' to War of the Worlds set in 1914 and follows an international force created to protect against a second Martian attack, using reverse-engineered Martian tech (courtesy of Tesla). Overall I liked the film, I'd rated it about a 3.5/5, a solid C+. The Good:
1. Technical designs were interesting and well animated. The Martian Tripods looked very cool and their human counter parts were plain awesome. Other gear on both sides was also neat.
2. Plot was generally good (though maybe a bit rushed), didn't drag or belabor anything and we got to see multiple aspects of the conflict. The Not So Good:
1. Voice acting ranged from pretty good to poor; accents so think you couldn't follow the dialogue, and some characters voices were looped in way too quiet compared to other characters
2. The human-to-human characterization was pretty clearly going down the action movie list and checking off all the required boxes; female love interest, crew member who's loyalty is questionable, etc. Everything Else:
1. The animated effect of heat-rays on the human body, plus a few other scenes, means I wouldn't show to this to pre-teens or younger. Which is a shame, because otherwise the movie would be about PG.
2. The plot DID seem like it could have been two movies; some plot points never develop, and other areas aren't really explored enough to totally make sense. Anyway, it's a neat entry to the 'War of the Worlds Sequel' arena, and on Netflix so if you have I'd recommend checking it out. Plenty of gaming fodder there as well. I would LOVE to see models of the Human Tripods from the movie. -Will |
| 45thdiv | 05 May 2015 9:03 a.m. PST |
I agree with your comments. I did not feel like I wasted my time watching it. There are things that could have been better, but a good popcorn movie. Matthew |
 Saber6   | 05 May 2015 9:33 a.m. PST |
And you get Teddy Roosevelt fighting Martains! |
| cloudcaptain | 05 May 2015 10:58 a.m. PST |
It was a blast. Sadly was not accompanied by toys. |
| Double W | 05 May 2015 11:38 a.m. PST |
I liked some of the set and vehicle designs, but otherwise I didn't care for it. |
| Dynaman8789 | 05 May 2015 11:58 a.m. PST |
I thought it was garbage. |
ScottWashburn  | 05 May 2015 2:15 p.m. PST |
And if anyone could beat the Martians it would be Teddy Roosevelt! the man was superhuman! |
| tsofian | 05 May 2015 5:02 p.m. PST |
Why did people dislike this film so much? I was actually quite pleased with it. I like the charcaters for the most part. The voices were great. Teddy hammering away at the aliens with a machine gun. The sets were nice vehicles were also pretty interesting. I like the Martians. This was so much better than lots of other things that have come out. |
| Mister Tibbles | 05 May 2015 7:09 p.m. PST |
We liked it. Taste is such a personal thing. I do not expect us all to like the same things. Free on Netflix was also nice. |
 Bobgnar | 05 May 2015 9:15 p.m. PST |
Mr. TIbbles how do you get free movies on Netflix? |
| Dynaman8789 | 06 May 2015 10:02 a.m. PST |
Terrible writing and voice acting top the list of what is wrong with it. Closely followed by putting Teddy Roosevelt in it and the character is nothing like him. Cookie cutter characters being the last straw. Oops, add in horrible character design. It did have nice effects. Only positive thing I can say about it. |
| cybrt54 | 06 May 2015 11:08 a.m. PST |
Way to modern upgrades for the planes, the walkers etc.. Looked more post WWII than the time it was set in. I'm a big VSF fan and yeah it was a let down for me.. |
| TheBeast | 06 May 2015 2:05 p.m. PST |
I thought it was garbage. Actually, I agree, and am still glad I bought it to put on the PS3 once in awhile. However, Randy, have to agree with you there; I really tried to buy into the 'we learned so much from their tech and we'd been rushing the science,' and it still didn't hold for me. I thought the characterizations were wooden  . Soooo, 'seriously guilty' pleasure on my part. Really, it helps to ignore the timeline, and play portions with the sound off, though. It was obviously framed for 3D; do wish I could have gone that route, though. Doug |
| ScottWashburn | 10 May 2015 8:59 a.m. PST |
Okay, I just saw it and I thought it was great! The steampunk world created in the 15 years since the first invasion was seriously cool. Yes, some of the characters were pretty wooden and the main character's English accent that comes and goes was annoying, but that didn't really detract. And Roosevelt was great! I just finished reading a fantastic 3-volumn biography of the man and I could totally see him doing everything he does in the movie. :) And the animation showing how a three-legged machine would really walk is the best I've seen anywhere. I highly recommend this. And I wish they'd make a sequel! |
| TheBeast | 11 May 2015 6:23 a.m. PST |
If anyone makes further comment, and you got to see it in 3D as well as not, please advise if it adds as much as I suspect. Doug |
