Sunday, October 10, 2004
Why are the Americans filming another version of "The War of the Worlds", when all their transporting the action to present-day America is likely to result in is another "Independence Day" clone?
I love "The War of the Worlds" as a novel, and even the Jeff Wayne LP has its moments, but do we really need to have it updated for a modern-day audience in the way that Spielberg and Cruise are intending?
The answer is no.
One of the great things about H.G. Wells' novel is that seemingly ordinary places in and around Surrey play major parts in the story. Prior to 11 September 2001, we'd simply have had these replaced by the same sort of major US landmarks that we see in countless other movies, including "Independence Day". Now US sensitivities will invariably mean that only overseas landmarks are blown up, but the result will still be another "Independence Day" clone.
There's nothing particularly wrong with a follow-up to "Independence Day", but why bother filming a novel set in Victorian England if you're simply going to transplant it to present-day America? Simply make "Independence Day 2" and leave "The War of the Worlds" to someone who's going to stick closely to the novel.
I love "The War of the Worlds" as a novel, and even the Jeff Wayne LP has its moments, but do we really need to have it updated for a modern-day audience in the way that Spielberg and Cruise are intending?
The answer is no.
One of the great things about H.G. Wells' novel is that seemingly ordinary places in and around Surrey play major parts in the story. Prior to 11 September 2001, we'd simply have had these replaced by the same sort of major US landmarks that we see in countless other movies, including "Independence Day". Now US sensitivities will invariably mean that only overseas landmarks are blown up, but the result will still be another "Independence Day" clone.
There's nothing particularly wrong with a follow-up to "Independence Day", but why bother filming a novel set in Victorian England if you're simply going to transplant it to present-day America? Simply make "Independence Day 2" and leave "The War of the Worlds" to someone who's going to stick closely to the novel.
