Krieg der Welten

Ein Sommer-Blockbuster im kleinen Rahmen, der aber emotional kalt ist. Die Handlung enthält auch zu viele Abkürzungen. Zum Glück hat der Film eine Horror-Spannung, die für ein zufriedenes Schnurren des Publikums sorgt. Ein technisch brillanter Diamant, bei dem mein Herz wild geschlagen hat. Beim Heimweg habe ich paranoid den Himmel kontrolliert. Das war auch das einzige Ziel der Filmemacher – sie wollten eine Reihe von Szenen präsentieren, deren audiovisuelle Seite (Spielbergs Regie + Kamińskis dokumentarische Kamera = Gold) die Zuschauer*innen paralysiert und im Sessel fesselt. Die Hälfte der Szenen würde zwar eine tiefere Entfaltung des Drehbuchs brauchen, eine größere Rolle spielt hier aber das, was man sieht und hört. Wenn die Figuren sympathischer und greifbarer gewesen wären, hätte es der Film des Jahres sein können. So bleibt "nur" ein enormes Staunen über Einzelheiten. Manche Szenen wird man zitieren und nachahmen. (02.07.2005)

A film that has a higher ambitions than just to scare. Its added value are the scenes that make you think. It's as if Spielberg has no illusions about people and their ability to help their fellow humans when they are in the role of "prey" fighting for bare survival. This is evident in a great scene when the crowd, under the influence of mob psychosis, wants to lynch Ferrier's family; does a person have the right to kill a fellow human being if it helps their family? What would we do in such a situation? This really isn't about war, it’s rather an intimate drama where everything is seen through the eyes of Cruise’s character. That's why we don't see the carnage in other cities, why we don't see the battle on the hill because Ferriero is standing under it, and why the "quick" ending seems logical to me. For if we were to view the gradual destruction of the aliens globally, it would contradict the original concept of the film as an intimate drama – the fate of one family. On top of that, there are no American flags, no heroic president in a fighter jet, just a joy to behold. My only quibble perhaps are a few holes in logic, and then if Spielberg had pushed a little harder on the tragic fate of the Ferrier family, as opposed to the happy ending, that would have been hardcore. Five-star hardcore. (03.07.2005)

Spielbergs Version von Krieg der Welten ist ein großartiger Kontrapunkt zur bestehenden Tradition des Katastrophenfilms. Es ist ein Film, der auf untypische Weise in sich gekehrt ist, der die Monumentalität der Schlachten und das Pathos des Heldentums größtenteils verachtet. Sie konzentrieren sich auf drei kleine, unbedeutende Punkte, die verzweifelt in der wilden Strömung des Krieges treiben und keine Zeit für Heldentum, Plattitüden oder Nationalismus haben. Die schauspielerische Leistung der drei Hauptdarsteller ist hervorragend - die Chemie des Familientrios wird vor allem von der winzigen Dakota Fanning dramatisiert, deren Leben für den Erzähler des Films viel mehr wert ist als die Freiheitsstatue, das Weiße Haus und andere bisher unverzichtbaren Elemente des Genres. Tom Cruise überrascht mich nicht mehr - ich weiß, dass er einer der Besten ist, und Ray Ferrier bestätigt das nur. Steven Spielberg nutzt die wunderbar funktionierende Magie der Figuren und hält sie durch Janusz Kaminskis phänomenale Kinematographie so nah wie möglich am Körper. Das Ergebnis ist ein intensives und fast ungewöhnlich intimes Spektakel, in dem Glanz und Gloria der großen Schlachten der Menschheit nur in Form von vagen Anekdoten durchschimmern. Die dichte Atmosphäre von Krieg der Welten wird durch den ungewöhnlich introvertierten Soundtrack von John Williams und natürlich die großartigen Effekte vervollständigt, die zu den besten überhaupt gehören. Die eindrucksvollsten Momente sind die Szenen, in denen die Zerstörung der Menschheit angedeutet wird - ein Kleiderregen, Hunderte von Toten in einem Fluss... Mit diesem Film wurde Spielberg zum maßgeblichen Vertreter des zeitgenössischen spektakulären Science-Fiction-Films. Seine Filme haben Seele, sie sind visuell überzeugend, sie haben einfach eine Ladung. Und leider sind ihre Endsequenzen verpatzt. Das Problem von Krieg der Welten ist nicht die Idee, sondern die Tatsache, dass das Klischee, das bis dahin erfolgreich vermieden wurde, am Ende wie ein Kugelblitz einschlägt. Schade, schwächere 5 Sterne. (02.07.2005)

Mediocre in almost all respects. Except from a few individual scenes (the plane, the port, the train) and nice sound, this is nothing but a random onslaught of scenes, mundane actors, uninspiring music and a pleasantly “well-worn" look. If you’re looking for an intelligent, different slant on alien invasion, Signs is a better choice. This certainly isn’t bad or boring - Spielberg is too good and experienced a filmmaker to allow that, but I can’t help thinking that here we get his routine work and nothing more. Unfortunately he found support neither in the actors or in the screenplay. ♫ OST score: 3/5 (03.07.2005)

The more logic he gets on his side, the more surprisingly Spielberg is able to win in completely different fields with suspense and unexpectedly perfectionist action. With Cruise as the traditionally determined main hero, he couldn't possibly go wrong. (24.01.2006)

My final impression is not bad at all. Spielberg is too good of a director to make a forgettable film. He incorporated something into his film that was missing in his previous works - tension and darkness. The tranquility and childlike playfulness of E.T. were forgotten, and Spielberg made his War of the Worlds as a monumental disaster film, which is additionally likable because it is shot from the perspective of an ordinary outsider who is not trying to save the world, but simply trying to survive quite normally. Sometimes even at the expense of others. Several scenes are shot breathtakingly. Spielberg is very good at depicting the destruction of the city, the sinking of the ship, and apocalyptic scenes of fleeing crowds, and he uses all those aspects here. The basement scene with the mirror is even in my top ten and with its sophistication, it ranks among the highlights of the genre. Cruise is good, but he is outdone by the excellent Dakota Fanning as a current top child star. Tim Robbins also played his mentally disturbed man with ease, and the other actors are not important for anything else but future corpses. What deprived the film of a fifth star and a place among the best films is the unfortunate happy ending, which may be taken from the book, but does not suit the overall tone of the film. At the same time, the length of the film is also a problem, which in this case could have been 20 minutes longer because, after a very good start, the ending feels somewhat deprived. Visually, it is a remarkable film, characterized by the gloomy red of the alien organisms and the unsettling sounds of alien machines creating a suitably chilling atmosphere for most of the film. Overall impression: 80%. (04.12.2007)

An intimate, well-written and very minimalist action flick with stunning visuals that relies on a cohesive cinematic experience with a precisely blended mix of all the key ingredients. (30.06.2005)

No other film has been able to portray the sheer terror of confronting an unknown alien enemy like War of the Worlds. A nightmare with superb editing and glorious sound design, whose overwhelming aura of hopelessness and the defencelessness of the characters in a terrible situation is unpredictable and makes it a strong candidate for the best blockbuster of its decade. The pace is thrilling and some of the scenes are chilling not only because of their virtuoso audiovisuals, but also because of their strong humane subtext (the scene of the car being attacked by a mad mob is the film's most moving moment), which makes even more disappointing the slightly unfinished ending, when the level of horror and depression, culminating in the sequence with Tim Robbins, begins to stagnate and is replaced by the mandatory, but nonetheless annoying, family pathos. I don't agree with the general hate of the hysterical Dakota, which on the contrary is very important to Spielberg's cunning intent to exhaust and terrify audiences of all ages, but on the other hand, it's true that there’s no other film that will make guys be so eager to never have children and appreciate the subtle allure of condoms. If this was Steven's intention, then I'd throw in a fifth star. 85% (08.11.2017)

Well, no. Upon closer inspection, it definitely wasn't what I expected, and there are plenty of things that traditionally bother me about Spielberg - the melodrama, which is sometimes unnecessary, the unbelievable pathos, and scenes that are dragged out without having any effect on me. Actually, I didn't even feel the tension anymore. Well, it almost seems like I want to start a club called "I Hate Spielberg," but this film still belongs to those that I can tolerate from him. (10.12.2015)

I have to go up to 4 stars after the 2nd screening, and that's mostly because of the great Cruise and the talented Fanning. Spielberg combines the invasion of the "repulsive creatures from outer space" + the family drama as a sideline as only he can. A pleasant viewing experience. :) (29.03.2009)