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I was a big fan of the H.G. Wells novel when it first came out, since this kind of xenophobic paranoia was relatively new back then, so I was a little skeptical as to whether the director of "E.T." and "Schindler's List" -- mushy family fare -- could pull off the kind of soul-crushing despair that the material demands. I'm glad to report that my fears were misplaced: this movie reeks of the kind of hopelessness not seen since the artsy 70's, when Scorcese and Coppola were shaking our faith with anti-Hollywood downbeat endings, and even George Lucas was sucking the joy out of Lalo Schifrin to make "THX 1138" the ultra-depressing sci-fi bomb of its day.
None of the false-hope-inducing heroics of "Alien" or "Independence Day" here. No, the post-9/11 message is that the aliens coming, they've evil, and -- unless you're lucky enough to be Tom Cruise or one of his immediate family -- you're going to die, horribly, and there's nothing you can do about it. On the positive side, if you are Tom Cruise, protected as you are by an invisible force-shield of Scientological knowledge, all you have to do is run fast, and the ray-beams will miss you. I'm sure there's a lesson there for all of us.
**SPOILER ALERT**
I'm not going to reveal the ending, but I have to say my favorite part of the movie was contained in the final narration so sonorously added by the loveable Morgan Freeman. (Yes, I can forgive him for having played God -- who among us hasn't wanted to do that?) That little epilogue to the movie notes that the resolution for the film came about because of a little something that "God in his infinite wisdom" put on this earth. Now, up until this point, this has been one of the most atheistic movies ever made -- the action begins with the destruction of a church -- and I must say that was a refreshing breath of air for this omniscient being. (I have to be aware every time "Seventh Heaven" re-runs anywhere on the planet!) So the suggestion, just as everyone is gathering their coats and preparing to sprint for the urinal, that God has been watching over and even participating in the wanton destruction of people, property and, yes, farm animals, was just too delicious. This one is definitely going in the DVD collection!
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