War of the Worlds - 6

This film is fundamentally about what humans will do to survive. The film will require some research on my part into what H.G. Wells story was about. My hunch is that Spielberg may have taken some liberties in this version. Although the narration at the beginning and the end of the film sounds like it came directly from the book. The struggle I had in watching the film was the question survival for what? The main character is a dead beat dad, played by Cruise, tries to save his two kids when all hell breaks loose, his is determined to reunite them with their mother. He uses everything at his disposal to survive. What is interesting is how dependent our culture is on technology, when all electricity is lost the people in the film have nothing to do, no stories to tell, books to read, or songs to sing that can comfort their fears. The fear of losing home has arrived and the hope of a family is all that can drive them to survive at whatever cost. There is some humor in the film but that is only to help the audience separate themselves from the events of the film, the humor is lost on the characters in the film. The best part of this film is that the audience can walk away with the opportunity to ask good questions about things that matter most. My fear is that the questions will be lost on most of the millions of viewers that this film will have this weekend.