Paramount's new 4k presentation of War of the Worlds goes above and beyond what I expected in terms of the video and audio transfers. If you're on the fence about upgrading, this is one well worth it!
“An iconic star, a legendary filmmaker and an all-time sci-fi classic come together with spectacular results in War of the Worlds. Tom Cruise stars as Ray Ferrier, an ordinary man who summons extraordinary courage to protect his children when a global army of alien invaders set their sights and their devastating war machines upon Earth and the entire human population. The masterful direction of multi-Academy Award winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg dazzles the eye and touches the heart in this astonishing adventure based on the original story by H.G. Wells.”
War of the Worlds opens as we’re introduced to Ray Ferrier, a New York working-class guy, divorced, seeming to care more about himself than anyone else. As he comes home from a long shift, he finds his ex-wife (Miranda Otto) waiting on him to drop off their kids for the weekend, Robbie (Justin Catwin) and Rachel (Dakota Fanning). As she inspects his living situation it is clear that he isn’t much of a father to these children, nor prepared to take care of them. With tensions high between him and his children, especially Robbie, Ray gives his kids money for takeout and goes to sleep. When he wakes, Robbie has taken his car, but furthermore, an odd lightning storm has formed right over their heads. With hundreds of people watching in awe, they inspect the site of multiple lightning strikes, and the ground beneath them begins to open up, revealing a mechanical monstrosity. It wreaks havoc on the unsuspecting onlookers, and Ray makes it home to tell his kids to pack everything they can, steals the only working car in the area and gets as far away from the destruction as he can, with his only plan to return his children to their mother for safety.
Steven Spielberg teams up again with Tom Cruise in this classic Sci-Fi alien invasion story. War of the Worlds captivated listeners back in 1938 as Orson Welles read the story over the air, causing panic among listeners fearing it was true. Spielberg was a perfect choice to bring this story to the big screen again for a new generation, updating the story for modern day. Even though the film is bigger than anything that has come before it, what Spielberg chooses to focus on is one family and their struggle to survive this alien invasion, bonding with one another as they do.
Spielberg has been open about the absent father character he puts in most of his films. Mirroring his own life and relationship with his father, these are usually central to the heart of the film, and the same goes for War of the Worlds. Ray isn’t a good father at all, that’s clear in the first few minutes of the film. He likes things his own way, and children only get in the way of that. It takes an alien invasion of all things to get Ray to begin to care about his kids and become the responsible adult he needs to be for them, and also to gain mutual respect between his son and himself. This is the main emotional theme of the entire film. In this disaster of unimaginable proportions, it is about one man trying to save his children and learning how to be a father.
One of the things I like about the film is the fact that it is so confined. Spielberg is able to do that in a lot of his films, like in Saving Private Ryan, it focuses on one group of people and the situations they come across, but in this case, it’s a family. The films don’t cut across the globe and show invasions in other parts of the world, or to government attack forces trying to repel the invaders. Information comes from people they meet along the way, with this war naturally progressing as Ray tries to make it to Boston to reunite his children with their mother. Some may not like this, as the title War of the Worlds may insinuate an epic battle for the safety of our planet, but instead this film features what we’re fighting for: our loved ones. The only criticism I have of this is that the part with Tim Robbins, although brilliantly embodies insanity on a different level, goes on way too long. It succeeds at really building some nice tension-filled sequences, but drags the pacing a bit toward the conclusion.
Video
War of the Worlds is presented in 4k 2160p Ultra High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1 featuring Dolby Vision. Paramount has my utmost respect for the transfer they’ve presented here, which looks breathtaking. The meta-data the Dolby Vision provides ensures every scene looks the best possible, featuring those brilliant brights, deep darks, and richer, life-like colors. Spielberg’s unique look of the film paints a very drab and washed out picture, with nice amounts of grain to give it that certain feel. I think this may be one of the more impressive Dolby Vision upgrades I’ve seen, and if you are on the fence about picking this title up, the picture quality is more than worth it.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos. On DVD I thought this had one of the more impressive tracks I had heard, then again on Blu-Ray. Now on 4k I am certain, as this track has ample opportunity to show off what it can do in the impressive action sequences that Spielberg creates. From the deafening noise of the tripods, to the flying debris of destroyed buildings, downed planes, fighting military, you’ll feel like you are right in the middle of it all. Levels sound great, with a good balance between those surrounds and center channel for dialogue.
Special Features
The extras are contained on the Blu-Ray disc and are the same as the previous release. These include:
- Revisiting the Invasion
- The H.G. Wells Legacy
- Steven Spielberg and the Original War of the Worlds
- Characters: The Family Unit
- Previsualization
- Production Diaries
- Designing the Enemy: Tripods and Aliens
- Scoring War of the Worlds
- We Are Not Alone
- Galleries
- Theatrical Teaser Trailer
War of the Worlds may not be the film everyone thinks about when they think of Spielberg, but to me, it will always be one of my favorites from him. Paramount has done a fantastic job with this new 4k set, worth every penny to upgrade from Blu-Ray if you have the capabilities to utilize the fantastic video and audio the set boasts.
