I completely understand your complaint, but I also saw it slightly differently. The dreamlike, surreal quality of that end of the film was more like the character going to sleep, hoping to dream, hoping that it'd be a nightmare, only to wake up into another nightmare, realizing that they'd never be safe. More or less, I saw it as a way for Spielberg to ratchet the tension up even further beyond what he'd done, as I think he may have been approaching some limit, some burnout point. By seguing into a dream like scene, I think it gave (me at least) the ability to deal with what was going on without lessening the tension.
Also, did you notice how that hole in the window theme repeated itself? It's in the movie at least three times that I can recall, if not more. I wonder if he was trying to make a statement that the martians are the ball, and we're the glass, and we can't do shit except let them by. Alternatively, it may have been a statement about safety, what with all of our protection amounting to ultimately just a pane of glass
Also, did I make it clear that it wasn't a relaxing experience the first time I saw this film? I thought the tension, while good, was very draining and tough to sit through. I loved it, but it was somewhat mentally exhausting.
Or read the book - the ending's the same, and it's on project gutenberg. Alternatively, select the text below. The martians die from an earth-based disease which they have no immunity to.
This is funny reding this now. As you noticed, we definitely agree on the abruptness and unsatisfactoriness of the end. I do think the scene with Rachel was a bit more unbelievable than everything else we see but it didn't come over to me as "dream sequence".
I am sold on the idea that this is Spielberg taking Wells's intent and updating it to "This is what it was like to be in Iraq or Afghanistan when we invaded. And it isn't so unlike how it felt to be a Jew when Germany turned Nazi, or a NYer in 9/11. All invasions (including an internal rise to power in the Nazi case) feel like this to the person with no power."
Did you notice the person Cruise stole the working car from at the start was clearly Jewish ("Manny") and very like the Jews in Nazi Germany who said, oh, it's ok, we'll stay, nothing happening here? Even when told he'll die if he stays?
The ashes all over our hero's face and the fact that there were piles of clothing left were also quite Holocaust-like. If they'd left their gold teeth behind too it would have been a nice touch :->
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Also, did you notice how that hole in the window theme repeated itself? It's in the movie at least three times that I can recall, if not more. I wonder if he was trying to make a statement that the martians are the ball, and we're the glass, and we can't do shit except let them by. Alternatively, it may have been a statement about safety, what with all of our protection amounting to ultimately just a pane of glass
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Your review has me captivated....don't make me go to a cinema to find the ending! :P
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Or read the book - the ending's the same, and it's on project gutenberg.
Alternatively, select the text below.
The martians die from an earth-based disease which they have no immunity to.
Reply
I am sold on the idea that this is Spielberg taking Wells's intent and updating it to "This is what it was like to be in Iraq or Afghanistan when we invaded. And it isn't so unlike how it felt to be a Jew when Germany turned Nazi, or a NYer in 9/11. All invasions (including an internal rise to power in the Nazi case) feel like this to the person with no power."
Did you notice the person Cruise stole the working car from at the start was clearly Jewish ("Manny") and very like the Jews in Nazi Germany who said, oh, it's ok, we'll stay, nothing happening here? Even when told he'll die if he stays?
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