The most unrealistic part of this movie was not the martians coming in with 100-foot machines with heat rays in an effort to exterminate the human race, but the fact that there were only 2 guns present in a crowd of americans.
@@greenbyob It's just like the internet except for all those troll's can get away with physical harm. Yet again like you said, usually not facing any consequences from it either.
While pulling security at a 'music' event, I was at the front of the female line(we had two lines for both sexes so they could be searched before entering the venue) when gun shots rang out. The entire female crowd frantically stampeded into the building corner which had some vehicles parked there. I was taken along with the mass of people and ended up pushed against the wall. I was completely immobilized, and the only way to break free while in the crush was to have started climbing on top of them. Luckily, they started to calm down when no more shots came and started to space out. The animal instinct of the masses is a terrifying thing to behold. Fear and desperation replaces all rational thought, all morality, and all decency. The majority easily turn to savagery as soon as they are tested. That was an important lesson for me to learn.
If you enjoy reading, you may be interested in "The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind" by Gustave Le Bon. It's in French but I suppose it must have been translated in other languages. It's a really good read and after just a few pages I could see parallel with what I've seen these last few years with all the riots.
This is the best part of the movie and scarily accurate to what mob rule does to people. The guy chewing through the windscreen with his hands is the greatest thing ever
I prefer the mob scene in the original war of the worlds film. A mob basically hunts any vehicle to escape the martains. Only problem is that the vehicles they attack trucks carrying equipment key to figuring out a way to kill the martains. Against the protagonists cries, the mob chucks all the equipment from the back of the trucks. It shows that in an effort for survival, people will go for the short-term solution over the long term one
@@TH3B1TT3RP1LLNo they wouldn't. There's reports of people dying in crowds, natural disasters, hang fights, mass shootings, stampeding is the most common death. Travis Scott Astroworld concert is a perfect example. I think you just live in a supportive world.
“Give me the keys, I’m taking the car 🔫” “Alright, but what do I do about him 👉🏾” “I don’t need a car I just need a gun 🔪” “Alright I want a car, you want a gun, what do you want?” “Well I’ve never owned a knife before😅”
I actually have a theory as to why the Martians vaporize nearly everyone initially and switch to almost always gathering people and putting them into baskets: it’s all but confirmed that the Martians are Vampiric beings, they drink blood and other fluids to live, but their diet must be incredibly select, considering how weak their immune systems are (which eventually is their downfall) they weren’t just blasting everyone for fun upon waking up, they were *intentionally culling* people with blood types they aren’t compatible with. Their ships can probably scan a persons blood makeup, the incompatible ones are vapourized. The reason why they switch to almost exclusively picking up people for the baskets in the latter half of the movie is because *everyone of an incompatible blood type has been eliminated in the area.* Btw if you want me to guess what type of blood type they prefer, it’s like O-, which is the most compatible type for humans to use in hospitals too. I’m O+ :/
I'm not sure they're using them as food though. They were instead being used to spray the red mist (aka blood mixed with whatever else they got in there) to spread the red vines. The warmachines were using humans as a terraforming resource to create a second Red Planet. So while it is a pretty decent theory, my own lies more in the direction of them first opening up on everything and everyone as they do not know which people are soldiers and a (potential) threat, and which are just harmless civilians. So to be safe, they vaporize everything that moves - which is also shown by them shooting down an airliner. Or rather, you dont see them shooting it down but its implied the civilian airliner got shot down by the tripods. And later on, when they instead switch to harvesting rather than exterminating its safe to assume they instead figured out which are harmless civilians and which are soldiers - as they still open up on every single military target. But even this process doesnt seem foolproof as the one that picks up Ray made a mistake by also scooping up a soldier with a belt of grenades. Either way, be it for food or terraforming - its clear they do need humans for *something*
aw man youtube deleted my comment :c Gues it had a word in it the censorship bot didnt like. In any case, long comment short: They dont use people for food. They use people to terraform the planet.
The entire movie was designed to capture the shock and horror people felt after 9/11. The main character is covered in dust, and people after 9/11 were covered in dust, some of which was naturally remains of people, but we were very much so horrified by scenes of people covered in dust at the time. You see a lot of "found footage" or video cameras filming things and seeing things unfold on television, which was kind of how 9/11 felt. People were panicking and freaking out a lot during this period, and people went totally crazy, thinking 9/11 was a hoax, a government conspiracy, started a war among other things. You see soldiers running around and the young kid, who joins the military, tells his father you need to let me go, a feeling a lot of parents felt when their kids were being sent off to war after 9/11. Tom cruise later has to beat a guy to death who was like a crazy conspiracy theorist, and who cracked under the pressure, something we all kind of feared. And then the fear of angry mobs, which erupted all over the place afterwards. It does a really good job capturing a lot of fear at the time, an intrinsic dread, but it continues to be haunting given how raw and realistic it is. "Speaking in an interview about how the film plays with themes of refugees, Spielberg explained, “It’s an unfamiliar theme to all of us because we don’t often see images of American refugees, except after local and national disasters like hurricanes and people fleeing-and approaching hurricanes in the Florida Keys. And of course, the image that stands out in my mind the most was the image of everybody in Manhattan fleeing across the George Washington Bridge in the shadow of 9/11, which is something that is a searing image that I haven’t been able to get out of my head.” Continuing, the filmmaker added: “This is partially about the American refugee experience, because it’s certainly about Americans fleeing for their lives, being attacked for no reason, having no idea why they’re being attacked and who is attacking them.” faroutmagazine.co.uk/steven-spielberg-explains-how-9-11-informed-the-making-of-war-of-the-worlds/
It's one thing to dismiss alternate theories right after the events, people come up with all kinds of crazy ideas. But it's been over 23 years since 9/11... If you still believe the official story despite all the additional evidence to the contrary, then I don't know what to tell you. Cognitive dissonance is a powerful thing.
@@Ryan.of.the.Valley The problem with anything in the real world is that we will never have all the answers and things we thought we knew will change over time. If the story by the government had explained everything and nothing had changed I might think it leads credence to there being some kind of weird activity, but the information about the event as it emerged slowly over time makes the most sense. Jet fuel can melt steel beams but it doesn't need to as it weakens it, and cutting tools were used to clear debri and rubble after the towers fell by firefighters to try to get to survives or remove the debri.
I completely forgot a out this scene. Amazing analysis! Two things I want to add, is first that the build up to the gun is not used as you would expect. You would expect to be used against aliens to no avail, but it is instead used to try to control a mob... To no avail. And the framing of the ensuing caos while the family is inside the dinner restaurant is impeccable. Truly shows why Spielberg is one of the greatest!
Yes! Having the rest of the scene play out through the windows is putting the family in the place of the movie audience, which is an unexpected shift of roles and makes them oddly more relatable to us as viewers. The worst of that event plays out for them within a 2D frame behind glass, putting distance between them and the danger similar to what we're experiencing. The reason I think this is useful is that now that the family is unexpectedly out of the action and have become spectators like us, the emotions they have as a reaction to it all are so much more intimate and immediate to us. It's an extreme tonal shift. If they showed Ray breaking into tears outside in the loud commotion, it would still feel part of the dynamic of the mob attack and wouldn't have the same impact. These are the things that reveal the genius of Spielberg and what makes his techniques so notably cinematic, using all of the tools of cinema to convey the story and emotions in surprising ways rather than just show something happening or having someone reveal it in dialogue.
Oh man this movie holds a special place in my heart. I remember it traumatized me as a kid-I couldn’t even look at the DVD case without feeling chills. The sound of the tripods walking terrified me. Strangely, my nightmares weren’t about the tripods. They were about leaving my home, my dogs, my cat, and my friends. I would see my dad struggling in vain against angry mobs trying to rob us, and my mom crying. The human element is the most terrifying thing for sure. I’d rather be vaporized by the tripods, thanks lol
The scene where Ray kills the guy in the basement while Dakota sings to herself really freaked me out as a kid, it really makes you think about how far parents will go for their children.
I remember this scene as a preteen kid. It made me think about every other alien movie. Im more terrified of humans, than aliens, and this is the scene that made me realize it.
Why? You can kill a human easily. There is absolutely no logical reason to be more fearful of something significantly easier to handle. It's because you can't imagine an actual alien threat and are used to humans being the top dogs. If aliens ACTUALLY invaded, you would definitely be FAR more frightened of the aliens.
That scene is intense, i saw this in the theater and was on edge with how it came in chaos (with the surround sound making it more intense) but never saw it this way on the shots. Thanks for pointing this out and make me apriciat this move way more.
That scene was a perfect example of what Joker said in TDK "These, so called civilized people...theyll eat each other." I remem being so fucking annoyed watching this scene when it came out.
This is the only film I ever walked out of. When I was a young teenager I loved the War of the Worlds soundtrack and was so keen for the movie. I was terrified of it and I actually left the theatre because of how scary it was for me.
I remember ppl were so critical towards dakota fanning because she couldnt stop screaming in the movie. As if it isnt an appropriate response made by a teenage kid who just watched a tripod vaporized an entire neighbourhood
I don't understand the hatred towards her character where she's about 10 years old, a little spoiled and has panic issues. She's with a person she doesn't feel totally safe with, even tho he's his father, she has not a high esteem for him. Of course she'd be terrified.
This scene was amazing, as was the entire film (despite being seen as a mediocre movie years on). Having read HG Wells’ original, I always enjoy comparing the modern films and shows with it. This film absolutely captured almost all of the novel and even managed to do so with a great shift in setting, not only from Greater London to New England, but also from the late-19th/early-20th century to 20th/21st century. The adaptation of this is so amazing and there’s very little I can critique that could only be fixed by making it a stand alone tv series.
I think if the ending was a bit better it would be seen as a total classic. It just wraps up a bit too well in the end, with Robbie's survival. Though if they had harmed him more, maybe had him lose a leg or arm, it would've been perfect. Then, he'd be a symbol of the young men who went eagerly off to war to avenge 9/11, only to be scarred by it.
@@eXcommunicate1979I always see this comment. Yeah, didn’t we get a battleship ramming a tripod scene. However, the hill battle scene was our Thunderchild scene. All of the humvees and soldiers throwing themselves at the tripods, knowing their weaponry won’t stop them, but doing everything they can to slow their approach to save the refugees as they flee. They’re very similar
I think another aspect of this scene, if not the whole movie, is what a man will do to protect his family. In the assault of the mini-van, you see that there is only men attacking Ray and his family, as well as a short cut of the two women panicking while trying to calm everyone. Ray, being a somewhat inept father, does what he thinks is best and tries to escape, but in doing so unintentionally puts his family in more harm. Once he drops the gun after using it as a threat, the man who outgunned him, was subsequently shot with the same gun that Ray dropped, by a third man who now wants to help himself. That man made a poor decision with his gun by using it to help himself. Ray, however, was using it to protect his family while not trying to harm anyone else's family. His emotional reaction following the loss of the van could be his response to the fate which could have been his, had he made a worse decision with the usage of the gun.
Just imagine how it would have gone if he hadn't dropped the gun. I'm sure he was thinking of his children and what they would do if he died, both when the gun was pointed at his head and in the restaurant when the other driver was killed.
This is why Spielberg and Lucas and Cameron are the best action filmmakers of all time. Action is NOT about what happens to the characters. Action is about what the characters DO about what is happening. Ray and his family are surrounded by an anxious and desperate crowd. Lock the doors and buckle up. Vader just threatened Leia. Luke pours all of his energy into disarming him. John is going to be crushed by the truck if the T800 doesn't get down there. He ramps his bike off the divide and into the channel.
Saw this with my dad and little brother when it came out. The mob scene legit freaked us all out. I'm not afraid of aliens. I'm afraid of my fellow hairless murder apes.
Yeah. The car scene really was the most harrowing part! It’s how unpredictable & relatable it is. Whereas the Aliens are unsettling, but their presence is so very much known due to the size & noise of their machines. One of the Tripods has like what!?…. 10 limbs? That crowd that attacks the car, is made up for like 30-50 people. All kicking, punching, grabbing & shoving! I’d rather take my chances hiding from one of the tripods, than being Ray in that moment. TYVM! 😅
the shot on the mother with the kid highlights the tunnel view of him, only looking at the small picture to close off the fate of the others, until a mother and her child is visible to him by chance. the whole journey is him trying to reconnect the kids with their mother.
The scene that you described is great and all, but the most terrifying scene goes to the boat scene. From everyone, one by one, looking at the trees move, to the wide shot of the exterminator tripods wiping out people who were running from them. That scene goes hard.
EXCELLENT cinematic analysis! Part of the power of this scene is also that it doesn't include the aliens at all. All of the sudden, our protagonists are experiencing a terror that could happen anywhere in the world right now given the right circumstances, and it wouldn't take an alien invasion to cause it. The danger feels very real. The aliens are systematic and mostly distant while in contrast, this mob is chaotic and intimate, literally in their faces. The scene always stood out to me, too!
Joker's quote reminded me of another: “Thing about civilization, it’s what keeps people civil. You get rid of one, you can’t count on the other.” “You sound like you’ve done this before,” she said. “Shit, I grew up like this. All these folks are just playing catch-up. Thing is, we’re humans. We’re tribal. More settled things are, the bigger your tribe is. All the people in your gang, or all the people in your country. All the ones on your planet. Then the churn comes, and the tribe gets small again.”
This movie gave me irrational fears until I was 10 or 11, Except for the mob trying to steal the car. That gave me a a really disturbing feeling, even at like 7 years old.
I didn't notice this until years later when I rewatched the movie, but I also love how people are jumping onto the car begging him to let them in; screaming that there's room for more people while Tom Cruise refuses them entry. Flash forward a few minutes when everyone gets to the ferry and Tom Cruise is yelling to the crew of the ferry that there's room for more people onboard while the crew refuses.
The most chilling moment for me was when ray went out of the basement and went to the hill overlooking the field and saw a sea of red. I felt a sense of despair, I can understand people forming mobs and turning on each other in desperation but the hopeless situation where no one is coming to your rescue and all you can do is hide and hope you or your family won't be next is a horrible feeling.
Spielberg is such a master craftsman of movies Details like after the ferry, the sound of the crowd crying out in terror... I have never seen another movie capture that
It took me a minute, but this stirred an old memory. When I saw this scene in the theater, I was reminded of similar events that took place onboard the Titanic and depicted in Cameron's film. In the film, Officer Murdoch fires his pistol into the air as a mob begins to form at the lifeboat he is loading. He then shoots a man before ultimately taking his own life. That scene depicted many of the same elements. Civilization quickly devolving to violence, pistol shots jarring the crowd and the audience, and even that same pistol being used in anger, so to speak. It makes scenes like this very visceral as you can easily draw parallels between it and reality.
The only thing that keeps you relatively safe in society is the threat of detainment and punishment should somebody break the law. Even then that's relative. Once law and order disappears, human beings are actually quite terrifying.
No doubt. Fear can make a man do things he would've never considered doing before. Combine that with a lack of consequences and the chances of the man doing something horrific skyrocket. The final straw is the mob. The emotion amplifies upon itself, fear or rage, and someone is going to incite the mob to act on its worst impulses.
I remember when I was 9 years old, my mother showed me War of the Worlds and it scared the shit out of me. This scene was scary, the only scene I found scarier was when the aliens got into the basement.
im only a minute into this video so forgive me if he touches on this but, i also found this horrifying as a kid watching this and now as an adult re watching this. The fear of having zero control of anything and trusting that your family will protect you but not knowing how serious of a situation your in. Then as an adult having the worry of protecting your kids and the fear of making the wrong choice and how it will effect them and the pressure of those decisions. Its brilliant.
Speaking of Ray’s love for his family, that match cut at the beginning was preceded by (iirc) Robbie gently arguing with Ray about letting him drive. The fact that we see Robbie driving in the following scene shows that not had time passed, but Ray’s hesitance over giving control over to Robbie has also lightened. (Sadly Robbie inadvertently drives headfirst into danger, as you mentioned, which only heightens how ill-prepared the kids/family are in this chaotic new world.)
This is why I say if there's an apocalypses, stay off the roads. Have enough food and water for 3 weeks of survival. Don't use lighting (no flashlights). Nothing that can draw attention to you. Stay in your home. Prey no one comes looting. After 3 weeks, leave, traveling on foot.
I always thought it was ironic that the man that “picked up” Rays gun shot the man that let Ray remove his daughter from the car before driving off. Not everyone will be so kind in those situations and the guy that stole Rays car first had clearly showed he was a threat with a weapon. And the gentleman that picked up the gun already knew what he had to do “Him or me. I choose me”
When something like this happens, get yourself and your loved ones away from humans as far as possible :) Preferably deep underground or very high in the mountains, until the dust settles.
As a counter to this, studies of various disasters, attacks etc, events where lots of people are put into danger, showed that more often that not people rallied together and helped one another. This is our true strength as a species.
I think this movie is underrated. When i first saw it i wasn't that taken by it. Maybe i was expecting something like Independence Day but with Spielberg's genius. It's more scifi noir than scifi disaster epic. Now its extremely rewatchable!
Spielberg's commentary on post-9/11 America. This is the key scene, as fear of the unknown rips America apart. Tom Cruise, the action hero, desperate and unable to cope with the chaos.
To this very day I can't watch this movie whole in a sitting. It's not the aliens giving me anxiety but how the humans react. It's raw and uncomfortable.
I remember seeing this scene in theaters. I was around the same age as Dakota Fanning, and I remember being so confused by the mob. I kept thinking "They're just gonna ruin the car. Though I admit it was the very next scene, when they got to the ferry, that gave me nightmares. doesn't help that I lived in the Hudson valley at the time.
This scene surprised me, knowing how everyone is to take this one car and attack anyone trying to take it. But finally, at 5:03, someone was also thinking of this; I was thinking of this part of the hole of the window where it somehow gives meaning to the character.
I’m a lifeguard, and something I’m sure you’ve probably heard is we approach people with our legs toward them if they’re drowning utilising the ladder approach. This isn’t for them or to rescue them more effectively, most people who are drowning and in panic will drown you right along with them. We approach with legs out so we have a chance to kick them off if they start dragging us down too. If being a lifeguard has taught me anything it’s how dangerous a panicking person can be.
Its fascinating because the scene WAS scored. The entire scene. But not only did the cue before it get a changed ending to finish sooner, but the cue is entirely dropped. It is sooo visually effective and VISCERAL it doesn't need it at all.
I find it interesting how I GOT all this stuff when I watched the movie years ago, I just didn't realise it. The power of good direction. Thanks for this insightful analysis.
I love this breakdown. In my opinion this film is CRIMINALLY underrated. I love wotw so much and seeing someone give the intriquite attention to it which it deserves is so awesome!
So cool to see an analysis of this seen that stuck with me for so long! Watch this movie as a kid and exactly as the title suggest it terrified me more then any other scene in the entire movie! The tension and horror of your father no being to help you and being helpless just like the child was something I never forgot! Terrifying and well crafted scene
I’m suddenly remembering a quote summarizing what made Battle LA so effective/realistic as a story: “It’s a regular war movie, it’s just that the invaders happen to be aliens.” I think the same can be said about Spielberg’s WotW: It’s a regular disaster/invasion/war movie, it’s just that the disaster happens to be alien tripods.
Another thing to note is that Ray wears a Yankees cap, while Robbie wears a Red Sox cap. Just a nice outside reference to the fact that although they are father and son their relationship is strained to the point where it’s pretty much a rivalry.
I watched this movie with my mom when I was around 13, I remember the basement scene being the most shocking one for me back then. Being a kid the concept of having to kill someone that's scared to keep myself safe was pretty dark. Now as a grown up this scene definitely takes the top spot, knowing you can never trust the strangers surrounding you because they would tear you to pieces in seconds based on nothing but circumstance with no way to stop them is a grim reality we are luckily often unaware of, but this scene forces to viewer to live it through Ryan.
Also the closeup of the gun is steady without any movement, further disrupting the dynamic of the previous handheld shots. The next whide shot of Ray pointing the gun at the crowd is also steady to solidify the momentary order brought by the shots.
Honestly, this movie is a personal favorite of mine when it comes to alien invasions, along with Signs. As much of the Tripod scenes scare me, this moment was very terrifying, along with that ferry scene after this moment. Both by the human fear and the Tripods stalking them.
@@fromthescreen123 Absolutely, looking forward to more. I didnt think of films this way, for example your Troy video. You describe what i always felt while watching, just didnt realize all of it. The depth of these movies is so cool
Excellent scene breakdown. I think the two moments of the broken glass visual represent how Cruise's character appears selfish (up to that point), and that mother is nurturing.
Great essay! This brings up in the end that humans are just like animals, because when an animal gets backed into a corner one would do unspeakable things even that person was actually mature and good. My ethics professor once said that the only difference between us and animals is rationality, to be able to think. and know what's right from wrong. that truly gets thrown away in these types of situation. you got yourself a new sub in this new year. Happy new year!
I loved how you used me for a quote..
😂🤣
Eat each other
Yes
you're a joke
You are jonkling right ?
The most unrealistic part of this movie was not the martians coming in with 100-foot machines with heat rays in an effort to exterminate the human race, but the fact that there were only 2 guns present in a crowd of americans.
Twenty years ago it was more realistic.
In New Jersey, there's probably only 3 guns total.
I know right!
@@seamusesparza1943 No it wasn’t. Guns laws have remained largely the same and if anything are bit stricter now than they were 20 years ago.
there were probably more guns, just fewer targets of opportunity
If anyones ever been unfortunate enough to be trapped in a mob, they'll know this scene is 10 times milder than the reality, its terrifying
Can't imagine a more horrific experience than a horde of human beings surging with the sense of anonymity.
@@greenbyob It's just like the internet except for all those troll's can get away with physical harm. Yet again like you said, usually not facing any consequences from it either.
@@greenbyob It's pretty much zombies at that point man, quite sad.
@@greenbyob and seeing your friends blinded by rage and go animalistic in a protest turned riot
While pulling security at a 'music' event, I was at the front of the female line(we had two lines for both sexes so they could be searched before entering the venue) when gun shots rang out. The entire female crowd frantically stampeded into the building corner which had some vehicles parked there. I was taken along with the mass of people and ended up pushed against the wall. I was completely immobilized, and the only way to break free while in the crush was to have started climbing on top of them. Luckily, they started to calm down when no more shots came and started to space out.
The animal instinct of the masses is a terrifying thing to behold. Fear and desperation replaces all rational thought, all morality, and all decency. The majority easily turn to savagery as soon as they are tested. That was an important lesson for me to learn.
The quote "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals..." Comes to mind
If you enjoy reading, you may be interested in "The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind" by Gustave Le Bon. It's in French but I suppose it must have been translated in other languages.
It's a really good read and after just a few pages I could see parallel with what I've seen these last few years with all the riots.
Agent K in Men In Black. My favorite line in a great flick full of them!
MiB a great movie!
@@DauragonC.Mikadosounds pretentious when you put it that way
@@RatRaceRuler Huh ? What ? How does that sound pretentious ?
Nothing worse than being stuck around a crowd of people in a panic.
A person is smart, people are dumb panicky and irrational. MIB
Heck even try being in a room with one or two panicked people and you're the only one not freaking out.
Meeting one man in the woods. Hence choosing the bear.
kids in the car these adults losing the plot is honestly pathetic lol
@@frijofroisdeern3783 Don't worry, bears won't touch you bcz they don't eat spoiled meat.
Just like men.
This is the best part of the movie and scarily accurate to what mob rule does to people. The guy chewing through the windscreen with his hands is the greatest thing ever
What reference do you have for this? Other movies?
@@insu_na videos from real life
I prefer the mob scene in the original war of the worlds film. A mob basically hunts any vehicle to escape the martains. Only problem is that the vehicles they attack trucks carrying equipment key to figuring out a way to kill the martains. Against the protagonists cries, the mob chucks all the equipment from the back of the trucks. It shows that in an effort for survival, people will go for the short-term solution over the long term one
How do you chew with your hands?
@Dime_time333 idk, ask the guy that's doing it but that's the best verb I could think of for the visceral crunch it made. Sue me
people would rather destroy a persons car to get it themselves in a panic rather than choosing to ignore it and let them pass if they arent doing harm
Yep. To them, this one car is their only ticket out of there, their only chance of survival. Letting it pass is like choosing to die.
@@rizzo-filmsbut in their frenzy they destroy the very thing they think is their lifeline
We saw that in those terroristic BLM riots.
People would rather help each other out in a disaster zone. This sequence is a paranoid fantasy of Americans.
@@TH3B1TT3RP1LLNo they wouldn't. There's reports of people dying in crowds, natural disasters, hang fights, mass shootings, stampeding is the most common death. Travis Scott Astroworld concert is a perfect example. I think you just live in a supportive world.
There are multiple scenes in this movie that scarred me for life and this is definitely one of them
The basement scene with the eye drone… until it was parodied
The Tom cruise character coming inside and brushing human ashes off his hair was traumatizing to me as well when he realizes it’s ashes
@@gibbygoober2864 if they used "head and shoulders" they'd be invincible!
The burning train scene easily triggered some adrenaline within me...
@@M_.M979 yea that one was insane
All I can think about is scary movie 4 the dad casually saying “It’s not my car” as the mob tries to force them out
😂
And he shoots that guy on the hang glider! 😂
thats funny because all i could think about is scary movie 4 him shooting himself twice with the gun when he gets it.
“Give me the keys, I’m taking the car 🔫”
“Alright, but what do I do about him 👉🏾”
“I don’t need a car I just need a gun 🔪”
“Alright I want a car, you want a gun, what do you want?”
“Well I’ve never owned a knife before😅”
I actually have a theory as to why the Martians vaporize nearly everyone initially and switch to almost always gathering people and putting them into baskets: it’s all but confirmed that the Martians are Vampiric beings, they drink blood and other fluids to live, but their diet must be incredibly select, considering how weak their immune systems are (which eventually is their downfall) they weren’t just blasting everyone for fun upon waking up, they were *intentionally culling* people with blood types they aren’t compatible with. Their ships can probably scan a persons blood makeup, the incompatible ones are vapourized. The reason why they switch to almost exclusively picking up people for the baskets in the latter half of the movie is because *everyone of an incompatible blood type has been eliminated in the area.*
Btw if you want me to guess what type of blood type they prefer, it’s like O-, which is the most compatible type for humans to use in hospitals too. I’m O+ :/
Cool theory!
I'm not sure they're using them as food though. They were instead being used to spray the red mist (aka blood mixed with whatever else they got in there) to spread the red vines. The warmachines were using humans as a terraforming resource to create a second Red Planet. So while it is a pretty decent theory, my own lies more in the direction of them first opening up on everything and everyone as they do not know which people are soldiers and a (potential) threat, and which are just harmless civilians. So to be safe, they vaporize everything that moves - which is also shown by them shooting down an airliner. Or rather, you dont see them shooting it down but its implied the civilian airliner got shot down by the tripods.
And later on, when they instead switch to harvesting rather than exterminating its safe to assume they instead figured out which are harmless civilians and which are soldiers - as they still open up on every single military target. But even this process doesnt seem foolproof as the one that picks up Ray made a mistake by also scooping up a soldier with a belt of grenades.
Either way, be it for food or terraforming - its clear they do need humans for *something*
This makes sense.
Oh my god the scene of clothes flying down from the sky is even more chilling now
aw man youtube deleted my comment :c Gues it had a word in it the censorship bot didnt like.
In any case, long comment short:
They dont use people for food. They use people to terraform the planet.
The entire movie was designed to capture the shock and horror people felt after 9/11. The main character is covered in dust, and people after 9/11 were covered in dust, some of which was naturally remains of people, but we were very much so horrified by scenes of people covered in dust at the time. You see a lot of "found footage" or video cameras filming things and seeing things unfold on television, which was kind of how 9/11 felt. People were panicking and freaking out a lot during this period, and people went totally crazy, thinking 9/11 was a hoax, a government conspiracy, started a war among other things. You see soldiers running around and the young kid, who joins the military, tells his father you need to let me go, a feeling a lot of parents felt when their kids were being sent off to war after 9/11.
Tom cruise later has to beat a guy to death who was like a crazy conspiracy theorist, and who cracked under the pressure, something we all kind of feared. And then the fear of angry mobs, which erupted all over the place afterwards. It does a really good job capturing a lot of fear at the time, an intrinsic dread, but it continues to be haunting given how raw and realistic it is.
"Speaking in an interview about how the film plays with themes of refugees, Spielberg explained, “It’s an unfamiliar theme to all of us because we don’t often see images of American refugees, except after local and national disasters like hurricanes and people fleeing-and approaching hurricanes in the Florida Keys. And of course, the image that stands out in my mind the most was the image of everybody in Manhattan fleeing across the George Washington Bridge in the shadow of 9/11, which is something that is a searing image that I haven’t been able to get out of my head.”
Continuing, the filmmaker added: “This is partially about the American refugee experience, because it’s certainly about Americans fleeing for their lives, being attacked for no reason, having no idea why they’re being attacked and who is attacking them.”
faroutmagazine.co.uk/steven-spielberg-explains-how-9-11-informed-the-making-of-war-of-the-worlds/
Wasn't it originally told over the radio before television existed??
@@abigailvalle6494yes. It's also a novel.
It's one thing to dismiss alternate theories right after the events, people come up with all kinds of crazy ideas. But it's been over 23 years since 9/11... If you still believe the official story despite all the additional evidence to the contrary, then I don't know what to tell you. Cognitive dissonance is a powerful thing.
Good analysis.
@@Ryan.of.the.Valley The problem with anything in the real world is that we will never have all the answers and things we thought we knew will change over time. If the story by the government had explained everything and nothing had changed I might think it leads credence to there being some kind of weird activity, but the information about the event as it emerged slowly over time makes the most sense. Jet fuel can melt steel beams but it doesn't need to as it weakens it, and cutting tools were used to clear debri and rubble after the towers fell by firefighters to try to get to survives or remove the debri.
I completely forgot a out this scene. Amazing analysis!
Two things I want to add, is first that the build up to the gun is not used as you would expect.
You would expect to be used against aliens to no avail, but it is instead used to try to control a mob... To no avail.
And the framing of the ensuing caos while the family is inside the dinner restaurant is impeccable.
Truly shows why Spielberg is one of the greatest!
Thanks!
Yeah, watch any Spielberg film and pay attention to the blocking - nothing comes close
The gun actually was quite useful. It allowed him to save his kids.
@@mairuzo correct, but again it was not used against a one person or alien.
Yes! Having the rest of the scene play out through the windows is putting the family in the place of the movie audience, which is an unexpected shift of roles and makes them oddly more relatable to us as viewers. The worst of that event plays out for them within a 2D frame behind glass, putting distance between them and the danger similar to what we're experiencing. The reason I think this is useful is that now that the family is unexpectedly out of the action and have become spectators like us, the emotions they have as a reaction to it all are so much more intimate and immediate to us. It's an extreme tonal shift. If they showed Ray breaking into tears outside in the loud commotion, it would still feel part of the dynamic of the mob attack and wouldn't have the same impact. These are the things that reveal the genius of Spielberg and what makes his techniques so notably cinematic, using all of the tools of cinema to convey the story and emotions in surprising ways rather than just show something happening or having someone reveal it in dialogue.
Oh man this movie holds a special place in my heart. I remember it traumatized me as a kid-I couldn’t even look at the DVD case without feeling chills. The sound of the tripods walking terrified me.
Strangely, my nightmares weren’t about the tripods. They were about leaving my home, my dogs, my cat, and my friends. I would see my dad struggling in vain against angry mobs trying to rob us, and my mom crying.
The human element is the most terrifying thing for sure. I’d rather be vaporized by the tripods, thanks lol
The scene where Ray kills the guy in the basement while Dakota sings to herself really freaked me out as a kid, it really makes you think about how far parents will go for their children.
@@RX-12bro yes the basement scenes are the only ones I remembered as a kid. Watching the probe slither around look for them had me freaked.
I remember this scene as a preteen kid. It made me think about every other alien movie. Im more terrified of humans, than aliens, and this is the scene that made me realize it.
Why? You can kill a human easily. There is absolutely no logical reason to be more fearful of something significantly easier to handle.
It's because you can't imagine an actual alien threat and are used to humans being the top dogs. If aliens ACTUALLY invaded, you would definitely be FAR more frightened of the aliens.
How many people here are from Earth?
I am an hybrid, my father is from earth but I wasnt born in earth
I'm from a suburb of Earth. Does that count?
Been there once. Never again. Local civilisation is pretty crazy, it's also dangerous and filthy.
only 34 i guess
Sorry. I'm from Mars
That scene is intense, i saw this in the theater and was on edge with how it came in chaos (with the surround sound making it more intense) but never saw it this way on the shots. Thanks for pointing this out and make me apriciat this move way more.
@@RDJ134 most welcome! Glad you enjoyed it :)
That scene was a perfect example of what Joker said in TDK "These, so called civilized people...theyll eat each other."
I remem being so fucking annoyed watching this scene when it came out.
I know this all too well
@@SOLIDSNAKE.wow dude you must be truly unique and tough
just TDK
I just keep thinking of the Scary Movie 4 version
@@gooberguttle424 To be fair, TDK Rises was the one that actually showed what the Joker said unfold, so that might have been what they meant.
I'm so glad you covered this scene, this scene genuinely terrified me as a kid. And that background gunshot... goosebumps.
Man that pan to the other gun guy was smooth. I forgot how stressful this movie made me as a kid.
This is the only film I ever walked out of.
When I was a young teenager I loved the War of the Worlds soundtrack and was so keen for the movie. I was terrified of it and I actually left the theatre because of how scary it was for me.
Did you ever finish watching it?
@ yea I’ve watched it lots of times now but god that horrifying experience of hopelessness in the theatre was awful.
instead of Chekhov's gun, it's Spielberg's gun.
They had guns?
What are they, americans?
* 🥁 *
The basement scene is pretty crazy too
I remember ppl were so critical towards dakota fanning because she couldnt stop screaming in the movie. As if it isnt an appropriate response made by a teenage kid who just watched a tripod vaporized an entire neighbourhood
I don't understand the hatred towards her character where she's about 10 years old, a little spoiled and has panic issues. She's with a person she doesn't feel totally safe with, even tho he's his father, she has not a high esteem for him. Of course she'd be terrified.
The women and the baby through the broken window represents the fracture of human in time of uncertainty
This scene was amazing, as was the entire film (despite being seen as a mediocre movie years on). Having read HG Wells’ original, I always enjoy comparing the modern films and shows with it. This film absolutely captured almost all of the novel and even managed to do so with a great shift in setting, not only from Greater London to New England, but also from the late-19th/early-20th century to 20th/21st century. The adaptation of this is so amazing and there’s very little I can critique that could only be fixed by making it a stand alone tv series.
I think if the ending was a bit better it would be seen as a total classic. It just wraps up a bit too well in the end, with Robbie's survival. Though if they had harmed him more, maybe had him lose a leg or arm, it would've been perfect. Then, he'd be a symbol of the young men who went eagerly off to war to avenge 9/11, only to be scarred by it.
I'm sad we didn't get a U.S.S. Thunderchild scene.
@@eXcommunicate1979I always see this comment. Yeah, didn’t we get a battleship ramming a tripod scene. However, the hill battle scene was our Thunderchild scene. All of the humvees and soldiers throwing themselves at the tripods, knowing their weaponry won’t stop them, but doing everything they can to slow their approach to save the refugees as they flee. They’re very similar
I think another aspect of this scene, if not the whole movie, is what a man will do to protect his family. In the assault of the mini-van, you see that there is only men attacking Ray and his family, as well as a short cut of the two women panicking while trying to calm everyone. Ray, being a somewhat inept father, does what he thinks is best and tries to escape, but in doing so unintentionally puts his family in more harm. Once he drops the gun after using it as a threat, the man who outgunned him, was subsequently shot with the same gun that Ray dropped, by a third man who now wants to help himself. That man made a poor decision with his gun by using it to help himself. Ray, however, was using it to protect his family while not trying to harm anyone else's family. His emotional reaction following the loss of the van could be his response to the fate which could have been his, had he made a worse decision with the usage of the gun.
Just imagine how it would have gone if he hadn't dropped the gun. I'm sure he was thinking of his children and what they would do if he died, both when the gun was pointed at his head and in the restaurant when the other driver was killed.
what's insane for me is that spierlberg flawlessly interpreted this segment in the original book
This is why Spielberg and Lucas and Cameron are the best action filmmakers of all time.
Action is NOT about what happens to the characters. Action is about what the characters DO about what is happening.
Ray and his family are surrounded by an anxious and desperate crowd. Lock the doors and buckle up.
Vader just threatened Leia. Luke pours all of his energy into disarming him.
John is going to be crushed by the truck if the T800 doesn't get down there. He ramps his bike off the divide and into the channel.
Saw this with my dad and little brother when it came out. The mob scene legit freaked us all out. I'm not afraid of aliens. I'm afraid of my fellow hairless murder apes.
Yeah. The car scene really was the most harrowing part!
It’s how unpredictable & relatable it is.
Whereas the Aliens are unsettling, but their presence is so very much known due to the size & noise of their machines.
One of the Tripods has like what!?…. 10 limbs?
That crowd that attacks the car, is made up for like 30-50 people. All kicking, punching, grabbing & shoving!
I’d rather take my chances hiding from one of the tripods, than being Ray in that moment. TYVM! 😅
the shot on the mother with the kid highlights the tunnel view of him, only looking at the small picture to close off the fate of the others, until a mother and her child is visible to him by chance.
the whole journey is him trying to reconnect the kids with their mother.
The scene that you described is great and all, but the most terrifying scene goes to the boat scene. From everyone, one by one, looking at the trees move, to the wide shot of the exterminator tripods wiping out people who were running from them. That scene goes hard.
The scene that stuck with me was the killing the man in the basement to keep his daughter safe.
Speilberg films are so layered straightforward and easy to understand. Thank you for the awesome breakdown, underrated scene
Glad you enjoyed it :)
EXCELLENT cinematic analysis! Part of the power of this scene is also that it doesn't include the aliens at all. All of the sudden, our protagonists are experiencing a terror that could happen anywhere in the world right now given the right circumstances, and it wouldn't take an alien invasion to cause it. The danger feels very real. The aliens are systematic and mostly distant while in contrast, this mob is chaotic and intimate, literally in their faces. The scene always stood out to me, too!
I lowkey wanna watch this movie again, i absolutely loved it as a kid
Joker's quote reminded me of another: “Thing about civilization, it’s what keeps people civil. You get rid of one, you can’t count on the other.”
“You sound like you’ve done this before,” she said.
“Shit, I grew up like this. All these folks are just playing catch-up. Thing is, we’re humans. We’re tribal. More settled things are, the bigger
your tribe is. All the people in your gang, or all the people in your country. All the ones on your planet. Then the churn comes, and the tribe gets small again.”
Excellent breakdown, Spielberg is THE master of blocking and camera.
Thanks :)
Yeah 100%
This is a great representation of mob mentality
The bridge scene was the scariest part of the movie for me because of how realistic it was.
This movie gave me irrational fears until I was 10 or 11, Except for the mob trying to steal the car. That gave me a a really disturbing feeling, even at like 7 years old.
I didn't notice this until years later when I rewatched the movie, but I also love how people are jumping onto the car begging him to let them in; screaming that there's room for more people while Tom Cruise refuses them entry. Flash forward a few minutes when everyone gets to the ferry and Tom Cruise is yelling to the crew of the ferry that there's room for more people onboard while the crew refuses.
I genuinly think that this is the best Spielberg movie.
I didn’t think I’d find a positive retrospective of this movie tonight, good work on this essay!
Thanks :) Glad you enjoyed it!
The most chilling moment for me was when ray went out of the basement and went to the hill overlooking the field and saw a sea of red. I felt a sense of despair, I can understand people forming mobs and turning on each other in desperation but the hopeless situation where no one is coming to your rescue and all you can do is hide and hope you or your family won't be next is a horrible feeling.
Spielberg is such a master craftsman of movies
Details like after the ferry, the sound of the crowd crying out in terror...
I have never seen another movie capture that
It took me a minute, but this stirred an old memory. When I saw this scene in the theater, I was reminded of similar events that took place onboard the Titanic and depicted in Cameron's film. In the film, Officer Murdoch fires his pistol into the air as a mob begins to form at the lifeboat he is loading. He then shoots a man before ultimately taking his own life. That scene depicted many of the same elements. Civilization quickly devolving to violence, pistol shots jarring the crowd and the audience, and even that same pistol being used in anger, so to speak. It makes scenes like this very visceral as you can easily draw parallels between it and reality.
The only thing that keeps you relatively safe in society is the threat of detainment and punishment should somebody break the law. Even then that's relative. Once law and order disappears, human beings are actually quite terrifying.
No doubt. Fear can make a man do things he would've never considered doing before. Combine that with a lack of consequences and the chances of the man doing something horrific skyrocket. The final straw is the mob. The emotion amplifies upon itself, fear or rage, and someone is going to incite the mob to act on its worst impulses.
I remember when I was 9 years old, my mother showed me War of the Worlds and it scared the shit out of me. This scene was scary, the only scene I found scarier was when the aliens got into the basement.
im only a minute into this video so forgive me if he touches on this but, i also found this horrifying as a kid watching this and now as an adult re watching this. The fear of having zero control of anything and trusting that your family will protect you but not knowing how serious of a situation your in. Then as an adult having the worry of protecting your kids and the fear of making the wrong choice and how it will effect them and the pressure of those decisions. Its brilliant.
Speaking of Ray’s love for his family, that match cut at the beginning was preceded by (iirc) Robbie gently arguing with Ray about letting him drive. The fact that we see Robbie driving in the following scene shows that not had time passed, but Ray’s hesitance over giving control over to Robbie has also lightened. (Sadly Robbie inadvertently drives headfirst into danger, as you mentioned, which only heightens how ill-prepared the kids/family are in this chaotic new world.)
This is why I say if there's an apocalypses, stay off the roads. Have enough food and water for 3 weeks of survival. Don't use lighting (no flashlights). Nothing that can draw attention to you. Stay in your home. Prey no one comes looting.
After 3 weeks, leave, traveling on foot.
I always thought it was ironic that the man that “picked up” Rays gun shot the man that let Ray remove his daughter from the car before driving off. Not everyone will be so kind in those situations and the guy that stole Rays car first had clearly showed he was a threat with a weapon. And the gentleman that picked up the gun already knew what he had to do “Him or me. I choose me”
This movie really had a big impact on me as a kid. I remember constantly having nightmares about it lol but nowadays I love this movie
When something like this happens, get yourself and your loved ones away from humans as far as possible :)
Preferably deep underground or very high in the mountains, until the dust settles.
As a counter to this, studies of various disasters, attacks etc, events where lots of people are put into danger, showed that more often that not people rallied together and helped one another. This is our true strength as a species.
I think this movie is underrated. When i first saw it i wasn't that taken by it. Maybe i was expecting something like Independence Day but with Spielberg's genius. It's more scifi noir than scifi disaster epic. Now its extremely rewatchable!
I love movies like this. The real horror is the collapse of society and the helplessness feeling in it all.
Spielberg's commentary on post-9/11 America. This is the key scene, as fear of the unknown rips America apart. Tom Cruise, the action hero, desperate and unable to cope with the chaos.
I read the book, the framing of this scene and the dismal tone were heavily inspired by it
To this very day I can't watch this movie whole in a sitting. It's not the aliens giving me anxiety but how the humans react. It's raw and uncomfortable.
its crazy that i watched scary movie 4 before war of the world
Massively underrated movie. Saw it 2 years ago and I was impressed by the whole thing.
I remember seeing this scene in theaters. I was around the same age as Dakota Fanning, and I remember being so confused by the mob. I kept thinking "They're just gonna ruin the car. Though I admit it was the very next scene, when they got to the ferry, that gave me nightmares. doesn't help that I lived in the Hudson valley at the time.
This scene surprised me, knowing how everyone is to take this one car and attack anyone trying to take it. But finally, at 5:03, someone was also thinking of this; I was thinking of this part of the hole of the window where it somehow gives meaning to the character.
Yip the scariest scene wasn't the Aliens it was the humans, scary how we can turn on each other through desperation.
0:42 you might even say a powerful sense of dread... the longer the scene, the more dread
I’m a lifeguard, and something I’m sure you’ve probably heard is we approach people with our legs toward them if they’re drowning utilising the ladder approach. This isn’t for them or to rescue them more effectively, most people who are drowning and in panic will drown you right along with them. We approach with legs out so we have a chance to kick them off if they start dragging us down too. If being a lifeguard has taught me anything it’s how dangerous a panicking person can be.
Its fascinating because the scene WAS scored. The entire scene. But not only did the cue before it get a changed ending to finish sooner, but the cue is entirely dropped. It is sooo visually effective and VISCERAL it doesn't need it at all.
out of all cars that would work without electronics they chose a 90 grand caravan
I find it interesting how I GOT all this stuff when I watched the movie years ago, I just didn't realise it. The power of good direction. Thanks for this insightful analysis.
Glad you enjoyed it :)
I love this breakdown. In my opinion this film is CRIMINALLY underrated. I love wotw so much and seeing someone give the intriquite attention to it which it deserves is so awesome!
Totally agree! Glad you enjoyed the breakdown :)
This shows the impact of driving through a crowd. What an…appropriately timed video.
This scene lives rent free in my head. I appreciate your analysis.
@@kennymichaelalanya7134 thanks for watching :)
So cool to see an analysis of this seen that stuck with me for so long! Watch this movie as a kid and exactly as the title suggest it terrified me more then any other scene in the entire movie! The tension and horror of your father no being to help you and being helpless just like the child was something I never forgot! Terrifying and well crafted scene
Taken me a couple of vids to realise I’m not subbed and how brilliant your stuff is man. Keep going you’ll be huge in no time
Thanks man :) Glad you’re enjoying my videos!
this movie reminds me of hell divers 2
I’m suddenly remembering a quote summarizing what made Battle LA so effective/realistic as a story: “It’s a regular war movie, it’s just that the invaders happen to be aliens.”
I think the same can be said about Spielberg’s WotW: It’s a regular disaster/invasion/war movie, it’s just that the disaster happens to be alien tripods.
Another thing to note is that Ray wears a Yankees cap, while Robbie wears a Red Sox cap. Just a nice outside reference to the fact that although they are father and son their relationship is strained to the point where it’s pretty much a rivalry.
"Vaporizing mankind and using our blood to create a red vine" mans spitting bars
I watched this movie with my mom when I was around 13, I remember the basement scene being the most shocking one for me back then. Being a kid the concept of having to kill someone that's scared to keep myself safe was pretty dark. Now as a grown up this scene definitely takes the top spot, knowing you can never trust the strangers surrounding you because they would tear you to pieces in seconds based on nothing but circumstance with no way to stop them is a grim reality we are luckily often unaware of, but this scene forces to viewer to live it through Ryan.
I would say the scene with the train right before this or the one with the black dad carrying his baby after the tripods first arrives.
Nice work "From the Screen"
This movie is so underrated and I for one really enjoyed this movie, although its a modern take of the book it comes close to how it all unfolds
This is a quality video essay: clear, concise, and engaging. Subscribed!
Thank you :) Glad you enjoyed it!
And doesn't use a damn AI voice
@eskaweeks never! 😃
10:39 Now go and watch The Road.
No, now go watch Threads
@ Touché, but while Threads is definitely the more bleak tale, The Road better depicts what desperation can drive people to.
@@MonsieurSansHonte Threads depicts the literal end of civilisation.
How much more desperate can you get? 🤔
This is the scene that reminded me why I like this film.
Nice vid man. Love this movie never paid attention to these parts. Thank you
Another great video man, your knocking it out the park lately!!
@@Rageofthesinner haha thank you!
I love your scene breakdowns dood pls make more
@@lp.hxc93 thanks :) haha I plan to!
Did some call for DEMOCRACY?!🚀
This is why I love video essays, thank you
You're very welcome!
Very entertaining in depth breakdown, love it
Thanks :) glad you enjoy it!
Also the closeup of the gun is steady without any movement, further disrupting the dynamic of the previous handheld shots. The next whide shot of Ray pointing the gun at the crowd is also steady to solidify the momentary order brought by the shots.
@@Johnnywilsonforever yes, I do mention that :)
Honestly, this movie is a personal favorite of mine when it comes to alien invasions, along with Signs. As much of the Tripod scenes scare me, this moment was very terrifying, along with that ferry scene after this moment. Both by the human fear and the Tripods stalking them.
Excellent video, very well done dude. Caught my attention, because that scene stood out to me as well. Interesting watch, thank you!
@@dYrOiUs thank you :) Glad you enjoyed it!
@@fromthescreen123 Absolutely, looking forward to more. I didnt think of films this way, for example your Troy video. You describe what i always felt while watching, just didnt realize all of it. The depth of these movies is so cool
@ plenty more on the way :)
@@fromthescreen123 sweet deal!
I hated Dakota's character and spent years to erase this film from my mind. Still, i like videos like this. Good work
Excellent scene breakdown. I think the two moments of the broken glass visual represent how Cruise's character appears selfish (up to that point), and that mother is nurturing.
Great essay! This brings up in the end that humans are just like animals, because when an animal gets backed into a corner one would do unspeakable things even that person was actually mature and good. My ethics professor once said that the only difference between us and animals is rationality, to be able to think. and know what's right from wrong. that truly gets thrown away in these types of situation. you got yourself a new sub in this new year. Happy new year!
Love the insight of these great scenes. Thank you
Most welcome :) Glad you’re enjoying the videos!