E.T. Turns Mean

Posted on July 11, 2005 in Film

We caught War of the Worlds at a late showing tonight and it did not disappoint. Spielberg did a fine job updating H.G. Well’s late nineteenth century novel to the present day. From the look of the aliens and the choice of the actress to play Tom Cruise’s daughter, you could subtitle this “E.T. Turns Mean”. Spielberg laid subtle hints which caught the central theme of Well’s book, which was the terror of those who find themselves under occupation by a civilization with superior technology. There is talk of an occupation. When things start to blow up around them, Rachel the daughter asks “Is this the terrorists?” No dear, it’s not the terrorists.

It wouldn’t be spoiling the film to reveal the end, but I won’t just in case there is someone out there who hasn’t read the book, seen the earlier version that featured Gene Barry (who cameos in this one), heard the infamous Orson Wells broadcast, or suffered the company of any garrulous science fiction fan. Spielberg stayed true to the spirit and plotline which made me very happy.

At a couple of points, it was everything I could do to resist yelling “Take a Xanax for crying out loud, Tom!”

Now we come to the question: did at any point Tom Cruise depict mental illness? I say no. Tim Robbins came close when he appeared as a bit of a paranoid in the cellar sequence. Cruise, on the other hand, acted out the part of an ordinary man under intense pressure — pressure that threatened his very life. Mass panic surrounded him. There were no manics dancing naked in the street, no depressives stopping to cry or just to stare catatonically as the tripods advanced, grabbing the slow for snacks. No schizophrenics ran out of hospitals crying “At last no meds!” What I saw depicted were ordinary people suffering the effects of extraordinary stress. Of course, the film ended shortly after the invaders were defeated. So there was no depiction of PTSD. We were led to assume that all would be 100% well after the catastrophe was over.

It could be fun writing a novel which told the story from the point of view of a lunatic. When would we be able to see that what was happening wasn’t just his imagination? Or would he assume that this was yet another cruelty perpetrated on him by the hospital staff?