Honestly. I've seen it. Save yourselves three hours of your life, because it's fucking terrible. Spoilery rant below.
[spoiler]I see now why it was delayed. Someone completely bottled the 'faithful adaptation' idea. They clearly went back and inserted a bunch of flash-forward scenes to a post-invasion apocalyptic world that utterly ruins the whole thing. It's been fucked about in the editing stage by people who had no faith in the source material. I'm actually quite angry about spending a chunk of my life watching this thing.
The maddening part is that there was probably a perfectly decent adaptation buried in this thing somewhere. Early on, the book stuff is well-realised although the editing seems to be off — some scenes don't seem to be coming in the right order. Nothing I can point to as outrageously out of sequence, just a general sense of "Wait... what...?"
It really feels like they made a straight adaptation and someone decided it wouldn't gel with a modern audience, so they went back and messed about with it.
As the thing continues, they go all in on the flash-forward stuff which sucks all the life out of what's left of the book material.
You were hoping to see tripod vs HMS Thunder Child? Don't hold your breath. There's a bit on Skegness beach ("We're heading for safety in Dunkirk!" Ooh! The fucking irony!) but it never develops into the scene we all wanted.
My previous point about not trusting the source material...? There's a point late on where a character ACTUALLY SAYS "This is all white people's fault, isn't it...? This is like what we did to those poor chaps in the jungle..."
It's FUCKING AWFUL.[/spoiler]
That is disappointing - well, we still have Dracula... :lol:
honestly, given the trailer for WotW seemed slightly more promising than the Dracula one with it's the lead seemingly going for a weird chilled out mockney vampire vibe - "Ah staffies, what sweet music they make..."
That's a crying shame. I enjoyed the first episode.
I'm not reading any spoilers for the 2nd and 3rd episodes but I liked the 1st episode too
Ah, well... don't say I didn't warn you! Wait until you get to the last hour or so when...
[spoiler]Much of the time is spent with whatserface moping around an incredibly cheap-looking apocalyptic wasteland while in the invasion sequences we're basically treated to three people hiding under a kitchen table.[/spoiler]
SPOILERS UNDER THAT BLOCK FOR STUFF NOT YET AIRED ON THE BBC.
Again I'm not reading the spoilers but knowing the BBC over the past few years I wouldn't be surprised if it's disappointing (and downright shit in some cases). Mind you many big Hollywood films etc can be just as shite. I'll let you know what I think at the end of it.
I liked the bit where the brave British MP who explicitly defends colonialism onscreen goes out with a stiff upper lip while the loony leftie feminism-supporter who said maybe Britain done a bad thing once or twice snaps and turns lily-livered before killing himself.
The adaptation also alters the defeat of the Martians to [spoiler]an outright endorsement of biological warfare[/spoiler]. The point of the original story isn't that the war is any kind of arms race, it's that Britain/humanity is unquestionably routed by a technologically superior colonising force and only saved by a divine irony over which they have no agency. The BBC adaptation instead chooses to condone British exceptionalism, the very jingoistic nonsense of which the book has long been viewed - even by this adaptation - as being critical.
There's a bit in that terrible Gerard Butler film* about terrorists holding the weather to ransom where it opens with a little girl explaining the weather got bad because of global warming and then her dialogue is "and then we fought back" and I was like what the fuck does that even mean in this context, you dumb bastard? Anyway, that's the kind of tone deaf vibe I got off this.
* that's narrowing it down for you.
Quote from: Professor Bear on 18 November, 2019, 12:19:36 PM
The point of the original story isn't that the war is any kind of arms race, it's that Britain/humanity is unquestionably routed by a technologically superior colonising force and only saved by a divine irony over which they have no agency
Yeah. I thought of all the many things I didn't like, that was possibly the most craven and objectionable.
Having read this thread I feel guilty for enjoying it.
I didn't think it was that terrible apart from the bizarre cake-and-eat-it mix of progressive/conservative politics, but then I was comparing it to the Gabriel Byrne one where Earth is invaded by cute robot dogs and which is for some reason 70% shot in French despite being set in England.
Jim, look at it this way: you watched it so that I and many others wouldn't have to. We appreciate your sacrifice.
Quote from: Richard on 18 November, 2019, 03:48:56 PM
Jim, look at it this way: you watched it so that I and many others wouldn't have to. We appreciate your sacrifice.
I like to take one for the team every now and then... :-)
Thanks for the review Jim. I was really looking forward to this and hoping for a great adaptation. Hopes dashed yet again.
Ah well, we'll always have the Jeff Wayne musical and the Edginton/D'Israeli graphic novel.
I also hear the David Tennant straight read of the original novel on Audible is rather excellent.
Quote from: von Boom on 18 November, 2019, 04:50:53 PM
Thanks for the review Jim. I was really looking forward to this and hoping for a great adaptation. Hopes dashed yet again.
This^^^^ watched the first episode after hearing about it on R4 and the writer sounded fine. The reasoning for changes all sounded sensible, then I saw the first episode!!
I haven't read Jim's review yet, but for me what was most annoying was the emoting muzak, and the tussled haired extra from Oliver!
The opening/unscrewing of first object in a (not) giant crater, was the most disappointing piece of TV since Lady Di's three of us interview.
Having read Jim's review,: no Thunderchild!? One of the few scenes that that get me bubbling regardless of the adaptation. I'm out, not going to bother with two and three.
I'm sorry, but i enjoyed that. Yes, even the future bits. Looking forward to the last one.
I'm actually enjoying it but there is a sort of cheapness to it (especially in the red future scenes and in watching it after the lush His Dark Materials).
We got more Navy vs. Tripods than I thought we would from descriptions above so I liked that.
I also like the back story/situation for our leads; it's forty years since I read the book so struggle to remember if it is expanded from our nameless narrator.
The "Number 1 gun!" scene just looked cheap regardless of whether faithful adaption or not.
But I think they fluffed the appearance[spoiler] of the Martians. Trying for an Exorcist III moment and failing[/spoiler].
I have to say, I'm enjoying it (probably more than Dark Materials if I'm honest, althought this week's episode of the latter was very good). I've never read the book, so am only really familiar with the story through the other film adaptations and a passing familiarity with the Jeff Wayne album from childhood.
You can see they're working on a budget but the sets are pretty good and I quite like the tripod design (can't help but think the lights should be red rather than blue though). The heat ray effect is excellent - quite subtle but very effective.
That last episode was spectacularly dull.
Eleanor Tomlinson is a handsome woman but even the last ten minutes of extreme close up as she monologues didn't work for me.
Can't say I didn't warn you. Sorry!
TBH it is staggering that the BBC has managed to make it so dull.
Some of the media complaining about how 'woke' it is .... I'm struggling to pay attention long enough to be aware of this problem.
How on earth have they managed an adaptation that makes the Tom Cruise adaptation something to remember wistfully?
Overall I quite enjoyed it but it certainly peterred out towards the end. The last ten minutes were very dull but I quite liked the bits with the aliens.
I glad I watched it - I think there was a fair bit to like - but it does feel a bit of a missed opportunity.
Quote from: Tjm86 on 03 December, 2019, 06:13:09 AM
Some of the media complaining about how 'woke' it is ....
Explain 'woke' please?
Quote from: Proudhuff on 03 December, 2019, 11:22:16 AM
Quote from: Tjm86 on 03 December, 2019, 06:13:09 AM
Some of the media complaining about how 'woke' it is ....
Explain 'woke' please?
It's what you called "right on" in the 80s.
Quote from: Proudhuff on 03 December, 2019, 11:22:16 AM
Quote from: Tjm86 on 03 December, 2019, 06:13:09 AM
Some of the media complaining about how 'woke' it is ....
Explain 'woke' please?
It's from that bit in the Matrix where Keanu "wakes up" and sees the world for what it really is rather than the MIND PRISON created to hold us, maaaaan.
It's a term conservatives use to mock the casting/presence of non-whites, LGBTQ or women in media roles that would have traditionally been occupied by a straight white male. Basically if they see a black person in a period drama, they shit their nappy and start screaming about "SJWs" (Social Justice Warriors) taking over and ruining everything.
It's also worth mentioning that it's actually an antisemitic conspiracy theory about intellectuals (Jews) using political correctness to eliminate white Western culture piece by piece and gradually replace it with their own elitist (Jewish) culture. Arguably conservatives aren't even trying to code it particularly well when they identify their enemy as "the SJWs".
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 02 December, 2019, 11:43:57 PM
Can't say I didn't warn you. Sorry!
You did. But it's big science fiction on telly so I'm genetically pre-disposed to watch it.
Quote from: Tiplodocus on 03 December, 2019, 01:47:19 PM
You did. But it's big science fiction on telly so I'm genetically pre-disposed to watch it.
To be fair, I sat through the whole fucking thing hoping it would get better... :-)
I can't remember who pointed it out, but amongst the fairly tone-deaf bits:
"What about the maid?"
"Oh, she's probably dead. Let's leg it."
"WAIT! WE MUST GO BACK FOR THE DOG!"
Well I was pretty much enjoying the first 2 episodes even though there was obviously changes. I didn't find it dull either. The lack of the Thunderchild was bloody disappointing though but I thought at least we did at least see some ships firing and hitting a tripod. And the beach scene did still have some good bits.
I also thought the bit with the black smoke was really good and eerie.
I even liked the 3 legged Martian scenes..............but time was moving on and I was wondering.....just when the fook are we going to see tripods torching London? Where's the epic scenes of London being destroyed? Where, where, where???
Then of course as we all know now what we got instead was some annoying flash forward bits one fallen tripod (which could hardly be seen) and George's bit on the side smashing graves and ending up on a cliffs edge.
There's some real twats at the BBC but was it Harness who decided to end it like that or did someone order him to make it like that? The mind boggles.
Quote from: Professor Bear on 03 December, 2019, 01:12:03 PM
Quote from: Proudhuff on 03 December, 2019, 11:22:16 AM
Quote from: Tjm86 on 03 December, 2019, 06:13:09 AM
Some of the media complaining about how 'woke' it is ....
Explain 'woke' please?
It's from that bit in the Matrix where Keanu "wakes up" and sees the world for what it really is rather than the MIND PRISON created to hold us, maaaaan.
It's a term conservatives use to mock the casting/presence of non-whites, LGBTQ or women in media roles that would have traditionally been occupied by a straight white male. Basically if they see a black person in a period drama, they shit their nappy and start screaming about "SJWs" (Social Justice Warriors) taking over and ruining everything.
It's also worth mentioning that it's actually an antisemitic conspiracy theory about intellectuals (Jews) using political correctness to eliminate white Western culture piece by piece and gradually replace it with their own elitist (Jewish) culture. Arguably conservatives aren't even trying to code it particularly well when they identify their enemy as "the SJWs".
Cheers, thats handy :thumbsup:, I'm thankfully so out of touch with this mindset that the terminology is as baffling as their thought process.
Yeah, missed opportunity. The best visual adaptation remains Spielberg's, the best audio Jeff Wayne's, and the best graphic novel Edginton and D'Israeli's.