Cruise/Spielberg

-Casting Tom Cruise in the lead was a brilliant choice, as it allows Spielberg to again and again undercut and subvert our expectations.

-In 2005 it was a powerful reaction to the world post-9/11, but in 2015 it’s still a powerful reflection of living in a world where anything can go cataclysmically wrong at any time. It’s Spielberg’s ultimate statement on life in the 21st century, about living in an America that no longer feels secure

-Tom Cruise has a movie persona that follows a fairly standard trajectory, he’s a hot guy who, over the course of the movie, learns humility and how to not be so selfish... while remaining hot stuff. However in war of the worlds he doesn't play this hot stuff actor as Ray is a blue collar worker with love for God which isn't very Tom Cruise like.

The Pentagon Attack

At around 9:39 AM, after both towers had been hit but before either had exploded, a 757 thought to be Flight 77 approached the Pentagon. Having flown over the capital from the north, it ultimately approached the west block of the Pentagon from the southwest, after making a 270-degree turn while descending 7000 feet.

The jetliner was less than 100 feet overhead as it swooped over stalled traffic on the highway adjacent to the large lawn and heliport on the west side of the sprawling building. Some eyewitnesses said that the plane banked left and its left wing hit the heliport. Witnesses variously describe the plane crashing into the facade, hitting the ground in front of the facade it and exploding, disappearing into the building, and being swallowed by rings of smoke. They agree that there was a huge explosion and fireball, and torrents of smoke in the wake of the strike. Some describe small fragments of aircraft raining down.

Some onlookers were surprised at the lack of apparent aircraft debris in front of the Pentagon, and some remarked that the impact hole seemed small given the size of the jetliner. Similar observations based on photographs of the crash zone shortly after the attack have fueled controversy over the attack, and theories that something other than a 757 hit the Pentagon that day.

  • 1867 - 1879 - 3%
  • 1880 - 1886 - 4%
  • 1887 - 1890 - 5%
  • 1930 - 16%
  • 1931 - 15%
  • 1932 - 13%
  • 1933 - 16%
  • 1934 - 17%
  • 1938 - 19%
  • 1939 - 19%

Skipping ahead...

  • 1970: 33%
  • 1975: 48%
  • 1980: 52%
  • 1985: 50%

Survival Horror Movies from 2000-2005

Survival horror films are usually based around the narrative that there is some form of monster/murderer that has been sent out to kill as many people as possible or one specific person.

  • Scream 3 (2000) - Trying to avoid getting killed by a non-identified murderer. With the difference of it having a mystery side due to not actually knowing who the murderer is, this creates a deeper tension in the film as it could be any of the characters.
  • Deep in the Woods (2000) - The film is about a troupe of five young actors who are hired to perform at a remote chateau for Baron Axel De Ferson when they find out that a madman is on the loose murdering people.
  • Cradle of Fear (2001) - An imprisoned serial killer Kemper wreaking vengeance on those responsible for his capture, he does this through his son who is known as “The Man”.
  • 28 Days Later (2002) - The breakdown of society following the accidental release of a highly contagious virus and focuses upon the struggle of four survivors to cope with the destruction of the life they once knew whilst running from zombie-type monsters that have stronger abilities.
  • The Last Horror Movie (2003) - A disturbed wedding video cameraman, and his assistant as they perform several murders that they have videotaped.
  • Dawn of the Dead (2004) - A handful of human survivors living in a shopping mall surrounded by swarms of zombies.
  • Hostel (2005) - The film tells the story of two college students traveling across Europe, who find themselves in the middle of a business in which wealthy clients pay to torture and kill kidnapped victims.

Contextual Information for War of the Worlds (2005) Spielberg

News Images of 9/11

The September 11th attacks were perhaps the event that had the most influence on American culture in the early 21st century. The images broadcast around the world are instantly recognisable, and for the people who saw it, are permanently engraved in their memory.

There were a large amount of images depicting the giant dust clouds caused by the collapse of the towers, which undoubtedly influenced Spielberg’s cgi effect for the Martian heat ray in his movie.

Challenges to fatherhood/masculinity in the late 1990’s:

In the 90’s men were expected to have more involvement in the child’s life. It was believed that a bad relationship with your father in your childhood, it will affect you negatively in later life; especially father-son relationships. There was the particular notion of a man’s role being to protect and provide for the family; there is the idea that if a man cannot provide for and protect his family, he is redundant. This reflects the trends in current society, with its escalation of divorce; where women would be the independent parents and bread-winners and there was a much higher prevalence of ‘weekend fathers. In fact, it is averaged that about 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States divorce and 24 million children in America live in a father-absent home. By narratives end; Spielberg manages to resolve this issue for Ray and certainly re-establishes a hero-figure to his daughter and arguably his son and the audience. This in indeed reflected in contextual books such as ‘Fatherless America’ written by Blankenhorn, whose highly influential thesis about the widespread absence of fathers in America’s most urgent current social problems was written.

Anxiety and uncertainty immediately after the 9/11 attacks

In the weeks immediately after the attacks, a survey of 668 Americans by the institute of social research in Ann Abor, Michigan, reported that 49% of participants felt their sense of safety and security had been shaken. 62% of respondents said they had difficulty sleeping. In another poll of 1015 Americans, 57% had taken steps to protect themselves such as taking precautions when opening mail and avoiding public events. It’s clear now that the U.S. Government had particular difficulty in communicating the risk of terrorism immediately after 9/11. Extra concern prevailed that 9/11 attacks were the first in a wave of attacks on the U.S.