Josh500 1,615 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Yes, I've done this one before, I remember, but in honour of the upcoming release of the long-awaited Complete MINORITY REPORT... I gotta say, score-wise definitely Minority Report, but movie-wise it's War of the Worlds by a very slight margin. I've come to appreciate the latter a lot over the years. It might be considered one of Spielberg's hidden gems. However, the score to Minority Report is vastly superior, what with "Everybody Runs," "Anderton's Great Escape," "A New Beginning," "Sean's Theme," and the "Minority Report" (theme)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Both have some good bits in them that I really like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,508 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Very tough call. I gave MINORITY REPORT the edge in both cases, but I think WOTW is both a great film and score. Very, very underrated. Arpy and Josh500 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted October 8, 2019 Author Share Posted October 8, 2019 2 minutes ago, Thekthithm said: Both have some good bits in them that I really like. Definitely! Just now, Thor said: Very tough call. I gave MINORITY REPORT the edge in both cases, but I think WOTW is both a great film and score. Very, very underrated. Despite the subject matter, WotW seems like a more realistic and lifelike movie and story, whereas MR seems like an operatic or theatre performance with cartoonish elements. At least for me. That doesn't say anything about the quality of these movies, of course, but the former type is just more to my personal liking.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,017 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Minority Report is a more entertaining movie but I prefer War of the Worlds score. Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted October 8, 2019 Author Share Posted October 8, 2019 Man, this scene from WotW is so well done, probably among the most tense scenes Spielberg ever shot.... Rivals the raptors in the kitchen scene from JP! fuhrsy31 and 1977 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpy 4,145 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 John Williams + aliens? Hell yeah! Josh500 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Minority Report for both and it really isn’t close at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted October 8, 2019 Author Share Posted October 8, 2019 9 minutes ago, Arpy said: John Williams + aliens? Hell yeah! Let's see... E.T. Close Encounters of the Third Kind War of the Worlds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Penna 3,694 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Minority Report easily my preferred film. I was disappointed by WotW whereas I enjoyed MR once I understood it. Score-wise, MR has some better highlights (WotW can't match Anderton's Great Escape) and I think better themes, but WotW is more consistent and more accessible for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post oierem 152 Posted October 8, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 8, 2019 Minority Report. I think it's one of Spielberg's best movies (certainly one of the very best of the century). It's an action/adventure movie but also a thriller/film-noir movie, with a thought-provoking and intellectually interesting premise. I've always loved the movie, and I fell in love with the score as well, which is pretty dark and atmospheric, with the exception of the beautiful-yet-sad Sean's theme. War of the Worlds is a tough score for me, and I have to force myself to listen to it all. I liked the movie when it came out, but it wasn't anything special. I don't think I've seen it again. I will though. Josh500, Disco Stu and The Illustrious Jerry 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Just now, oierem said: I think it's one of Spielberg's best movies Yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demondm810 399 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 The scene where the mob takes over the car in WOTW is willlld. But Minority Report gets the edge for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrox 6,651 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Minority Report for both, and it's not even close. I think War of the Worlds was strongly in the running re: better movie, but that movie REALLY screwed the pooch in the third act. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,508 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 WAR OF THE WORLDS has so many great elements -- the opening mayhem, the basement scene, the gorgeously dark, red fields of blood and so on; it's just a proper gripping sci fi thriller all around. People complain about the feelgood ending with the father-son reunion, but I have no issues with that. In fact, it's very much a redemptive scene in Spielberg's filmography, since deceptive father figures have been so dominant in all of his films. Superb film! And Williams goes as dark as he possibly can, with a few exceptions (Barry's abduction in CE3K, the molestation scene in SLEEPERS etc.). Josh500 and 1977 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrox 6,651 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 It's been over 10 years now, but if I recall correctly, my problem with WOTW wasn't the happy ending, but rather the abruptness of the ending. It goes from scary menacing setpiece to scary menacing setpiece to scary menacing setpiece to scary menacing setpiece to sneezy aliens lose out of nowhere in one very quick scene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 22 minutes ago, Thor said: People complain about the feelgood ending with the father-son reunion Well, my bigger problem is how genuinely awful Justin Chatwin is in the role. Terrible actor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 4,660 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 The daughter yelling "is it the terrorists" was so painful. Spielberg was trying so hard to capture the 9-11 hysteria, but the country had moved on (at least in terms of visceral, emotional reactions). I think that is his worst instinct, especially of the last 20 years. He wants so desperately to make a "relevant" political statement that he does it in an over-the-tip manner at the expense of grounded narrative and dialogue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,368 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Minority Report for both, AINEC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted October 8, 2019 Author Share Posted October 8, 2019 2 hours ago, mstrox said: It's been over 10 years now, but if I recall correctly, my problem with WOTW wasn't the happy ending, but rather the abruptness of the ending. It goes from scary menacing setpiece to scary menacing setpiece to scary menacing setpiece to scary menacing setpiece to sneezy aliens lose out of nowhere in one very quick scene. Yes, that was my first impression too when I watched this in the theater. But a funny thing happened. The more I watched it, the less noticeable and jarring the abrupt ending became. 1 hour ago, Disco Stu said: Well, my bigger problem is how genuinely awful Justin Chatwin is in the role. Terrible actor. Hmmmm. Was it a terrible actor? Or a terrible character? I think a little bit of both. Even if played by a talented actor, I think this character would still have been pretty obnoxious and terrible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Bayesian 1,363 Posted October 8, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 8, 2019 2 hours ago, mstrox said: Minority Report for both, and it's not even close. I think War of the Worlds was strongly in the running re: better movie, but that movie REALLY screwed the pooch in the third act. So many people here are so dismissive of WOTW. At least three of you saying it's "not even close"? Bullshit. WOTW has endless wonderfully tense scenes right up until the admittedly badly constructed ending. The intersection scene, the way the alien ray disappeared people into powder, the ferry, the eerily evocative ash from the sky, the frantic failed military assault, the downed jetliner, the creepy-as-shit red whatever-that-was, the mob scene on the car... Given that the two movies are in entirely different genres and show Spielberg at his usual very high level of filmcraft, all we can judge by is their entertainment value. And both deliver almost equally. Thor, Josh500 and 1977 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 There are some very effective scenes in WOTW, yes. If I say it's not close, it's more indicative of just how much I love Minority Report, not necessarily of me hating WOTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muad'Dib 1,802 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 WOTW for score, I just can't get enough of it. The movie has very good scenes, indeed, but it doesn't hold up as a complete experience, sadly. It could've been so excellent. Minority Report holds up much better as a movie from beggining to end. Even if it has the post-90's action/adventure Spielberg syndrome of thinking up first the setpieces and then figure out the rest of the film. It feels tighter, and Tom Cruise works as the protagonist. In WOTW... not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,385 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 The only problem of WotW is that it could have been even more consequential stylistically - but that has always been Spielberg's most obvious problem - stylistical consequence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,508 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 What are you talking about? Spielberg is always consistent in whatever style he goes for, and this is most certainly no exception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,534 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I hate coming here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 MR for both. It's still a gripping thriller with fascinating glimpses into the future. WOTW is rather trashy, though it has a few superb scenes, but the crappy screenplay mucks it up. He would have fared better with Byron Haskins old plotline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,206 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 MR for both. The film has only one minus, it is too long. The score is brilliant, as was that year 2002. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 War of the Worlds movie just isn't very good. It doesn't even feel like a Spielberg movie. I like the dramatic stuff from the score, but the album runs too long and loses my interest. Minority Report is far more entertaining. It's one of the last Spielberg movies I enjoyed. The score is also one of my favorites. Jurassic Shark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,017 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Both albums are quite odd. What was Williams thinking when he combined all those short nondescript cues into this 10-minute Escape from the Basket in War of the Worlds? It makes no dramatic sense and kills the last section of the album. When these short cues are sprinkled in between bigger setpieces, as they are in the film, it flows so much better. It would have been better actually if he dropped the first 7 minutes of that track altogether and included the Woods Walk cue instead. Minority Report is also really strangely put together. It's not even about the chronology, the pace feels off. Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I don't think WOTW works in either version. It's just boring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,368 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I actually just gone done listening to the Minority Report OST album for the first time in a while. Holy cow, it's not a very good listening experience! It starts off fine bouncing back and forth between highlights for a long while which is fine (if a bit unorganized), but then the final four tracks in a row are just a brutal final 20 minutes of the album. All the music in those tracks makes so much more sense presented with all the music written to be in and around them. Oi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,017 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 The reason I picked WOTW score over MR is because at least it feels consisent. I like a lot of MR as music but I don't quite get what it's trying to be as whole. The family drama music feels very at odds with hyperactive action music which also feels too cheerful for the Herrmannesque suspense. It feels like every track of the OST is in its own universe with no sense direction. As impressive as they might seem on their own. I'm hoping the expanded set will help me better understand this score. Plus I really love the brutal bleakness of WOTW. So unlike anything else in Williams/Spielberg catalogue. Epilogue is one of my favourite concert pieces in the 21st century. Karol Not Mr. Big 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 WOTW is too dark and disturbing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,017 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Just now, Gruesome Son of a Bitch said: WOTW is too dark and disturbing. Deliciously depressing. Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmartigan JC 85 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 To me, film-wise there's no comparison, with Minority Report being much more finely constructed. And it holds up to this day. Both scores are superb, but I find the WotW more interesting, with its stark contrast between raw, powerful action pieces and the elegiac moments, many of which I find sublime. I agree with Croc about the Epilogue. Such an extraordinary writing. I always felt there was something Ligeti-esque about it, that makes it so compelling. I wish it were played live more, since I think it can hold on its own amidst classical works. I've always dreamed of a symphonic work based on material from this score. Unfortunately, for some reason Williams doesn't seem to be very keen lately on revisiting it in the live performances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,368 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 1 hour ago, Madmartigan JC said: Unfortunately, for some reason Williams doesn't seem to be very keen lately on revisiting it in the live performances. I was shocked that A New Beginning made it into Spielberg / Williams III Madmartigan JC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 4 minutes ago, Jay said: I was shocked that A New Beginning made it into Spielberg / Williams III Not only made it in but that he made revisions to it! I was so happy to see he hadn't forgotten it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,508 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 3 hours ago, Richard said: I hate coming here. Ha, ha...I hear ya! Some bizarre opinions here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 It's my least favorite track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 49 minutes ago, Thor said: Ha, ha...I hear ya! Some bizarre opinions here. Have you ever met an opinion that originated outside of your own brain that you didn't think was bizarre? Anyway I reckon I like the films about the same. Both are good Saturday night flicks, especially in the summer. WOTW's score is really good but MR is what I dig the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Romão 2,274 Posted October 9, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 9, 2019 Everybody Runs! would be included in any list of my favorite JW tracks. It's one my favorite action tracks ever DrTenma, Josh500 and Naïve Old Fart 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 In one respect WotW kicks MR's ass, though. At the worldwide box office, MR made 358,4 million, whereas WotW managed to earn an impressive 591,7 million! Not bad. 2 hours ago, Romão said: Everybody Runs! would be included in any list of my favorite JW tracks. It's one my favorite action tracks ever Yes! Most people seem to ignore it or not to notice it, but I agree 100%! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerebral Cortex 3,357 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 17 hours ago, Josh500 said: 18 hours ago, Arpy said: John Williams + aliens? Hell yeah! Let's see... E.T. Close Encounters of the Third Kind War of the Worlds Indiana Jones 4. The Illustrious Jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 I prefer the Billy Thorpe music from the 1988 TV series of WotW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,534 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 9 minutes ago, Thekthithm said: I prefer the Billy Thorpe music from the 1988 TV series of WotW. Yeah. It was pretty neat. 7 hours ago, Gruesome Son of a Bitch said: It doesn't even feel like a Spielberg movie. Are you joking? From a biographical point of view, it's typical late-flowering Spielberg. 2 hours ago, Romão said: Everybody Runs! would be included in any list of my favorite JW tracks. It's one my favorite action tracks ever My favourite track, on the CD...bar none! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 14 minutes ago, Cerebral Cortex said: Indiana Jones 4. Yes. Also... A.I.? Or were those tall luminous beings robots from the future? I forgot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Supermechas. Josh500 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Beings from Kamino. Josh500 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh500 1,615 Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 And the motherlode of aliens in movies... Star Wars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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