War of the Worlds: Comparisons between the Novel and Movie (2005) Versions
Introduction
Both H.G. Wells and Steven Spielberg are geniuses in their respective fields proven by their marvels in working on one story – War of the Worlds. Wells, the author of the original novel of War of the Worlds published in 1898, cast his story in an era that is way beyond his own time. The obsession most people during the time War of the Worlds was written on particular phenomena such as the Apocalypse, invasions by forces more powerful than their nation Great Britain and extraterrestrial life-forms helped inspire Wells in writing his two-volume work. Spielberg, best known for his cinematic prowess as a director, significantly rendered War of the Worlds into a movie in 2005 that has successfully captured its contemporary audiences towards its enigmatic storyline, despite differing from the novel in significantly different ways. This study seeks to compare the novel and movie versions of War of the Worlds, emphasizing the similarities and differences between both works. Recognizing the fact that the movie by Spielberg is derived from the novel by Wells, this study also provides an evaluation on whether the former has adapted the latter well to contemporary audiences.
Generally speaking, both the novel and movie versions of War of the Worlds were similar in terms of its general plot – aliens invading Earth. Wells explicitly noted in the novel that the aliens came from Mars, starting the story in an astronomical observatory where intriguing explosions on the Martian surface were observed and recorded, only to serve as a warning to Earth of an impending alien invasion, which transpired when massive vessels called Tripods landed on Surrey and destroyed much of the surrounding neighborhoods. Spielberg, without explicitly mentioning Mars as the origin of the aliens for cinematic purposes, pointed to Tripods buried underground for a long time and emerging to start devastating Earth as the approximate origin of the aliens. Both the novel and movie versions of War of the Worlds portrayed Earth as being heavily devastated by the aliens and highlighted the relatively inferior technological forces humans have at their disposal for defending themselves. The central character of War of the Worlds – nameless in the novel version and Ray Ferrier in the movie version, both converged in the objective to be reunited to their respective wives. Whereas the outcomes differed with regard to the foregoing respect, the central character of both the novel and the movie versions of War of the Worlds both became reflective of their exploits towards the end. The fight for survival amidst its seeming impossibility for humans due to the massively damaging power of the aliens has become key for the central character of both the novel and the movie versions of War of the Worlds towards outliving the devastation and the millions of human lives lost in the process (Gilbert 323-336; Spielberg; Wells).
Given the heavy destruction caused by the aliens unto earth in both the novel and movie versions of War of the Worlds, one would be led to think that such would be unsolvable and therefore spell the ultimate doom for humans. Yet, Spielberg concurred with Wells by steering the plot of the movie towards the original course taken by the novel, which involved the eventual defeat of the aliens. Employing the deus ex machina approach, both the novel and the movie versions of War of the Worlds ended by featuring the defeat of the aliens, not due to the retaliating forces of humans but due to the natural features of Earth. The aliens in both the novel and movie versions of War of the Worlds came from lands where there are no bacteria, hence disallowing them of any opportunities to develop any form of immunity akin to that of humans. Wells, in the novel version of War of the Worlds, noted that Mars is a planet that does not have bacteria, therefore denying the aliens originating there from developing bodily immune systems. Spielberg held the same in the movie version of War of the Worlds, albeit without naming the planet where the aliens came from. The same would not have happened had the aliens originated and thrived in an environment where bacteria exists, for such would have allowed them to develop bodily immune systems akin to that of humans. In a quite unexpected discovery, the central character of both the novel and movie versions of War of the Worlds found an immobile Tripod with aliens found dead inside due to bacteria that infested them. The aliens were instantly killed by bacteria because they do not have any immune system for protection at all. Thus, in both the novel and movie versions of War of the Worlds, victory for humans came not in the form of defeating the aliens with their physical forces, but through the mere existence of bacteria that proved harmful to the aliens (Gilbert 323-336; Spielberg; Wells).
Differences
Although both the novel and movie versions of War of the Worlds were similar in terms of the general plot involved, both greatly differed from one another in several ways. Those who have both read the novel version and watched the movie version of War of the Worlds would be quick to point out that both used different settings – Great Britain, specifically in Surrey and London, for the novel and the United States (US), specifically in New Jersey, Massachusetts and other cities, for the movie. One could explain the shift of setting under geopolitical notions. Great Britain, at the time Wells wrote the novel version of War of the Worlds, was the most powerful empire in the world. Being at the zenith of international affairs at said time, Great Britain amassed a powerful military force capable of conquering lands from across the globe with strong armies and navies. Given that Great Britain is unrivalled by almost no other imperial power that time, the fear of invasion by an even larger power is common among the British people during the time of Wells – a fact that is well reflected on the existing literature that time. In such respect, one could therefore make sense of the impact of alien destruction unto Great Britain – perhaps the most powerful nation in the world during the time of Wells (Gilbert 323-336; Spielberg; Wells).
Increasing efforts to uncover scientific discoveries also led to the fascination of many British people on matters involving the outer space – one that is fuelled by discoveries of canals on the Martian surface and subsequent speculations on the existence of life in Mars and elsewhere outside Earth. Furthermore, the theory of social Darwinism – the application of the concept of Charles Darwin on the hierarchy of life-forms to social relations, is popular among the British during the time of Wells, as duly demonstrated by sharp divisions between social classes. The credentials of Wells as a trained scientist further contributed to the creation of the novel version of War of the Worlds, in which he used much of the foregoing concepts without losing grip on the rationality needed in understanding science, even as he wrote fiction. Overall, the novel version of War of the Worlds is therefore a product of, strong contribution and critique to the prevailing social, political and scientific milieu existing during the time of Wells (Gilbert 323-336; Spielberg; Wells).
The movie version of War of the Worlds stands as a departure from the novel version with respect to the setting, given that Spielberg made it at a time when the US is already the most powerful nation in the world in terms of political, economic and international affairs. Such change has perhaps provided a significant impact on the contemporary audiences of the movie version of War of the Worlds, given the knowledge of the status of the US as an internationally iconic state. Therefore, the featured destructions of US cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, DC adds to the geopolitically significant purpose of setting alien invasions in a nation that is heavily relied on as a leader of the international community. The destruction of London, as featured in the movie version of War of the Worlds, may appear as merely both a tribute to the novel version and a recognition of the fact that Great Britain, now officially known as the United Kingdom, remains a significant force in the international community, albeit not the same as it was during the time of Wells (Gilbert 323-336; Spielberg; Wells).
Another striking difference is the fact that the central character and other ones highlighted in the novel version of War of the Worlds were unnamed, possibly due to the desire of Wells to focus more on the macrocosmic scenario of destruction by the aliens of Earth and not much on their personal lives; the same does not apply to the movie version, perhaps due to the need for cinematic references for characters. Inevitably, the movie version of War of the Worlds has levelled the focus on the exploits of Ray and his family, which was separated from him. In the novel version of War of the Worlds, the unnamed central character failed to find his wife even as he survived in the end, while Ray in the movie version eventually reunited with his family as the story concluded – perhaps an attempt by Spielberg to emphasize more on the deus ex machina approach by placing a positive – even miraculous, ending. Moreover, the aliens in the novel version of War of the Worlds arrived directly from Mars and their arrival was somewhat given a prompt prediction by astronomers working at the astronomical observatory, from which explosions on the Martian surface were detected. The movie version of War of the Worlds, on the other hand, did not specify where the aliens came, as they did not come from outside Earth having emerged from Tripods that were buried for a long time. In the foregoing case, the difference is that the novel version of War of the Worlds featured the arrival of aliens from Mars via Tripods, while the movie version showed that the Tripods were buried underground and emerged after a long time to launch attacks (Gilbert 323-336; Spielberg; Wells).
Synthesis: Is the Movie a Suitable Adaptation of the Novel?
It is important to recognize that it is only through understanding the essence of the novel version of War of the Worlds in which one could judge the movie version meritoriously. After all, notwithstanding the numerous differences between the novel and movie versions of War of the Worlds, both employed the same impressive general plot that made both stand out in science fiction – the invasion of Earth by aliens. At best, the differences that distinguished the novel version of War of the Worlds from the movie version are those that are explainable within constructive parameters. Although one might tend to judge the movie version of War of the Worlds as merely a superficial rendition of the novel version, a closer look at both works suggest differences made in terms of geopolitical considerations and cinematic reasons, both of which are essential for enabling contemporary audiences to understand the essence of what Wells wrote. Thus, judging whether Spielberg has done well or not in making the movie version of War of the Worlds must not go forth under the seemingly presumptive impression of being a shallow version of the novel version - “just because it is a movie”, as some would probably say. Rather, one who has both read the novel version and watched the movie version of War of the Worlds should have a constructive sense of comparative reasoning first before judging Spielberg for his work on a Wells classic. For the purpose of this study, it is reasonable to point out that the movie version of War of the Worlds has done well enough to captivate the spirit of what Wells wrote in his novel, given the various geopolitical considerations and cinematic reasons involved (Gilbert 323-336; Spielberg; Wells).
Conclusion
Spielberg provided a timely rendition of a Wells classic in making the movie version of War of the Worlds. Although there is an understanding that changes have been made in order to satisfy the cinematic appeal of War of the Worlds, a closer look shows that such were reasonably made with timeliness emerging as a top consideration. Without deviating from the general plot of alien invasion on Earth, the movie version of War of the Worlds sought to appeal to its contemporary audiences through geopolitical considerations in the form of shifting the setting from Great Britain to the US and cinematic reasons such as the emphasis on the deus ex machina approach of the general plot via a miraculous ending, the positivity of which is perceived to appeal to many.
Works Cited
Gilbert, James. "Wars of the Worlds." The Journal of Popular Culture X.2 (1976): 323-336. Print.
War of the Worlds. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins. Paramount Pictures, 2005. DVD.
Wells, H. G. The War of the Worlds. Floyd, VA: Wilder Publications, 2013. Print.
