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Posted: |
Nov 18, 2019 - 12:20 PM
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By: |
Cinefanart
(Member)
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Although this is a British reference post, just wondering is it me or is the music for the new 3 part mini series, which began on BBC last night, unfitting?
Essentially, it's a period drama, as we know, but composed using a modern day synth approach. While I was watching the first episode, which did get better as it went along, the music seemed weirdly spotted, up to the point where it started sounding wrong and noticeable for the wrong reasons.
I'm sure this isn't the only time we have heard someone mentioning the same issues with other music scores....I would say let's list them, but we will be here all day. Up to you.
If you all get a chance to watch it sometime, I would be interested to hear your views on the series and the music composed Russ Davies. Hope I'm not upsetting any Davies fans out there but it's just my opinion....
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I managed to miss it without trying. How many legs does a tripod have?
Post of the day! 
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I didn't think there was anything wrong with the production or the music, going on the episode so far, which is just the first. I read some truly awful reviews on IMDB and they really are well over the top. Apart from anything else how many adaptations have been close enough to the novel? NONE! On this occasion it's the setting that's close. The first time ever (not counting semi-professional productions) they've set it in the right place and time period (with ten years grace I think).
My first impression on Sunday was "where's the heat ray?" "Where's the Martian"? "What's the ball rising out of the crater about?". Then I re-read the novel for this part, and it's actually quite close. The heat ray IS described as virtually invisible until folks catch fire, and it IS a disc that rises from the pit to dish it out. The main thing we're missing is the supremely dramatic device of the unscrewing lid of the cylinder (here a sphere), with all the anticipation that gives. Well, the unscrewing bit has been done by both George Pal and Jeff Wayne, so maybe they didn't want to repeat that. With the Martian I suggest they're doing what Pal did do this time and save it for a second thrill instead of introducing -and therefore wasting - both bogeymen all at once.
The much criticised affair taking centre ground? Virtually all dramas foreground some love interest, and it's no worse than any other. And at least it is based on HG Wells' own life. I cut them some slack featuring sooo many close ups of the Poldark lady, she's a definite draw on this side of the pond -especially on the Sunday slot now that show's finished- so they'll be milking that aspect.
It's very handsomely mounted, directed and the sfx are great and more than adequate to tell the story they're telling. 'Downton Abbey with tripods'? What else was a sf story in Edwardian England going to end up being? On tv, even in the US, sfx are used sparingly. The disaster element is very well done and worthy of more expensive productions.
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In the end for me it's just another adaptation, and looking at them all they all have pros and cons. We know very few adaptations meet the exact expectations of the readers. This time around the kudos go to the fact that it's the first time we've had the right/novel's period and location. If it all goes belly up from episode two at least we have that. Being quite a fan of WotW since both the Pal movie and the Jeff Wayne album, I'm interested in most versions. Hence my giving it a second chance and viewing.
There is of course another series around this time a US French co-production, but yet again set in the modern day. I'd be happier if they did another period one but in another country, so we get to see how it looked there. I'd be happy to see the US cavalry against the tripods! As it is I see shows like the latter and the US 80s show as continuations of the story rather than adaptations of the novel. Fine but not as satisfying to me.
The main woke thing for me so far was a line spoken by 'his Lordship' about how we anglo-saxon based races have a right to do what we bloody well like in the world. This is far from subtle and treats the audience like children, not leaving the viewers to make up their own mind by the already obvious parallels inherent in the story. But giving the woman the lead role (though it's fairly equal so far) doesn't matter that much because there is no named lead character in the original text even if the narrator is male. We all know that most movie and tv dramas insist on a male and female lead so I don't find it that much of stretch. The female in question is very popular here, and I reckon if her male opposite in Poldark was in this and she wasn't he'd be the one getting the long close-ups.
I personally think the tripods are fine. I don't have a view on whether they should be steampunk or futuristic, and what we get is ok to me, but then I love the Jeff Wayne look as well as those in the teen sf Tripods series.
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Posted: |
Nov 20, 2019 - 2:55 PM
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By: |
Spinmeister
(Member)
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My issues with the series are twofold:
First, that the human drama revolving around the “scandalous” romance between Amy and George, their war-torn separation, and her contentious relationship with George’s reproachful brother, Frederick, whom fled the onslaught alongside her, isn’t in the least affecting.
Second, framing the drama via narration and flashback drains the proceedings of any real visceral thrills; cutting the action time and again to revisit Amy in the future so she can moan about what happened next was wholly anti-climactic.
And, naturally, the music was dreadful.
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Yes, I knew about this Us/French co-production, but it appears to be way further away from the novel (make that no where near) than the BBC serial. No Martians or tripods, and mostly set after an invasion where it's just about survival with occasional skirmishes with robot dogs!
It also gets bad reviews on imdb with even it's fans admitting it shouldn't have the misleading title. And one or two saying stick with the BBC serial.
Basically Walking Dead with aliens instead of zombies.
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Second episode and I'm still enjoying it. We got some nice tripod action on the beach where they got as close as they could to the Thunder Child bit in the book without having to spend too much. This IS BBC not Hollywood. The stuff in the dark is nice and creepy and some horror now as we get the Martian out of it's machine.
The disaster stuff is top notch for me and I really don't understand quite the bashing it's got. The split timeline is piss easy to understand, as is what the Martians have done to the planet. AND we got the red weed, another tick in the Wells box.
And I realise not everyone likes it enough to watch the episodes twice, but it does make the relationship stuff balance out a bit and not seem over the top as it might first appear.
And while the music is fairly bland in the second part (not so much in the first) and devoid of thematic stuff that I'd prefer (especially in the opening titles), I'm afraid calling it "dreadful" is typical of the unfair bashing this is getting elsewhere.
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Well, all good things come to an end. Not only the BBC's War of the Worlds, but my enjoyment of it. All other objections until episode three I can file under 'it's tv and BBC at that'. But there sure ain't no excuse for the dullness that was Part 3. I don't especially object to the Earth under the Martians depicted. But I do object to the lack of excitement that at least SOME tripod action would have given it.
The Martian itself was not too bad. Lack of appendages can be explained by them being concealed or not even needing them (thought control of the machines after generations of some sort of atrophy of the physical side), and the fight with it.
But there was no element of climax to it. The level of tripod attack that we had on the on the beach in Part 2 would have been something, but we got............nothing. Shame.
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Ah, now you see I personally wouldn't have missed it. It might have been ultimately disappointing, but I also felt that it was also perfectly entertaining. It really only took a dive for me with the final episode. Even then if there'd been a better element of climax to it I would have been happy enough. The first two parts are as much as I expected from a BBC tv serial. Yes, it could have been better. But then so could many of my favourite films and tv shows.
If the rival show was also an actual adaptation I wouldn't miss that either. As it is I might give it a go.
Nah, if nothing else the BBC one is the first to set it in the 'correct' country and around the right time, and for that it gets the thumbs up from me. If with some points knocked off for the reasons given. And let's face it, what more DID we expect from the writer (of the adaptation not WELLS!) who once told us the moon was a flippin' EGG!
I guess now the nearest chance we'll get to a satisfying pseudo-historical Wellsian version of War of the Worlds is if Jeff Wayne ever gets his musical filmed. That's something else I think is overdue.
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I've watched 2 episodes so far and it's.....okaaaaayyyyy, I suppose.
Not really a fan of the main protagonists. They're a bit wishy-washy and drab.
The biggest buzz has been seeing all the various Liverpool locations used to depict Victorian England.
St Georges Hall and plateau has been used constantly to portray olde London towne and the Pine Woods and beaches of Formby and Ainsdale have housed the alien landing and attack sequences.
That's been cool.
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Well I don't live in Liverpool Kev, but one of my best mates does, and he's a film/tv extra. So for me the bit of Liverpool I knew was his face being all over the early arrival scene in the woods! He's wearing a dear stalker and a mighty (real) beard. Lots of close ups and in the press photo they take, which means he was in all the trailers..
As far as drab is concerned I think that describes perfectly the opening speech. After Cedric Hardwicke and Richard Burton the leading lady just doesn't cut it. No power or impact, which I suppose some will say about the whole production...
One thing I will say is, all other considerations apart it was nice to have a BBC sf show with 'normal' pacing instead of the whizz-bang edits we get with modern Doctor Who. And it was far better than last the series effort of THAT series. In fact closer in feel to the Classic series..
Btw, despite not having the climatic feel some tripod vs army action might have given the last episode it came to me recently where they might have got the inspiration for their version of the actual Martian. Looks like someone's a fan of old George Pal's film....
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