Mars Times

Veteran politician Michael Foot, friend and biographer of the late writer, believes that Spielberg has missed the point with his big budget War Of The Worlds and is convinced Wells would have been devastated by Spielberg's treatment of the 1938 book.

Says Foot, "(Wells) was bitterly opposed to the British Empire. He thought it was a real disgrace. And that was really what War Of The Worlds was about: it wasn't just a great adventure story, it was about invasion. He would have seen terrible irony in the fact that Hollywood, this year, decided to make a film of his book while America and Britain are fighting in Iraq. He would have been horrified by the film, even though he loved seeing his books reach the screen."

Hmm, well I'm not sure Spielberg was that blind to the original novel. I certainly wonder if Foot has actually seen the film or simply read a few reviews. I would hardly describe the Spielberg movie as an "adventure" film. Its a scary, remorselessly vision of all out war, and I for one found real parallels with Iraq. I'm pretty certain that the average citizen of Iraq faced with "shock and awe" would find a lot to recognise with in the Spielberg film.