In what ways does
War of the World comment upon post 9/11 society?
War
of the Worlds is set in a post 9/11 society, which is important considering the
story is set in New York, which was exclusively chosen by the Director. So we can imagine that the characters in The
Novel and the earlier film were also set in different places. Each film or
novel is set in a world where there is a recent threat to our society. In the
novel, the Aliens represent the threat at that time, foreigners and immigrants
in England. The first film was set in America when the threat of communism
loomed and freedom was being challenged by Russia, when the Red Scare was happening. Finally the 2005 film was
set after the 9/11 terror attacks and while paranoia and fear levels were still
high and we can see a variety of iconography in the film relating to the 9/11 terrorist attack.
I think the main iconography used was the grey dust that people explode into after getting fired upon by the aliens. Our protagonist, Ray, appears to be covered in at after narrowly escaping the devastation caused by the Aliens. This relates to the massive amounts of Grey Dust seen in images of 9/11, covering people as they flee, caused by the collapse of the buildings. Spielberg has done this intentionally to create this connection.
A key shot which can be related to 9/11 is the shot when we look through another camera at the Alien and its destruction spree. This could be relative to the medias coverage of the terrorist attack and the iconic images that spread around the world instantly, all captured by cameras. Used to demonstrate the destruction and spread fear and paranoia like an illness around the world. Furthermore related to this, the shot type is a low angle, the audience is positioned looking up at the huge Alien. Similar pictures were taken during the 9/11 attacks, looking up at the wreckage.
I believe that the Aliens in War of the Worlds are Allegorical for terrorists as they are very similar. They have similar objectives and intentions, to destroy Humans, cause mass chaos and destroy as much as possible. Also, both the attacks occur from within the US - more specifically New York. Both of the creators of these attacks are looked at as 'outsiders', in-humane and un-moral.
I think the main iconography used was the grey dust that people explode into after getting fired upon by the aliens. Our protagonist, Ray, appears to be covered in at after narrowly escaping the devastation caused by the Aliens. This relates to the massive amounts of Grey Dust seen in images of 9/11, covering people as they flee, caused by the collapse of the buildings. Spielberg has done this intentionally to create this connection.
A key shot which can be related to 9/11 is the shot when we look through another camera at the Alien and its destruction spree. This could be relative to the medias coverage of the terrorist attack and the iconic images that spread around the world instantly, all captured by cameras. Used to demonstrate the destruction and spread fear and paranoia like an illness around the world. Furthermore related to this, the shot type is a low angle, the audience is positioned looking up at the huge Alien. Similar pictures were taken during the 9/11 attacks, looking up at the wreckage.
I believe that the Aliens in War of the Worlds are Allegorical for terrorists as they are very similar. They have similar objectives and intentions, to destroy Humans, cause mass chaos and destroy as much as possible. Also, both the attacks occur from within the US - more specifically New York. Both of the creators of these attacks are looked at as 'outsiders', in-humane and un-moral.
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