User Reviews

War of the Worlds: Goliath (2012) is visually pretty but storytelling wise, it is absolutely boring. If it wasn't the awesome concept from the novel and the effort on visuals, this one honestly might end up being the second animated feature I'd rate 1 star. But I rated it 5 stars anyway, as some of you might like it for whatever reasons.

When compared to all older Malaysian animated features, War of the Worlds: Goliath (2012) does has a nice feel to it but the plot is unfortunately quite bad. There are so many illogical scenes that are left unexplained or unfinished even until the end. The backstory? Certainly without much thought as it is not clear or even established in the animated feature itself.

I understand alien invasion and steampunk are interesting but the series of random elements and events here won't make it a great storytelling or an enjoyable, at least for me even though it is the prettiest Malaysian animated film. (Out of four that I have seen.)

I can't speak for H.G Wells but I was pretty amazed that this mindless excess of big guns and explosions be promoted as a sequel to War of the Worlds. Maybe Public Domain isn't such a good thing after all. Beyond the bastardization of Wells original concept the sheer lack of understanding of basic film making 101, 1D characters, cheap Korean animation and ludicrous steroid pumped character designs results in what is essentially a film length ad to sell Goliath toys to a demographic of 7 to 12 year old boys and steam punk fans. Except it's not steam punk. It's hard to overlook one of the original promotions for the film advertised it as R rated with "sex in the cockpit". Classy. It's unfortunate considering many talented individuals contributed to the film.

I admit the movie didn't quite impress me at the first fifteen minutes from the start: some of the dialogues sounded like the voice actors were rushed before they could warm up properly to the character they were playing as, resulting in horridly cheesy voice acting which was quite a pain to listen to, but the believability of their acting per the character they were portraying seemed to improve as the movie progressed. Certain animated segments in the movie lacked that stellar Disney-like polish, and some people who aren't used to direct-to-DVD quality animation might find the movie's animation style a bit hard to digest.

Then I thought, "maybe I'm being too cynical with this movie" so I chose throw that out to the recycle bin for the rest of the screening. It was then I finally got the gist of what the movie wanted to be: a straight to the point, no holds barred animated action movie. It didn't muck around with too much plot and instead went straight to the meat buffet of non-stop gunfires, lasers, and explosions everywhere. In fact, one can very much regard WOTW:G as the animated steampunk equal to Expendables 2, and surely anyone who sat through the first minute of that senseless beefcake parade would forget they were ever cynical, sensible adults the moment they saw Stallone and his motley crew of action movie stereotypes steamrolling the far east countryside with enough chesthairs to knock over a fortress (in which they did). That, I believe, is the kind of attitude one should muster when watching WOTW:G. Paying even a shred of attention towards the overly straightforward storyline and paper-thin character development would be a complete waste of time as it wasn't the movie's main intention or best forte. However, if you did step into the cinema with the fervour of an uptight critic, I could bet it wouldn't take five minutes for you to vacate your seat and scram to the nearest home entertainment store for a copy of Mulholland Drive for the rest of the night!

Having made a comparative reference of a really testosterone-driven action movie, there was no doubt WOTW:G is filled with a lot of suitably clichéd gung-ho characters to go with the continually overmentioned massive guns and explosions. You got the heroic Captain America type protagonist, the femme fatale love interest, the wisecracking Irish, and the "I need to be here because I complete the whole ensemble" black guy. I could barely remember any of their names except for the token Malayan character Raja Iskandar Shah. I was glad that Shah wasn't simply thumbtacked onto the movie just to tell every ingrate creatures on earth to be grateful for the country that does half the bulk of animation work. To my surprise, Shah was a very likable support character, the movie's equivalent to Spock: he's wise, educated, and loves his tea. Perhaps (SPOILER) I could also mention his Keris stabby scene upon a hapless Martian would've easily earned the Awe-Inspiring Moment Of The Month Award if there was ever one! Some historical figures portrayed in the movie were also suitably reimagined and empowered with the tenacity of Greek Gods, like the barfighting, machinegunning prowess of A.R.E.S. commander-in-chief Theodore Roosevelt. Last but not least, WOTW:G beautifully fitting musical score warrants a soundtrack CD release in the future.

If you could keep your brain in a jar for night, WOTW:G is the animated movie of choice for a bachelor's night out with the rest of your male buddies. It's a spectacle-driven, purely juvenile explosive ride that's not at all taxing for the casual audience with the least of expectations in what they're watching. Don't concern yourself too much with small details. Just distract yourself with the shock and awe that the movie brought to the silver screen.