# Problem with War of the Worlds (probably with spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-war-of-the-worlds-probably-with-spoilers/312028 "2005-07-11T17:38:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-war-of-the-worlds-probably-with-spoilers/312028/21 "2005-07-13T17:37:32Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I can understand that, however, it is my experience that these guys make _several_ 100k a year. I am hesitant to give a specific number because my info is 10 years old. I doubt it has gone down since then. My point is that the character would be more believable if he was working for his friend in the garage rather than at a high paying job like he was given. Most likely because Speilberg is out of touch with what real people earn. So it sounds like you’re holding the film responsible for information that only an “insider” would know. Some good faith efforts have been made by other posters to make an estimation of the guy’s salary; you say that they’re off, but certainly at first glance, the info seems relatively sound. That is exactly what a film researcher would unearth, and without being privy to this “insider” data, that’s all they have to go off of. It doesn’t need to be accurate, it just needs to be superficially credible. It sounds like, to 99.9% of the population, an argument could be made that it is. That’s certainly all the film needs to do. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-war-of-the-worlds-probably-with-spoilers/312028/22 "2005-07-13T17:40:41Z")
He’s probably still working off the lawyers’ fees. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-war-of-the-worlds-probably-with-spoilers/312028/23 "2005-07-13T17:53:46Z")
War of the Worlds really stunk. Bad Bad Bad. Acting led by the always stellar Tom “Top Nut” Cruise: Stunk Writing: Poor, no characters were likable and plot wholes you could drive a Tripod through. Music/Score: no value, did not add to movie. Special affects: they were fine but did not drive the movie. Plot: Non Existent To start with; Hmmm the ground is shaken & cracking in strange ways, let’s all stand around and gawk. I believe most people would have thought sink hole or earthquake and took off running, I acknowledge a few idiots would have stayed but come on. Tom has the great luck of an already repaired Mini Van thanks to his own expert mechanical/car electrical advice. On a nice day you can’t move through that part of NJ and the minute it snow or rains all those highways crawl. The roads would have been impassable. Tom is trying to get to Boston to unload responsibility of kids. Ok, what kind of complete idiot would head for a ferry and not a bridge? I can’t think of a worse way to cross the Hudson. These Tripods have been hidden underground for thousands of years? All of humanity has failed to come across them? How far down were they buried? What kept them capable of being operational? Was this science fiction or just plain fantasy? My comments on the wonderful scene in crazy ambulance driver’s basement. These invaders blew up everything, but this basement was worth investigating and sending live scouts out why? I know it was an homage to the classic movie but it just did fit into the plot and the way these creatures appeared to operate. I was okay with the classic car; He was the right age to have picked it up before marriage and keeping as his pride and joy. That pathetic house people decried was probably worth $250,000. The area is very expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-war-of-the-worlds-probably-with-spoilers/312028/24 "2005-07-14T07:13:15Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > So it sounds like you’re holding the film responsible for information that only an “insider” would know. Some good faith efforts have been made by other posters to make an estimation of the guy’s salary; you say that they’re off, but certainly at first glance, the info seems relatively sound. That is exactly what a film researcher would unearth, and without being privy to this “insider” data, that’s all they have to go off of. > > It doesn’t need to be accurate, it just needs to be superficially credible. It sounds like, to 99.9% of the population, an argument could be made that it is. That’s certainly all the film needs to do. That’s right, to a point. Of course this is a nitpick that probably won’t bother most people. In this case no researcher was needed. They were on the docks, using the actual equipment. Real crane operators would have to be used to work the crane and as advisers. To find out their salary would be as easy as saying “Dude how much do you make?” I agree that 99.9% of the population would find this credible. Of course if they read the Dope they would now know different. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-war-of-the-worlds-probably-with-spoilers/312028/25 "2005-07-14T21:49:25Z")
Does it matter? Cruise’s character was such a schmuck that it wouldn’t be a major stretch of the imagination to say he made $200K a year and pissed away most of it on hookers, beer, and child support. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-war-of-the-worlds-probably-with-spoilers/312028/26 "2005-07-14T22:14:49Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > In this case no researcher was needed. They were on the docks, using the actual equipment. Huh? Even if we assume that the crane scene was filmed first, and that someone was around to second-guess the researchers, what do you think would have happened? A last minute rewrite of the script, making him generous and supportive of his kids? It’s not that he _can’t_ support them – it’s that he doesn’t. He’s selfish. That’s the point. Another hint about where his money goes: When he refuses the overtime, his foreman asks “You know what your problem is?” and Ray says “I have _several women_ who tell me all the time.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-with-war-of-the-worlds-probably-with-spoilers/312028.md?page=1)