Apologies

I saw War Of The Worlds last week and after quite enjoying it, I decided to write a little something about it. It began as a review:

‘Last January I read War Of The Worlds by H. G. Wells. I found it very interesting and entertaining. However, it made me hesitant about seeing the movie. A few years ago, I read Wells’ The Time Machine. Another novel of his I’ve enjoyed. Then I saw the movie. Essentially, I waited half the movie for it to be more like the book. Then I spent the rest of the movie hating how they massacred it. The Time Machine was a bad movie, nothing like the book. It was so unlike the book, it should have had a different title. That’s what I was worried about, that War Of The Worlds would be utterly horrible.'

Then Tom Cruise apologized. What began as a few comments on War Of The Worlds changed. When he criticized Brooke Shields and with all the media coverage of him and Katie Holmes, it was just too much. It was also the reason I didn’t go see Mission: Impossible 3. Now I’ve seen both and was entertained. (M: I 3 was a good action movie, full of stunts and explosions. War Of The Worlds wasn’t quite like the book. It was “modernized” and given a definite cinematic flare. Spielberg’s stamp was deeply imprinted. That’s why I should have seen the movie sooner. I saw them before the apology. I had a copy of War Of The Worlds my brother-in-law gave us. My interest in seeing how like the book it was returned. So we watched it. Mission: Impossible 3 was the in flight movie on our way to Mexico.) Brooke Shields seemed impressed or at least pleasantly surprised by Tom Cruise’s apology. From the clip of her interview on Leno, anyway. I think she definitely deserved an apology. Postpartum depression is a serious issue that women have not talked about in the past and they should. I am glad she spoke out.

I just wonder how contrived this apology was. It was certainly timed well, with the release of his interview with Vanity Fair. Did he do that on purpose? Probably. Should we hold that against him? Probably not. Not if he is actually sorry for his comments. However, my other concern is that he did it just to get some good press. From what I understand, M: I 3 and War Of The Worlds didn’t do as well as hoped at the box office. I’ve seen them and liked them. I would have at least gone to see War Of The Worlds in the theatre if not for the over saturation in the media of Tom Cruise. With good press, maybe more people will go see his films.

Of course, there was all that crazy crap in the tabloids about his daughter being disfigured. I’ve seen the pictures. Suri is a beautiful child. What a horrible thing to say? I can completely sympathize with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes with that.

Mostly, however, this is the cynic in my speaking. The doubter. What were his true motives? He only knows. Brooke Shields seems to be happy with the apology. I suppose that’s good enough. I think I’ll give the next Tom Cruise movie a fair chance. I might even pick up a copy of Vanity Fair.