the audience applauded

That was an excellent one.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Best movie ever!

I couldn't get past the horribly awful, unauthentic Mississippi accents that most of the main actors used. The dancing routines of the young girls is a highlight of the entire film. The war scenes are not believable and Kevin Costner is highly overrated as an actor Elijah Wood is far and away the star of the cast. The overly confident attitudes of the little girls is completely unrealistic. I wanted to like this movie but it's just not very well done. The narration style is nothing new and this version of it seems like a wanna-be knock-off. If "the tree" is a real, live tree, it is a magnificent specimen and another highlight of an otherwise lackluster film.

Overview I admit to being a big fan of this movie, although I know it can be a bit 'preachy' at times. The War is set in the summer of 1970 in Mississippi. Steven Simmons (Kevin Costner) has recently returned from Vietnam and is trying to fit back into life as he once knew it. However his time in Vietnam has left its scars (both physically and emotionally), and has placed strain on his relationship with wife Lois (Mare Winningham), and his children Lydia (Lexi Randall) and Stu (Elijah Wood), who are 12 year old twins. While Steven is trying to re-build his own life, Stu and Lydia are spending the summer building a tree house with the help of their friends, while trying to avoid the Lipnicki children, who take on the "local bullies" role. The acting by most is natural and convincing. Elijah Wood's portrayal of the intense but likable Stu is very well done. Kevin Costner, in what must be one of his best (yet lesser known) roles, is very understated and brilliantly cast as Steve. Lexi Randall, as Lydia, also shines at times, although she is almost overshadowed by the wonderful performance of her best friend Elvadine, played by Latoya Chisholm This movie has a similar feel to that of Fried Green Tomatoes (both films are directed by Jon AvnetPicture The overall picture quality of this HD DVD is very good. For the most part the image is sharp and the colours are vibrant. The lush greens of the forest and the bright blue sky in some scenes look fantastic. There are some close-up shots of the actors' faces that are so detailed I just said 'wow' out loud when I saw them, and the scenes filmed in the forest display an incredible depth. At times this transfer looks brilliant - almost on par with the best looking HD DVD titles out thereThere is some noticeable grain in night scenes and some sequences filmed indoors. There is also the odd occasion where the picture looks slightly soft and out of focus, and while contrast is fine in daylight scenes, blacks tend to look more dark grey at night.Being very impressed with the overall picture quality of this HD DVD, I dusted off the DVD version and gave it a spin for comparison's sake. The difference between the two is so great, I now find the DVD unwatchable. You do not realise just how much better the remastered HD DVD looks until you compare it with the original DVD transfer. From the first 30 seconds of this movie, as the camera pans around a large oak tree that is to become a central part of the movie, the difference between the two formats is like chalk and cheese. The DVD looks dark and out of focus, colours are muted and you struggle to make out any finer details of the tree and its surroundings. There is also constant and irritating grain. In comparison, the detail of the tree's twisting branches and bark on HD DVD is much more evident. After comparing the remastered HD DVD to the DVD, this has to be the greatest improvement I have seen when comparing the two formats and the same movie. Hats off to Universal! Audio First up, I was surprised when The War was announced on HD DVD by Universal, and even more surprised to learn that it would come packaged with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack.This movie is primarily dialogue driven, therefore the majority of the soundtrack comes out of the front three speakers. However the rear speakers are employed almost constantly in a subtle way for most of the movie. You are constantly aware of the chatter of insects buzzing through all speakers – typical of what you would experience in the Deep South in the middle of summer. It is a wonderfully immersive mix that draws you in to what is happening on-screen There are some loud and impressive sections in this soundtrack where all speakers are used to great effect. Flashbacks to the Vietnam War, and scenes at a water tower and marble mine are the audio highlights of the movie. These scenes are mixed at a high volume in comparison to the rest of the soundtrack, adding to their impact. Bass is strong and tight without becoming overpowering. Sure, the discrete sound effects are not as convincing as those on well recorded and recently released action movie, but once again it is an impressive mix for a 13 year old movie The War soundtrack includes a mix of classic songs from the 1960s and 1970s (Cat Stevens, Credence, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin), and also boasts and interesting and varied score that is especially moving in some scenes. In comparison to the DVD (which contains a 5.1 Dolby Digital track), the HD DVD Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus soundtrack is a noticeable step up in quality, but not as great as the improvement in picture. The DVD soundtrack is actually not that bad to begin with (and is mixed about 4dB higher than the HD DVD), but the HD DVD version is more immersive during the quieter scenes, and definitely more powerful during the action sequences. The difference between the Dolby Digital Plus and TrueHD mixes are slight, with ambient noises and dialogue sounding clearer on the TrueHD mix. Summary Being familiar with The War already, it was a real treat to see a movie I enjoy viewing so much being resurrected to look and sound this good. If you want to see just how good 13 year old catalogue title can scrub up, pick up a copy of this HD DVD.

I watched The War last night for the second time, having loved it the first time. Maybe then I was too young and/or naive. But what I didn't realise then I realise now; this is sentimentality equally mixed with childish comedy. The two obviously don't mix.Stu (Elijah Wood) lives in a poor, rundown little village after the Vietnam war. His father (Kevin Costner) suffers from trauma after some harrowing memories, thus making him fit for a mental hospital, when he's supposedly out looking for work. Stu's mother (Mare Winninghams) stays at home, whilst Stu's sister (Lidia Simmons) stays out helping Stu to build a tree house. Sets the scene, doesn't it? But there are complications. The rough-n-tumble Limpnickies hate it when the others steal property from their rundown little "area". Thus unfolding a chain of events that will leave you in disbelief at how mushy and sentimental the film is.It has its strong points, however; the script (though truly abysmal at times) seems to be quite balanced throughout the film, and the acting and emotions conveyed particularly from Elijah Wood are something special. But all in all, the silly comic streaks unbalanced screenplay leave this with a just over average mark.Final Analysis: 6 out of 10

As a teacher of scriptwriting I am using this film to demonstrate the art of dialog writing in a setting students and viewers don't see often. The dialog is authentic to the deep south, believable, has just the right amount of profanity and colloquial terminology, and is character specific. You can't easily exchange the speeches between characters and have scenes that work despite the fact all the characters are from the same rural community--try it and you'll see what I mean. In addition, the structure of the film is a fascinating study with its multi-layered plotting and casual way the story begins to unfold. At first, it seems this is a film without a plot--just a series of character studies--but the plotting eventually becomes apparent and its complex structure involves the viewer without grabbing you with a hook or obvious "problem to solve." Overall it's a fine example of how to write an involving, insightful message film.