Playing in the Backyard

 

After being “The Walking Dictionary” my elementary claim to fame was making up games to play on the playground. I was steeped in a project so most of the time my games were scary, but I made sure the good guys won in the end. Movies and books can supply ready-made games where kids can just plug whoever is around in and go. War of the Worlds: The Attack is one of those movies. Everything about it is good for kid play, the pacing, the characters, the lack of sexual tension, the looseness and to some extent the improbability of the plot, even the clever use of walkie talkies which kids can really get their hands on, if they put down their phone. It feels like a throw back to the fifties, but with modernized ideals.

Put this on your list of movies to rent this summer. I can see kids huddled in a tent, or improvised shelter watching the film on an iPad and waking up the next day to adventures all over the neighborhood. The film is about as scary as a typical Doctor Who episode. The science is just window-dressing, and that leaves more scope for the imagination. If they can’t find anyone to be Dr. Stint volunteer. It will be fun, she said.