War Of The Worlds plot revisited but using a family as they would fare in a hyperthetical situation.

Rating: 10/10 (20 August 2002)

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Identical plot to War of the Worlds in that the aliens arrive without unannounced and without warning. At first people don't suspect an alien invasion. The next phase their presence is seen when many spaceships, worldwide, are seen everywhere. The third phase tells of people getting killed by the aliens and finally, the aliens being defeated and the earth is safe again. In both movies, very limited detail of the alien form is given, reconnaissance aliens are seen searching through houses, being killed, the goodies all live and the world is saved again. That said, the main difference is the use of a family situation and how they deal personally with the invasion on their own farm. There are poignant scenes, ones showing empathy with some humor and suspense also added to make the film really worth watching.
The story starts with a widower, his brother and the widower's two children playing on a corn farm in Philadelphia. The next morning he goes into his corn field to discover strange sightings as his crop is crushed in the shape of some strange key. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) soon discovers on television that similar sightings are occurring elsewhere around the earth. Hess was once a reverend who lost faith after his wife was killed in an automobile accident. The following night, strange noises could be heard outside and a human like shape was seen by Hess and his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix). Still not expecting aliens, they thought it was just practical jokers. The children go to the library and read up on aliens as television broadcasts now report that the aliens are seen hovering in the sky above many countries and cities. One of Graham Hess's acquaintances was first blamed for the trouble on the farm, but a subsequent visit to his place saw him fleeing for his life. His last words were "There is one of them locked in the pantry." Gibson's search of the house was both dramatic and also filled with laughter. The alien somehow got two fingers severed in an accident there. That is all we saw of the alien at that stage. Meanwhile around the world, there were reports of many deaths by poisoning. The aliens could somehow excrete a poisonous vapour, thus killing any humans in their way. The next and final night saw the family barricade themselves in their house, expecting the worst. Just after they thought they were safe, the aliens entered through the roof, giving the Hess's just enough time to barricade themselves in the underground basement. The acting during this tense and dramatic night was of a high quality and well worth seeing. The morning saw things very quiet and when the son Morgan (Rory Culkin) has a real bad asthma attack, Gibson has no alternative but to venture upstairs again. On turning on the television, we soon learn that the aliens were defeated and those remaining fled in haste. On turning around, we see the alien from previous, with two fingers missing, holding Morgan. The alien can be seen directing a stream of poisonous gas onto Morgan's face. Merrill, as we learnt earlier, was a champion baseball player who once hit a record distance of 504 feet. Without spoiling the end, we can see he was such a powerful hitter and also the fate of Morgan who was gassed.
In all, a movie I could watch over and over. Unlike the wooden actors in War Of The Worlds, The acting here was first class. You could easily put yourself in the Hess's shoes and be part of the story. What would you have done in similar circumstances?