Surprisingly disappointing

Rating: 6/10 (3 July 2005)

When H G Wells wrote the War of the Worlds, it was meant to be a critical look at the British Empire and its rather idealistic self-appraisal as the Greatest Empire in the World, which is shown to be so comprehensively inconsequential when the Aliens invade and start destroying Earth, with Humanity (and the British Empire) seemingly powerless to stop it from happening.
Since the British Empire has been dead and buried for the better part of the last 50 years, a new Empire was needed as the main protagonist for an updated version of the War of the Worlds. Steven Spielberg chose the only real empire left in the World today, the United States of America. This modernising of the story is understandable, yet it is hard to ignore the fact that this movie tries to put into perspective America's dominance of the world and the fact that when thinking of the universe as a whole, America and the human race in general are inconsequential.
The updated Story revolves around the character of Tom Cruise, a crude and egocentric father who's life centres around himself. He's taking care of his son and daughter for a weekend while his ex - wife (Miranda Otto) is away with her husband on a trip to Boston. Unfortunately for him, that weekend happened to be the time a group of Aliens decide to attack Earth. The Story is easy to follow since Spielberg keeps it surprisingly simple, concentrating on the 3 main characters as they attempt to flee the strange tripod-like Alien machines.
This movie is not about confrontation, it is about escape. Only at the very end do we get to see Tom Cruise slip into Ethan Hunt mode and try and fight back. The ending of the film is the same as the book's, but while it worked for the book, when employed here, it seems to cut the story short rather than finishing it. At the beginning, Spielberg chooses to spend no time developing the story preferring to jump right into the action. The ending suffers similar problems; it ends all too quickly, considering everything the protagonists have been through. As for the acting itself, there's nothing spectacular, though there is a wonderful cameo by Tim Robbins, as a man who has lost his family to the Aliens and who now stubbornly believes that fighting them is the best course of action. There is more than a hint of Irony about this role. Dakota Fanning plays Cruise's daughter; yes, I know she's only 11 and that she's supposed to be a great actress for her age, but she seemed to be overacting here. Either that, or I'm not making an allowance for the natural exuberance of a 11-year old girl.
The special effects are all standard fare, as you would expect from an accomplished director like Spielberg, but he doesn't really do the story justice. This movie gives me the impression of having been put together in a hurry, in a rather hotch-potch way, which is not surprising, since the release date was brought forward by almost two full years. There is a marked difference between this movie and The Terminal, which was Spielberg's last film set in post September 11th America. In The Terminal, Tom Hanks attempts to approach his predicament with optimism, despite the mess he finds himself in. Here, there is no optimism, just plain fear and desperation. I was disappointed, though the story deserves credit for its pace, never slacking anywhere, especially in the middle, when films tend to slow down. For that and the fact this is not bad overall (I was more disappointed with Spielberg that the movie itself), I'll give it 6 on 10.