Spielberg's terrifying apocalyptic masterpiece! ***** out of 5

Rating: 10/10 (29 June 2005)

Hands down the best alien invasion movie I have EVER seen.
The key word here is 'realism'. It's almost documentarian in style. When you are watching the attacks by alien forces you aren't exactly going 'COOL!' instead you might actually become somewhat nauseated with fear like I did. As real as it is Spielberg is still sure to provide some of the most cinematic and beautiful shots only a master can conjure.
Spielberg really takes the material seriously and makes it look like something that could actually happen. It's unexpectedly disturbing and quite intense. It's definitely the 'Saving Private Ryan' of alien invasion movies.
The special effects are brilliant. ILM has gotten to a point I feel where you really can't tell anything is CGI anymore. It's all incredibly and frighteningly real looking.
Also, a huge plus is the human element here. Tom Cruise and the rest are excellent and create characters we truly care about. We are there with them through the tragic events and we really don't want anything bad to happen to them. I think Tim Robbins character got a bit annoying sometimes, but at the same time it worked. I'm sure a lot of people out there would react in the same fashion if the world was being attacked by other beings.
The music by John Williams is fantastic. It's pulsating and dreary. There are a few scenes though that actually work without music and all you can hear is the approaching tripods... shudder. Again, the music works extremely well and I can't wait to place it among my other Williams scores.
Definitely a tie with Revenge of the Sith for best film of the summer/year. It's further proof of why I consider Spielberg to be the best filmmaker of all time.
See it before it's too late!