Ah, an apocalyptic philosophical science fiction movie with no environmentalist ravings...we haven't had one of these for a while.

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2005)

I have been looking forward to this movie for some time but I still expected something along the lines of the dull Day After Tomorrow blockbuster from last year. I was pleasantly surprised. This is not everyone's film. You need to have a real appreciation for decent science fiction, and some people may find the characters too homely for their taste. I found the family relationship pumped the film with emotion because they were real characters, rather than the stereotypical gorgeous scientists and heroes that most apocalyptic films favour. However, I did find many scenes in the film disturbing because of the (deliberate or accidental) references to the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, such as the bodies floating down the river and the separation of the family. But I don't count these against Spielberg, as every moment was treated with respect. The plot was enduring, but imperfect. Nitpickers will welcome a chance to point out every flaw in the logic, and I agree that (as in Shyamalan's Signs) the aliens did seem strangely ill- prepared for their invasion, which had supposedly begun thousands of years ago. The suspense was executed well: the terror was bitingly real. All over, War of the Worlds is well worth the viewing.