Highly Entertaining Mix of Sci-Fi and Drama

Rating: Null/10 (19 May 2015)

War of the Worlds (2005)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Intense adaptation of H.G. Wells' story has the Earth coming under attack from aliens that have placed spaceships under the grounds centuries before man were even on the planet. While all of this is going on, on father (Tom Crusie) who hasn't always been there for his kids must try and save their lives while also reaching them for the mistakes of his past.
Steven Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS comes so, so close to being one of the greatest science-fiction movies ever made. For the first 80 or so minutes the movie is downright flawless in the way it builds up tension and there's no question that the invasion scenes are some of the greatest ever created. I'd even argue that the family drama stuff actually works extremely well and especially one sequence that happens on a hillside between the father and his teenage son. Sadly, after this scene the movie loses some of its impact and ends in a pretty bad fashion. Still, Spielberg has still created a very good movie that fans of the genre should enjoy.
Technically speaking the movie is quite flawless. I've never really been a fan of CGI unless it's done right and that's certainly the case here. There's a lot of destruction that happens throughout this movie from roads cracking to bridges tumbling over to bodies turning into dust and there are thousands of cars blown up and entire towns destroyed. The CGI spaceships look extremely good but best of all is that they're entirely believable. Another major plus is the wonderful cinematography that picks all of this up and the music score is also very impressive. Everything from the editing to the wonderful set design are top-notch as well.
Another major plus are the performances with Cruise really shining in the lead role. In my opinion Cruise has never gotten the respect he deserves for the actor that he is and he proves that he can handle real drama and real emotion here. I thought the actor was extremely believable playing a blue collar worker who also happens to not be that good of a father. Cruise handles the action scenes flawlessly of course but the real highlight are the more dramatic moments including the before mentioned scene on the hill with his son. Dakota Fanning is also good in her supporting role of the daughter. Tim Robbins is also good in his brief part as a nut who gives the two shelter.
But, speaking of that long sequence, I think it starts off good but the second portion of this sequence just loses some of the steam that the movie has built up. I'm obviously not going to spoil the ending but what happens at the very end just ruins what was built up earlier in the picture as well. I won't get into details but someone pops up at the end and just really ruins the ending. Still, WAR OF THE WORLDS has a lot going for it and it's certainly worth watching. It's an incredibly entertaining film but there's no question that with a few changes it could have been a masterpiece.