Fantastic Update of a Classic

Rating: 9/10 (29 August 2008)

I have to give Steven Spielberg a lot of credit. If there was ever anybody who could update the H.G. Wells classic "War of the Worlds" and do it so well, it could only be Spielberg. Unlike "Independence Day", which tries too much to involve us in multiple characters' emotions and what's happening to them, "War of the Worlds" gives us one family's point of view, and it actually heightens the tension. It makes this alien invasion seem more personal, more like it's happening to us, as well. Tom Cruise gives a massively underrated performance, perhaps diminished by the off-screen distractions, as the father just trying to keep his kids safe, and Dakota Fanning may give the best performance of a young actor since Haley Joel Osment in "The Sixth Sense". All in all, a fantastic thriller. Highly recommended.
9/10