Tom Cruise saves the world...again!!!

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2005)

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits
Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a disgruntled dock worker who's got custody of his kids for a while and is planning to spend his time with them wisely. He goes out his house a minute and notices an unusually fearsome looking weather-cloud. At first unfazed, some freak weather conditions later and it is just the beginning of the nightmare that is to come involving cracks in the ground, mass hysteria and giant android machines that will destruct everything in their path. The planets have been at peace for too long- soon the 'war of the worlds' will begin...
It's summer. Time for the 'blockbuster' period to begin. And what would it all be without 'blockbuster' favourite Tom Cruise and directing favourite Steven Spielberg and their contribution to the genre, in this case an adaptation of the classic HG Wells novel?
Like many re-makes before it, I've not seen the original (well before my time, I'm afraid!) and so I suppose that's a blessing in a way as I'm able to review this version more objectively without comparing it to it's predecessor too much. In terms of quality, it for all intents and purposes does little more than serve it's function as a 'summer blockbuster', with some excellent special effects and certainly not in the way of anything else, in the shape of some dreary human drama and a perfunctory script. It's been in the papers how a famous cabinet minister (or something?) has promised to have the British film censors heads on a platter after the film received a 12A certificate on account of the shocking? violence the film contains. There are some edgy scenes where people get vaporized to bits in front of the camera, but they are not overly shocking and the full extent of the brutality is not shown. In terms of things to think about, the film pushes the 'we're arrogant to think we're alone in the universe' message and it hits a true note...
On the performances front, Cruise is serviceable in the lead role but there were moments in this film that caused me to have flashbacks to his days as a teen heart-throb and left me wondering if he'd really matured enough in all that time to take on roles like this. But the absolute star of the show without a shadow of a doubt is Dakota Fanning as his daughter. You'll either find her perfectly precocious (as I did!) or find her heart-warmingly cute, but either way her role works and she is the film's second biggest saving grace. This is a girl who'll be remembered as a brilliant child star and should go on to even greater things in later years. In a co-starring role (some may even call it a cameo!) Tim Robbins has a slightly un-nerving turn as a man who lives on a farm. Spielberg manages some tense scenes but mostly just provides standard direction for this kind of thing
Overall, War of the Worlds is a 'summer blockbuster' starring Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg and little more. It's that time of the year again, and you should just expect films like this to come by. Ten years ago, I might have found this film more than enough to suffice, but now I'm older and a bit more, er, 'critical' of what I see, that's all it is to me. ***