This movie is like a punch in the stomach!!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (1 July 2005)

I've just seen "War of the Worlds" in a theater here in Frankfurt. I honestly have problems finding the right words for this movie. Spielberg barely gives you time to get settled in your chair before the action kicks of, or should I say the horror? Yes you heard right, don't think this is another no-brain-required action flick like ID4 was. This movie is brutal, frightening and merciless almost till the very end. Some scenes were so gut-wrenching that I had to look away (Namely when the ferry carrying Rachel and her family capsizes, or earlier when their car gets raided). Spielberg has truly managed to the pure terror of an invasion, regardless whether by human armies, or (in this case) by beings from an unknown origin.
one of the reason this movie works so well is the cast. All actors (Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, and others) really do a good job, but the one who blows them all away is young Dakota. I've seen a lot of child actors so far but only one other(namely Natalie Portman) did such a convincing job at playing a small frightened girl.
The Special Effects of this movie are top of the line. Look for the scene when the bridge gets blown away, or when tripods are snatching people out of the water. It is just incredible, almost to real for my taste.
The soundtrack (together with the German voice-over) is a bit of a letdown, and the reason why I refrained from giving this movie a perfect ten. There just is no recognizable theme, and while the soundtrack does accompany the scenes nicely, it doesn't stay in your mind, like for example the Jurassic Park Soundtrack. The Sound effects themselves however, are great. Even If you couldn't actually see the tripods, you would still be able to imagine how horrible they are by listening to the sounds.
All in all, I'd classify this movie as a must-see. It is just fantastic.