A blockbuster constructed with humanity and suspense

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2008)

Steven Spielberg is an exceptional director. His ground-breaking films have earned him a place amongst my top three directors, alongside Peter Jackson and Martin Scorsese. War of the Worlds may not be one of Spielberg's trademark classics, but it is still a terrific example of how to construct a dangerous, nasty and bleak sci-fi action adventure, all of which is done with a true Spielbergian quality; humanity.
War of the Worlds delivers on its promise of pulse-raising, heart-pumping action, but unlike many summer movies, it doesn't allow its spectacle to rule, creating a fast-paced story packed with moments of superb characterisation, complex emotions and sheer grittiness.
One of these fine moments comes when Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) and his family are surrounded by desperate humans who are also attempting to flee the attacking aliens, and who want a ride in Ray's car, which is possibly the only working car around. Ray refuses, and so the refugees attack, flinging rocks at the cars windscreen, smashing the windows with baseball bats and almost suffocating Ray's daughter (Dakota Fanning) in a desperate attempt to escape the terrifying force slowly surrounding them. This is a moment of humanistic yet terrifying reality, which begs the question; Who is more dangerous, us or the aliens?
The performers also avoid being flashy and over-the-top. Cruise effectively handles the role of a mostly inadequate father who strives to protect his family throughout this nightmare, bringing a sense of grown-up humour, charisma and vulnerability to the table. Justin Chatwin does a good job as Ray's conflicted son Robbie, who is torn between protecting his sister and getting back at the aliens, and Tim Robbins provides almost unbearable suspense for his appearance as a stranger slowly going mad after the loss of his loved ones. However, the shining star in the cast is Fanning, who evokes a sense of dedication, intelligence and grace that you may only expect to find in someone, say, 30 years older. This young star is brilliant in her role, and I think that her career will be moving in a bright and interesting direction.
The visual effects are brilliant, and are put to imaginative and threatening use. The effects don't contradict the rest of the film by being light and harmless. Instead, they are visceral, complex and daring. Blue beams spring from the alien tripods, vaporising any person they come into contact with. Red weeds spread out over the landscape, covering almost everything from cars to cows. The tripods themselves are a eerie, menacing presence whenever they appear on screen. However, the best effects on display in the film are the actual aliens, which are used sparingly but are scarily intriguing and expertly designed.
John Williams also provides a cracking score for the film, creating menace in the blink of an eye and providing powerful music which boosts both the action-driven sequences and the character-driven moments.
The visual effects are combined with masterful stunts in order to create exceptional action sequences. The first action sequence in which Ray first encounters the wrath of the aliens has a superb build-up, with huge cracks spreading across an intersection, climbing up the sides of buildings and eventually creating a huge hole in the ground, from which a tripod finally emerges. We are then thrown headfirst into the action, following Ray as he sprints away down the street, people exploding in clouds of dust around him after being hit by the vaporising beams.
The action continues to be masterclass all the way through, proving that Spielberg is still a master at creating terror and suspense. The cinematography is also excellent, creating realistic and gritty environments which slowly become enveloped by supernatural darkness and chilling light.
It is Spielberg who deserves the most credit for this brilliant film. He crafts this movie with cunning, daring and reality, whilst always keeping a imminent sense of danger and humanity luring throughout the proceedings. However, he never allows the bleak reality of the film to obscure his wide imagination, creating many moments of pure creativity which truly display the work of a master. After this, I can't wait to see how Spielberg handles the next Indiana Jones. It looks like it is going to be brilliant, and Spielberg will be playing an important part in that. The screenwriter, David Koepp, also deserves credit for making the film as realistic as possible, breathing life into the characters and their situations.
My only disappointment with the film is its ending. After so much dark, gritty danger and suspense, the ending seems too light, friendly and happy to really fit in successfully with the rest of the film. Still, this isn't too big a flaw as to distract from the rest of this otherwise brilliant film. If you are looking for a realistic, dark, exciting and incredibly smart sci-fi, then look no further.