An Entertaining Remake

Rating: 6/10 (26 May 2008)

War of the Worlds (2005, Dir. Steven Spielberg)
It's the 21st Century, and Ray Ferrier (Cruise) is trying to be a normal father to his two kids, but unbeknownst to him and the rest of the world, they are about to be attacked by beings from another world. No where is safe anymore, as Ferrier and his family must travel across the country to reach Boston.
If you have seen the original version of 'The War of the Worlds', you may be tempted to check out the updated version of the tale, especially with Tom Cruise in the lead and Steven Spielberg directing. Although, the finished result is not one of Spielberg's best films, it is still highly enjoyable. The story is more complex now. As well as having the standard 'surviving' story, elements have also been introduced which revolve around family problems. Tom Cruise portrays a good father and is able to provide a good performance, however there were some lines which did come off awkwardly when Cruise said them. Dakota Fanning also further shows that she is one of the better young actresses of this current generation. As expected with the standard Spielberg film, John Williams provides a wonderful soundtrack and the ILM team creates some amazing visual effects. Whilst this remake may not improve over the original and does contain a lot more unexplained plot holes, it is still has a lot of entertainment value.
Is she dead? - Rachel Ferrier (Dakota Fanning)
She's not dead. All right? She's just not here, okay. They were never here.  Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise)