Reminds me of the good old days

Rating: 9/10 (2 July 2005)

Anyway, I whole heartedly agree with the previous reviewer. This film was great. Although it had some differences with the book, (i.e. the location, and the main character's family position) it really does the whole story right. I've read the book and I was wafting for this movie for almost 3 years. When the first tri-pod slowly crept out of the ground I got chills and said out loud "YES! HERE COMES THE HEAT BEAM!" I was pleased to see how Spielberg utilized my favorite alien weapon. POOF, and you're a cloud of ash and singed clothing. I loved it. This movie was not only action packed but also very suspenseful and downright scary. The tension in some scenes was so strong, I almost fell out of my seat. One very tense part was in the same scene as above as the first tripod appears, there is absolutely no music for about 5 minutes, and all you hear is the clamoring of the crowd and the subtle sounds of fear and confusion. Brilliant. Speaking of the music, John Williams does a fantastic job of stirring many different emotions. But probably the most compelling scene, the one that makes you, and the characters realize just how severe the situation is, is when Ray looks out the window, and see's nothing but red mist in the air through out the countryside. Blood. Human blood. Seeing that really makes you go, "Wow, these guys are serious." And after that, it becomes clear to him that the only way for him to protect his daughter is to make a choice, stay in the basement with the crazy Tim Robbins and most likely die because he wont shut up, or kill him in cold blood and stay safe a little longer. That sequence really hit me hard as a dog eat dog, sacrifices for survival sort of thing. Over all this movie is defiantly worth seeing if you're a fan of massive destruction, wonderful music and special effects, and great character development.