Spielberg Still Has It.

Rating: 10/10 (15 July 2005)

I was not disappointed. Steven Spielberg's version of War of the Worlds, unlike the endless barrage of remakes of movie classics, delivers what it promises. Instead of wasting precious time on unnecessary character development, it shifts into high gear and never lets up. The scene where the first alien death machine appears is a sight to behold. The performances are outstanding-Tom Cruise's character returning home for his kids after the initial attack, obviously in a state of shock, not quite believing what has just happened. Dakota Fanning turns in a stellar performance-a most realistic depiction of a 10 year old child witnessing the end of the world as we know it. Even the extras involved made it look like this was more of a documentary of a world gone mad-literally. The design of the aliens was very well executed, certainly not your typical run-of-the-mill Hollywood bug-eyed slime spewing killers. Finally, the cameos of Gene Barry and Ann Robinson,- the stars of the original WOTW-added a nice touch. Thanks to Mr. Spielberg, we have here a popcorn movie with intelligence.
If only he directed Godzilla: Final Wars.
Rating: ***** out of *****