Finds itself somewhere between "Independance Day" and "Signs"

Rating: 8/10 (9 July 2005)

In the late 1990's, when movies like Independence Day and Armageddon became box-office hits, a certain romanticism was brought to the idea of cities being destroyed and countless lives being lost. As long as Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum and Ben Affleck eventually saved the day, it was fun. After 9/11, of course(!), audiences got a rude awakening. After that, movies such as The Core echoed through empty theatres and audiences gave The Day After Tomorrow the cold shoulder. I thought that M. Night Shalaman's Signs tapped into our real fears: the main characters were not witness to any destruction, but anxiously sat by the TV and radio to await further information regarding the terror around the world. This is something most audiences can relate to, since it's what millions of people did that tragic day in September, and even just a few days ago when London was attacked.
Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds somehow arrives in a zone that's not quite Independence Day, but not quite Signs, either. There are the big special effects sequences in which random citizens are killed, but there are also those quiet, sincere moments of a family living in fear, not knowing what to do, trying to survive. I didn't care as much for the family in War of the Worlds as I did for the family in Signs, though. Signs would still be an interesting movie without the aliens, but this movie wouldn't. We get the usual Speilbergian characteristics of a family, namely the deadbeat dad, played by Tom Cruise. I cared for the characters only because they're such a familiar breed and because we get about 20-30 minutes to get to know them and become accustomed to them. However, there's nothing all too unique about them.
All that aside, War Of The Worlds is a truly frightening movie, which I think is the key. The world being destroyed is no longer fun, it's scary. There's something very nightmarish about this movie and it has a sense overwhelming fear and feeling of helplessness. There is only one scene that had me rolling my eyes, which was a "tense" sequence near the end of the movie which seemed to last well over ten minutes. At first it may have had me on the edge of my seat, but after being so drawn out, it just reminded me of how much better the raptor scene in Jurrasic Park was in comparison. But...oh well.
My rating: 8/10