The poor man's Independence Day.

Rating: 7/10 (16 January 2020)

This movie was OK. An adaptation of the famous H.G Wells book, War of the Worlds stars Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a dockworker just asked by his ex-wife, Miranda Otto, to watch over their two kids, Robbie (Justin Chatwin, the world's most forgettable child actor) and Rachel (Dakota Fanning). Why does his children's first names start with R's like their father? Maybe it's either a coincidence or lazy writing. Speaking of coincidences, that same day, aliens attack. Then the movie turns to Ray trying to get his family to Otto's parent's house in Boston. This is the point where WOTW flashes its main flaw: Ray is a bit of an horrible father. Like, when your youngest child is scared and crying, you shouldn't yell at them to shut up. He redeems himself later on though via a scene where the ETs kidnap Rachel and he purposely gets himself captured so he blow up the alien ship and rattle free the cage he, Rachel and other people are in. Also, there's a scene where Robbie, who wants to help the military fight the aliens despite having no weapons or experience whatsoever, puts himself in the middle of a battle just before a huge explosion happens. I thought he was dead, but at the end of film where father and daughter arrive in Boston, all of a sudden Robbie comes out... with every part of his body still working. How in the heck did he survive? The movie doesn't explain. But other than that, War of the worlds is watchable.