Incredible when released, and still incredible now

Rating: 9/10 (16 April 2013)

I saw Steven Spielberg's "War Of The Worlds" when it first came out, and it blew me away. It was, in my view, an incredible adaption of the H.G. Wells story, one that had been filmed decently, but not brilliantly, in the fifties. I also heard the reviews from Australian critics David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz, both of which were in similar adoration.
So it eventually amazed me when I was to read many, many people (both critics and the average viewer) condemning the film on various levels, reducing it to, at best, a modest runaround with many faults. I have now just watched it for, I think, the fourth time, and my adoration for it has not faded in the slightest.
One major criticism is that the characters were unappealing, particularly the screaming girl. It is true that Cruise and his kids did not have the best relationship, but I have seen far worse leading characters in many, many films that would make these three look like Mother Theresa cloned. And let's remember that, while the movie industry is supposed to be primarily about entertainment (especially when it takes on something like science fiction), it has to be grounded in some kind of reality, and was it really too hard to accept that young Fanning would go through a few screaming fits when she finds herself being hunted down by murderous aliens? Personally, if anything, I found her brother more of a pain.
There has also been criticism about the ending, and I think that is a bit more legitimate. After all that went before it, the conclusion comes a bit suddenly and ends up being something of an anti-climax. But, although I have not read the book, isn't that kind of what happened? The aliens eventually found the Earth's air poisonous and dropped dead? But yes, more could have been made of this, and I do think Spielberg missed a bit of an opportunity there.
But what about all that went before it? There are so many wonderful scenes to praise in this film, such as the first arrival of the aliens and the initial creature's rise from the ground; the scene of the burning train going past, the attack on the boat and the nail-biting hide and seek from the martian's probe. But through all this were two great constants - the magnificent special effects, and the chilling sound the machines made; those deep, deathly cries remain one of the most unforgettable pieces of audio I have ever heard in any film.
It is a grim movie. While there really isn't any gore, it's still very serious, with little humour, and it becomes especially confronting when Cruise and Fanning find themselves prisoners in one of the machines, along with other crying, despairing humans who are being plucked out one by one to have their blood sucked out of them. But this is an invasion by aliens - such acts don't usually result in happy walks through the park.
While not perfect, "War Of The Worlds" remains an incredible film, one of the greatest alien-invasion releases I've ever had the pleasure to view. Maybe it's not "Jaws", "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" or "Jurassic Park", but it remains one of Spielberg's greatest triumphs. I think I've viewed it often enough now to be confident in that view.