Intense drama

Rating: 8/10 (30 July 2006)

War of the Worlds delivers the goods in what is essentially a taut thriller about a family trying to survive both from an alien invasion and itself. Spielberg smartly does not dwell overly on the stilt-walking alien tanks that threaten to over the Earth. Aside from the horrific initial attack by the pugnacious Martians and some intermittent skirmishes, the focus is clearly on the troubled Ray Ferrier (Cruise) and his two children, who must trek from New Jersey to Boston in the midst of devastation and human suffering.
Cruise turns in some of the finest work of his career as the working-class Ferrier, a character who is not always the most sympathetic person on the screen. Dakota Fanning does her usual shtick as precocious daughter. And Tim Robbins has a memorable but brief role as a troubled NYC ambulance driver who may or may not be the Ferriers' savior.
While true to the spirit of the classic Wells novel, it does take its liberties. And unfortunately its major weakness is shared with the source material as the story simply peters out in the third act. But the intensity of the first hour and half more than makes up for it.
Having seen all three WotW releases of 2005 (there's a coincidence for you) I can vouch for this being the cherry of the bunch. The mildly interesting version starring Cruise's erstwhile co-star C. Thomas Howell is watchable but far from as skillfully pulled off as this film. And the version set contemporaneously with the Wells novel is simply amateurish and overly long. Save your money and stick with Spielberg.