Not one of Speilbergs best.

Rating: 6/10 (1 July 2005)

!!!!!POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!!!! As the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". It can easily be said about this. War of the Worlds sticks to the basic premise of the original but it also has the traditional Spielberg trademark stamped all over it. This being the essence of a broken family or strained relationships that occur within a family and the struggle to bring them together. The common day everyman that becomes a hero from saving the moment from unfamiliar or more powerful obstacles.
This is what differs the most from the original. In the original, now there is only a vague explanation in the new one, the aliens come from Mars because there planet has become uninhabitable and an explanation as to why they have chosen our planet and not the others in our solar system. The remake doesn't explore this to any extent and only gives the explanation that they placed machines under ground before humans inhabited the Earth, and when the time was right they arrived in bolts of lightning and started to claim the Earth for their own. There is no real explanation as to where they came from and why. It doesn't concentrate on the threat, it becomes second hand to what is happening with Tom Cruise's family.
War of the Worlds, as with numerous Spielberg films, it is divided into two halves. It is similar to A.I. in the sense the first half is quite bright and sets up the film, while the second half is dark and focuses on the threats and a lot of the dangers that the family has to face, as with Haley Joel Osment's character in A.I.
This is bit of a disappointment as the movie seems to be aimed more at the popcorn crowd and it doesn't do the original justice which is a shame because Spielberg is one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, storyteller of our time and has brought us some the greatest films ever. It's not a bad film as it is well put together, it's just you're typical summer movie blockbuster. The film does have its moments but fans of the original might feel let down as that is one of the true great sci-fi classics and will stand the test of time and be remembered for a long time. Unfortunately, this one won't be and will not be remembered as one of Speilbergs greatest efforts either.