Excellent movie that brings to life the spirit of the book

Rating: 9/10 (4 July 2005)

Spielburg has paid particular attention to the spirit of the original novel and captured it brilliantly on film. H G Wells original vision dates from the end of the nineteenth century, but this film updates and brings a twenty first century spin on the story. If you have not read the book, doubtless you will be disappointed with the ending. Visually Spielberg gives a massive clue to what's coming from the first shot panning out from a single drop of water. Other visual images (Dakota standing next to the river and the "ash" clouds falling) give scale to the momentous events occurring on the screen. The film centers around the struggle of a single family to survive, but it is set both in large scale again the mass destruction of lives and civilizations surrounding the family, and in small scale, against attempting to hide from the aliens in a farm basement. As expected, the special effects are both well conceived and credible, and contribute to the real tension that builds as the story progresses. Both Tom Cruise (cast as an everyday dock worker) and Dakota Fanning are excellent, along with a gritty cameo from Tim Robbins. This is not the usual run of the mill science fiction yarn. Like any good story its told on a number of levels and there is enough complexity to have an English lit major essaying for many thousands of words. The sustained level of suspense and action, makes this a film that will be enjoy a wider audience than just the science fiction aficionado.