Lightening never strikes twice in the same place

Rating: 8/10 (25 January 2006)

There is so many mixed reviews about War of the Worlds, and being a non sci-fi fan, I thought maybe I should give an outsiders point of view (no pun intended).
It's Ray's (played by Cruise) turn to look after his teenage kids for the weekend. His ex wife is off on a trip with her new husband, and Ray (Tom) by the looks of things isn't best pleased with his kids (mainly the boy), his job, his life..everything. This is a pleasant change, to see Tom Cruise play an average joe.
The film quickly speeds up into action, you have some seriously excellent effects of lightening and freaky weather right on the lap of Ray's town. From here, the story illustrates (in a truly state of the art fashion), how the unknown invaders begin to take over and Ray and his family have to evade, quick-sharp. Sounds typical but it isn't, for the best part of the film, Spielberg has the viewer on the edge of your seat, moment after moment, scene after scene.
While Ray and the kids don't move in the direction you might think is best logical, the story does provoke many questions, one would have to face in this highly unlikely situation.
Probably the most gripping of all the scenes, would be Ray and his daughter trapped in a house basement with Ogilvy (Tim Robbins). It is so edgy it will knock you firmly into your seat.
With all said, I'd like'd to have given War of the Worlds 9 or possibly 10, however, the ending is quite ridiculous and disappointing to say the least, apparently, the 50's original ended in the same way..
Oh well, I enjoyed it greatly, for the most part..
~Paul Browne.