Incredibly tense, frightening... and very real

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2005)

With the fact in mind that my review is but one of hundreds, I nevertheless hope to put the more skeptical of viewers at ease by stating that THIS IS ONE HECK OF A GOOD MOVIE. Steven Spielberg has put his trademark touch on the classic H.G. Wells story by incorporating a struggling family into the plot, and it works quite well. The special effects are outstanding, but most importantly, they don't rule the screen - they supplant the story with incredible effect, through the use of handy-cam effects, mirror reflections, events occurring in the foreground and background in parallel... It all serves to put you right into the middle of the action and make you believe it is all real - no matter how far-fetched the story may seem. Humanity's reaction of turmoil and panic is frighteningly real, and so are the alien tripods and their behaviors. I literally sat there sweating with my heart racing during most of the film.
To address some of the more common issues brought up by negative reviews... Things such as cars and camcorders working again after they first fail is NOT a goof. For one thing, who knows how thoroughly an EMP pulse really destroys all electronics? Some things survive it and/or recover after a while, so I saw nothing wrong with the guy filming the first attack, or the main characters driving off in a working car. Tim Robbins' character is well-acted, Tom Cruise is quite good and Dakota Fanning just about steals the show with her great acting. Who said all she does is scream? Bottom line, if you go into this film without a sense of cynicism and wanting to nag on every little detail... you will find that this is an incredible movie to see. Intense through and through, and worth seeing right to the end. (Which, to be fair, DOES come just a tad bit too suddenly, but doesn't ruin the movie in any way.) This movie is all I expected it to be, and then some.