War of the Worlds = WOW indeed!!!

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2005)

I just came back from seeing the movie a second time and after reading some of the awful comments here, I felt I had to add my own comment.
First of all, yes, I am a Spielberg fan, mostly because I was 10 years old when I saw E.T. and ever since I've had a passion for his movies. That said, each time I see a new movie from him, I keep expecting to be as thrilled as I was as a kid or a teenager. However, even though I like his recent films, I never felt thrilled or awed watching Catch Me If You Can or the Terminal. I still enjoyed them, but they didn't seem very "Spielbergy" to me. Minority Report was close, but not jaw-dropping.
I went in to see War of the Worlds with HUGE expectations, and I was bracing myself for at least a slight disappointment. After all, I felt as excited for Revenge of the Sith, but came out bitterly disappointed. And just before War of the Worlds started, I was sitting in the theater reading a 2 star review from the Evening Standard, that was quite harsh so I got a bit worried as the lights went down.
Well that didn't last. Spielberg fan or not, I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by what was shown on the big screen. It's one of those movie experiences when you are glued to the screen in total awe, your mouth wide open. You can't believe what you're seeing because you've never seen anything like it - ever. For me it felt like seeing the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park for the first time, or seeing the first Matrix for the first time. It was that awesome, and my jaw was on my knees quite a few times. There are some incredible images in that film, that stay with you after seeing the movie. Classic Spielberg! As for the ending that lots of people are complaining about: well that's exactly as Wells wrote it, and as it happens in the original film. You don't like it? Blame Wells! If Spielberg had done it differently the fans of the book and the original would have been screaming for his blood. It could have been extended a bit, yes, but frankly this is a minor gripe when you consider the whole movie. How people can give this movie a 1 simply because they didn't like the faithful ending or because they hate Tom Cruise is beyond me. A 1 is for Catwoman OK? There is so much genius on display here... just go and see it and be awed. I can't wait for the DVD!