Best Movie I Have Seen This Year

Rating: 10/10 (2 July 2005)

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD: I read the H.G. Wells book as a kid and saw the George Pal movie a few years later and was familiar with Orson Welles' radio play. However, for me, no one has ever REALLY made WAR OF THE WORLDS. One of the biggest things missing was the tripods. Those cool walking machines are on the cover of almost every edition of the book that can be found and I wanted to see a faithful adaptation of this wonderful book. When I read that Cruise and Spielberg were making this film, I was kind of dreading it but when I heard Dennis Muren, one of the greatest effects men in the history of cinema was on board, I felt a lot better. I knew Spielberg was doing a modern update so I felt it might stray from the book too much but I was amazed to find this movie is remarkably faithful to the source novel, including the ending so if you do not like how the book ends, don't expect to like the movie's ending either. For the fans, Spielberg includes nods to the original 1953 film (look for Gene Barry and Ann Robinson in clever cameos) and some scenes are almost straight out of the original and one great line spoken by Les Tremaine from the '53 version is said by a news reporter in this one. If you are familiar with both films, you'll know what I am talking about. This film is dark and scary in tone and closer to SIGNS than INDEPENDENCE DAY. Spielberg shows once more that he is a master of suspense and dread. Cruise is at the top of his game here. He is totally convincing as the struggling father trying to keep himself and his family together in crisis. He is no hero...just a regular guy facing a deadly test of his will to live and carry on. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and some beautiful scenes suddenly turn into scenes of horror, such as the one where Dakota Fanning approaches a beautiful river in the morning. Spielberg's editing turns it into one of the most horrifying scenes in the movie. Tim Robbins is also excellent playing a character from the book, who is a little warped but likable at the same time. All the acting is excellent - there is not a bad performance in the bunch. Score by John Williams is also good and the special effects alone are worth the price of admission. Dennis Muren and ILM deliver the goods here and their work blows away even STAR WARS: EPISODE III. I fully expect them to get an Oscar or at least a nomination for their work. The tripods themselves are beautifully designed and completely menacing. The scene where they first appear will someday be remembered as one of the classic suspense and horror moments in cinema. They make a sound that fills you with dread to hear it and you really feel what the characters are feeling. The only weakness is the red weed. It's a nice addition from the book but it isn't explained so it leaves audiences wondering why it is there. Still, that's a minor gripe and I was so impressed that I saw the movie twice in one day and will be going back again. I highly recommend it. Spielberg and Cruise made this film better than I ever expected they could have. Everyone involved with making this film should be proud.