Trust Spielburg to get it right

Rating: 8/10 (7 July 2005)

Heywould you look at thatit's actually pretty good. Trust Steven Spielburg to get it right.
Everyone knows the story of H.G. Wells' classic alien-invaders story. Spielburg has changed characters around for his version, and created a mixture of terror, humanity, war, fear and sci-fi.
Tom Cruise is a not-so-good divorced Dad who's got the kids for the weekend. Pretty quickly, the alien Tripods erupt out of the ground and start killing.
That stunning sequence, shot with unsteady,hand-held camera, is brilliant, seen through the panicked reaction of hundreds of extras surrounding Tom Cruise. In fact, through out WOTW, Spielburg bounces his film off Cruise  rather then place the superstar, with his too-familiar face, in the middle of the action.
Yes, it's frightening. Yes, it's terribly tragic. Yes, many people die. But Spielburg manages the horror by presenting a drop-beat Dad in the midst of death, trying to do his best.
The acting is surprisingly good. As Cruise's daughter, Dakota Fanning proves yet again she's got a true talent. A scene where she sees hundreds of bodies floating downstream is horrific and incredible  her acting plays right into Spielburg's story-telling ability to present tragic disaster with dignity.
Some sections drag  an extended segment in a cellar as Cruise, Fanning and Tom Robbins hide from the aliens doesn't have the suspense it should've contained...but I appreciated the looseness of the ending.
On the whole, this is a fantastic movie. Placed in context  post September 11 and post the Asian Tsunami  it's even more compelling. One line, from Dakota Fanning, stands out days after viewing  running from the aliens, she tearfully begs to know: "is it the terrorists?"