Spielberg shows why he is the master!!!!

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2005)

When I see a Steven Spielberg film I look to how much I will like the film , not if I will. An average Spielberg film is better than most directors good films. In the last couple of years though, there hasn't been a film from him that has really stayed with me since Saving Private Ryan. A.I. was under-appreciated, but Steven hasn't wowed us in a while. War of the Worlds is Steven at his best, he takes what is a B movie and makes it into memorable and at times scary story. The premise is as we all know is that the earth is attacked by aliens bent on destroying the human race. From HG Wells story, he takes the story and modernizes it. Tom Cruise does a good job as an average Joe that protects his kids from the horrors around them. The good thing is that Cruise is not suddenly made into Rambo, he is a pretty lousy father that comes to realize that his kids need him. I will say that the set up of the characters is alittle too fast, the film goes into thriller mode a little quickly. When it does though, it never lets up, Spielberg is a master at creating tension. The tension comes from the human aspect, the desperation of the people fleeing from a certain death there is panic and paranoia.
There is no doubt thatr this film will be compared to Independence Day. I enjoyed that film, it was a big loud stupid blockbuster that was fun to watch. This film, even though it is a thriller, focuses on Tom Cruise trying to survive with his kids, the other film was more about the spectacular visuals. This film has them, Spielber creates some haunting images, but the most tension comes from the desperation that comes from the characters. Tim Robbins has a great cameo as a paranoid survivor.
The one big complaint about the film is the ending, the film comes to an end very abruptly, the resolution feels rushed and tacked on. It is faithful to the HG Wells story, but the ending could have been more drawn out. The film is too good to have such a weak conclusion.
Is this movie as good a Close Encounters? No, that film did have a more rounded script, it fleshed out the main character much more than it does here. This film is a thriller in every sense.
Grade: B+