Not a Disappointment

Rating: 8/10 (14 February 2006)

I remember how excited I was when I saw this remake was being done. Having been totally burned on the remake of "The Time Machine" (all that money and no imagination--what was wrong with the basic story?), I was suspect. While the new "War of the Worlds" parts company with the novel by H. G. Wells, it stands very well by itself. First of all, the machines of destruction are amazing to look at. They are truer to the original than the fifties version (although it is still a really cool movie). The overriding threat of societal annihilation comes through. Even Wells let us know this was a culture beyond our earthbound knowledge, so their war machines had to dwarf our meek efforts.
The human story does very well. Tom Cruise playing a self-absorbed character (imagine that) grows throughout the film. Dakota Fanning is our new Wunderkind actress and plays opposite Cruise very well. Their travels to avoid death leave us on the edges of our seats. Just as with the original, it's everyone for themselves--the best and the worst of humanity show through with a few shell shocked nut cases and survivalists thrown in for good measure.
The scene along the river, with people trying to cross to safety, gives us a titanic (no pun intended) view of our fragility. The weakness is a barrage of schmaltz in the second half of the movie, particularly in the ending. You can see visions of "Close Encounters" here and there in images Spielberg puts forth. Nevertheless, it's really an exciting film and should stand the test of time. Good nightmare material.