Great summer blockbuster like ID4

Rating: 7/10 (2 July 2005)

War of the Worlds has been a very popular franchise since its release as a book in 1898, since it became one of the pioneers of what is now known as Science Fiction. It also served as an inspiration for countless films, such as Star Wars and Independence Day. All "War of the Worlds" movies, radio shows, ans so forth have been widely popular and successful, and this movie is no exception.
Set in modern-day New York, Tom Cruise plays Ray, a divorced, working-class father who is rarely there with his children, Rachel and Robbie. but when a series of surrealistic disasters and earthquakes have begun to take shape, the trio is forced to move away from the suburb as quiclky as possible as massive tripods begin to surface from underneath the pavement cracks.
Sharp and fast-paced adaptation of the H.G Well's novel gives a franchise a more modern face-lift. Director Steven Spielberg gives some terrific scenes which will keep people on the edge of their seat (I don't remember anyone walking out on the movie, not even for the bathroom), which give the movie a psychologically scary feel, without being explicit. The film's special effects are amazing, and they not obstruct the film's story line, in contrast with the many effects-laden summer blockbusters of today. All of the actors make rather great performances-- for a sci-fi film--, and that includes Tom Cruise, who is always been viewed more on his good looks and financial shrewdness than for his acting skills. Dakota Fanning shines in her role as his daughter, and plays an essential part in the film's storyline. Tim Robbins make a good, although brief, appearance in the film as a former doctor gone mad. John William's music is as good as ever, and gives the movie the atmosphere it tries to characterise, and Spielberg's direction make this movie a more realistic "what if" disaster scenario than ID4.
But there are still a number of flaws: like ID4, it is burdened by having relatively dumb human stories, flat and one-dimensional supporting characters, as well as for being over-focused on Ray and his family. The movie ends rather abruptly for a big-budget picture (117 mins. long), and purists will complain about its differences with the book (it doesn't tell where these aliens come from), and it slows down around halfway, where the trio must face a cat-and-mouse game with the aliens, and a ship's searchlight a la 1953 version.
Nevertheless, War of the Worlds is a fun movie, and you'll never be bored for not even a single minute of it. It's run-time is rather short than what most people expected, but it is worth 1 hour and 57 minutes of your time.
*** out of ****