War of the Worlds

Starring: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
2005

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A bad father (Tom Cruise) has his son (Justin Chatwin) and daughter (Dakota Fanning) for the weekend. It just so happens that during their time together, the earth is invaded by aliens, and the family must fight to survive.

Review:

Tim: This is a good film that can't help but be a little disappointing. This was a big budget, tentpole film by the great Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Cruise, and should have just blown people away. This movie does not live up to its expectations, and while good, is not great.

The movie's special effects are a major plus. The alien tripods are incredibly frightening and the damage they do is chillingly realistic. The sound they make, the deafening, metallic hum truly shook me up and become one of the most memorable moments of the film. Here is where the most credit and praise goes to Spielberg. He expertly plays on America's fear of attack after 9/11. Several times during the film, the question is asked whether the terrorists were the cause of the attacks. Against this backdrop, the aliens are even more frightening. It was smart not to reveal too much about the aliens- we don't need to know where they came from or why they are here- it is enough to know they are hostile and bent on exterminating humanity.

Cruise is decent, but by no means great. One of the weakest aspects of the film is our protagonists, lead by terrible father Cruise, his dipshit son, and crying, whining Dakota Fanning. I love the casting, but I cannot stand the characters. This stands as a major weakness for the film. Tim Robbins is ridiculous and laughable, and the scenes with him are among the film's worst.

Despite its shortcomings, War of the Worlds is intense and scary, as well as entertaining. While not as good as hoped, it is still better than much of the crap out there. The ending was criticized, but it ends exactly as it needed to. While enjoyable, it is still a bit of a letdown.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The War of the Worlds, Independence Day, Minority Report