War of the Worlds (2005)

Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: 06/29/2005 (USA)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rated PG

Review by Dan Hansen

This is supposed to be a contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells' sci-fi classic and should reveal an extraordinary battle for the future of mankind through the eyes of one American family fighting to survive. I'm glad that they took this point of view because I've seen remakes of old movies and T.V. shows and I thought I'd be totally disappointed. However, I was only slightly let down. The special effects were okay, the story was somewhat weak but it was okay. I feel it fell short of the hype.

Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a working class man, estranged from his family, his life isn't in order, and he's too caught up with himself and, of all places, living in New Jersey. Aliens have come to destroy the Earth and they plow through the country in a wave of destruction and violence. Ray must come to the defense of his children (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin).

Sorry, Tom, I don't feel that this is your best work ever. I had a little difficulty in his characters believability. I definitely can think of better films, such as: Risky Business, A Few Good Men, Top Gun, Vanilla Sky and the Mission Impossible movies. Dakota Fanning, plays Tom's daughter Rachel Ferrier, is an actress by right and what a heck of a career she has ahead of her. Her expressions and the way she carries herself on screen totally made her character and I must say Dakota and Tom worked well together. Justin Chatwin plays the rebellious son, Robbie, which is one of two characters, I feel, that don't drive the movie forward. I totally didn't get the function of this character especially when he falls off the face of the planet and then shows up in the strangest place imaginable, the end. I would have rather liked to see him die. That brings me to the last character, Harlan Ogilvy (Tim Robbins), who is supposed to be creepy and bent on kicking alien ass. Instead, I thought he came off as a pedophile and a real wimp, all talk and no action. I'm glad someone had the sense to kill him.

Finally, the storyteller, Steven Spielberg, fell short for me. I know, this is supposed to be his best work ever but I think E.T. and Jurassic Park still kick butt. The whole movie was way too predictable and didn't leave me sitting at the edge of my seat, unlike the original. The ending also was unsatisfying and cheesy. The "unscathed" family is reunited and outside the only intact house with electricity. Where did he get the aliens? He probably swiped half a costume from Aliens and the head from Independence Day. It's one of those movies I'm glad I only paid the matinee $6.50 instead of the steep $9.