“War of the Worlds,” the timeless classic by H.G. Wells, has been around the block a few times: a radio adaptation by Orson Welles, a 1953 movie and now Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise have decided to take a crack at it.
The movie begins with a rather ominous reading from the book itself, then shifts into the protagonist’s tale. Cruise stars as Ray Ferrier, a divorced dock worker that has a bit of a cocky streak, even with his two children — played by Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin.
Soon after the film’s opening, the action picks up. Lighting begins to strike near their home, hitting 26 times in the exact same place. Cruise goes to investigate and the carnage begins.
Aliens, using the lightning bolts as portals of sorts, have traveled deep below the earth’s surface, into gigantic killing machines called “tripods.” As Ferrier investigates the site of the lightning strikes, a tripod rises out of the ground and begins what may be one of the most intense scenes to be found in any movie this summer. The machine begins to vaporize everyone in the vicinity and demolish any surrounding buildings.
This is a spot where Spielberg really shines. Long takes do the film’s mood justice as they follow Ferrier running through the debris of the destroyed town, darting between fellow humans who are often moments later little more than puffs of ash in his wake.
The chaos continues as Ferrier and his children flee. A bizarre turn of events involving masses of people, an oversized ferry and rather unfortunate timing give the film another jolt of intensity.
The movie begins to slow down as the family gets separated. Fanning and Cruise hole up in a basement with Harlan Ogilvy (Tim Robbins). Ogilvy is a paranoid, underground rebel who seems a bit too trigger-happy around the tripods and aliens in general. After a rather unsettling “therapy session” between Ferrier and Ogilvy, the movie moves toward its resolution, one that may receive mixed reviews from varying audiences.
Spielberg, as always, entertains. At one point, the deft director uses a continuous, circular film technique to capture the intensity of a highway scene — zooming in and out, keeping the pace of the movie fast and enjoyable.
However, some of Spielberg’s choices toward the end of the movie are questionable, with a few scenes proving unnecessary.
“War of the Worlds” also comes through with a series of robust acting performances. With all the hoopla surrounding Cruise, he still manages to bring the same level of intensity to the screen as he did in his last big-screen blockbuster, “Collateral.”
Fanning does a decent job of playing a girl who is too mature for her age, but her constant screaming takes its toll on the viewer. Then, for strange and unexplained reasons, near the end of the movie her character no longer screams at the giant killing machines but sits quietly with a blank expression.
Chatwin and Cruise have a good chemistry as a father and his rebellious teenage son, leaving the viewer wishing the duo shared more screen time.
For college-aged adults, this movie is well worth the price of admission. It is well directed and acted, and has some of the most memorable scenes of this season of summer blockbusters, even if it has some questionable choices near the end. Cruise and Spielberg have once again created a movie that keeps audience members on the edges of their seats, creating an ultimately enjoyable experience.
Final grade: B+
