:
Tom Cruise,
Tom Cruise,
Dakota Fanning,
more...
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Steven Spielberg,
Steven Spielberg
see all cast/crew...
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: DreamWorks
: Science Fiction , Aliens
: 117 min.
: English, French
: English, Spanish, French
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An ordinary man has to protect his children against alien invaders in this science fiction thriller, freely adapted from the classic story by H.G. Wells. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a dockworker living in New Jersey, divorced from his first wife Mary Ann (Miranda Otto) and estranged from his two children Rachel and Robbie (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin), of whom he has custody on weekends. On one such visitation, looking after the kids becomes a little more difficult when, after a series of strange lighting storms hit his neighborhood, Ray discovers that a fleet of death-ray robotic spaceships have emerged nearby, part of the first wave of an all-out alien invasion of the Earth. Transporting his children from New York to Boston in an attempt to find safety at Mary Ann's parents' house, Ray must learn to become the protector and provider he never was in marriage. Also starring Tim Robbins, War of the Worlds was directed by Steven Spielberg, who had been planning the project for years, but set it aside until a wave of "alien invasion" films (led by Independence Day) had run its course. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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| Another Remake Trashed
by shizz
April 28, 2008 - 2:42 AM PDT
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| A movie that acquiesced sensibility and drama for sensationalism. The special effects were great(that's my one star), mind you, but everything else made no sense. How the aliens were buried underground for so long and never were discovered during the excavations of sewers, tunnels, housing projects, underground garages, bunkers, and for oil and other natural resources is unbelieveable. So is the fact that everybody else is incinerated whereas Tom Cruises character is the ONLY one impervious to being reduced to ashes in the initial attack. His family seems to be the only family in the world that can OUTLIVE anything - in every life-threatening situation, everyone else dies and theyre the only ones that survive. How is is that an entire army gets wiped out and only the son escapes to find his way home (a very CLICHED ending)? Or that the world is being attacked, destroyed and incinerated, but wifeys family is at home as if nothing is happening? Or...oh, theres so many inconsistencies and flaws in the story, itll take too long to map them out. And this was a multi-million dollar blockbuster? |
| A Shrug
by talltale
November 23, 2005 - 8:11 PM PST
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8 out of 9 members found this review helpful
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What's to say? The Speilberg/Cruise collaboration does smell a bit of Scientology lore and graphics (watch the "South Park" Cruise-in-the-Closet episode for specifics) but the visuals are pretty spectacular. If only the movie didn't try SO hard to have its cake and eat it too--leaving the audience in position for an upchuk.
Whatever possessed this filmmaker to combine dark and ugly with sentimental and schmaltzy? Logic goes out the window with the car that can start; later, a combination of car, gun, and an angry crowd proves equally unbelieveable. Aside from some good effects, this one is a waste for intelligent filmgoers. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 5.58)
129 Votes
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