Several years ago I saw most of the 1953 version of War of the Worlds and enjoyed it. I’m not sure when I first heard about the new version of the movie, but I was interested in seeing it. My interest grew after I saw the previews.

Ray Ferrier, a dockworker, was divorced. He didn’t have a good relationship with his children Robbie and Rachel. Mary Ann, his ex-wife, wasn’t happy with Ray when she and her new husband Tim dropped off the children for a weekend visit. Ray made a half-hearted attempt to connect with his kids, but he didn’t seem to know how and didn’t seem concerned when he failed. There were reports on the news about freak lightening storms around the world before a storm formed and lightening hit near Ray’s house, knocking out the electric.

Ray ended up at the site where the lightening hit in time to see a large machine with three legs rise up out of the ground and start destroying everything in its path. Ray managed to return to his house and get Robbie and Rachel out before the tripod arrived in his neighborhood. He decided they should head for Boston because that is where Mary Ann and Tim went. Ray and his kids faced several dangerous situations while running from the tripods and the alien invaders.

War of the Worlds began with a short voice over that shared some information that was important for the movie. The first few minutes after that were spent introducing Ray, the kids, and setting up the situation. It was quickly established that Ray didn’t have much of a relationship with his children. Shortly after the movie started, the storm moved into the area and the main plot got going. The movie was fast paced, though I didn’t feel like it was rushed. It grabbed my attention from the start and I was never bored. I knew basically what would happen in the movie because of the previews and from having seen the earlier movie version, but there were still things that happened that surprised me. I thought there were several suspenseful and even scary moments in the movie. This movie was darker than other alien invasion movies I have seen. After all the build up throughout the movie, the ending did seem a little anticlimactic. That didn’t bother me too much. There were a few little things here and there that provided some humor and lightened the movie, but overall this was a serious movie.

The action really started once the tripod appeared and started moving. Once the tripod started moving, it didn’t take long before it started using some kind of laser to destroy people and buildings in the area. Later several of the tripods were shown. The tripods had these tentacle like things that would grab people. Their fate was shown later. The military tried to fight the tripods, but they seemed to be indestructible. Cities were destroyed and many people were killed. Even with all of that going on, the movie wasn’t as violent as I had thought it would be. The tripods were huge machines so people really couldn’t fight them. Some of the things that were shown were disturbing. There was some swearing, but nothing excessive. I don’t remember hearing the word that rhymes with luck. This is not a movie for children. I was freaked out by some of what happened and can only imagine how a child would react to those things.

Special effects were used throughout the movie. I am guessing that the tripods were created with some kind of CGI. I’m sure the lasers and the damage they caused was created with effects. I thought those things worked very well in the movie. I did hear that the movie had hundreds of extras for some of the scenes instead of using effects for the crowds. The shots of the destroyed cities probably also included special effects. Later in the movie a few of the aliens were finally shown. I’m not sure if they were created with effects or not. A tentacle that looked very snake like to me turned up in a few scenes. I know it was something robotic, but the way it moved reminded me of a slithering snake and really freaked me out. I thought that the effects worked well in the movie. They weren’t the main focus of the movie.

War of the Worlds was based on a book that was written by H.G. Wells. I have never read the book, so I don’t know how much the basic story was changed for the movie. Orson Wells was involved in a radio broadcast of the story that many people believed was an actual newscast at the time. A movie version was made in 1953. I can’t remember much about the movie now, but I did enjoy it. I think that movie dealt with what happened in one small town instead of showing several areas. There was no Ferrier family in that version. The tripods looked different, but they did basically the same thing. They made some kind of noise which was replaced with a much more sinister sound in the new version.

Tom Cruise has received a lot of media attention lately because of his new relationship and remarks he made about treating mental illness. The man has been acting downright wacky at times, but I still wanted to see the movie. I have seen and enjoyed several of his previous movies, like Collateral, and the previews for War of the Worlds did look good. If I am interested in a movie I don’t avoid it because an actor has been acting strange. Cruise gave a very good performance as Ray. He was very believable in the part. He even sang at one point. Ray did seem a bit self absorbed and unconcerned about his children. He did change once the tripods arrived. Tim Robbins had a small part as Ogilvy, a man that provided shelter for Ray at one point in his basement. Some of the scariest moments in the movie took place there. Robbins was very good in the few scenes he had. Robbins had a much larger part in Mystic River.

Dakota Fanning was wonderful as Rachel. Fanning is a very talented child actor that has been good in several different movies without being annoying. Rachel wasn’t close to her father either. She looked to her brother for comfort instead of Ray most of the time. Rachel did have a few moments when she freaked out, but she did remain very calm in some dangerous situations. Fanning did have a moment that was like a moment in E.T. with Drew Barrymore. Fanning’s moment was scarier. Justin Chatwin played Robbie. I haven’t seen Chatwin in anything else before. He was fine in the part. Robbie was angry about having to spend time with his father. Miranda Otto was fine in the few scenes she had as Mary Ann.

CAST

David Alan Basche - Tim
Justin Chatwin - Robbie
Tom Cruise - Ray
Dakota Fanning - Rachel
Miranda Otto - Mary Ann
Tim Robbins - Ogilvy

I really enjoyed War of the Worlds. It was very entertaining and is worth seeing. Fans of the cast will probably enjoy the movie. People that like science fiction movies should give this one a chance. I do think this is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year.

Related Reviews
Collateral ~ The Cat in the Hat ~ Man on Fire ~ What Lies Beneath ~ The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ~ The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ~ Flight of the Phoenix ~ Mystic River ~


Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older