Steven Spielberg’s vision of the H-G Wells science-fiction classic WAR OF THE WORLDS pits man against some ruthless extra-terrestrials. The war to end all wars has alien beings attacking planet earth, with little for us mere humans to stop them. Although the attack is on a grand scale, Spielberg focuses the storyline around Ray, a single father played by Tom Cruise, his two children and their quest to survive the massive assault.
The 1938 radio broadcast of WAR OF THE WORLDS had several Americans panicked about the plight of their future. Spielberg recreates this same sense of tension, trouble and worry in a science-fiction epic that makes INDEPENDENCE DAY look like child play. WAR OF THE WORLDS provides another palette for the legendary director to display his awesome imagination. Here he substitutes his dream-like sense of exploration and discovery, for a nightmarish scenario of disaster, terror and carnage. By viewing the war of the worlds through one family’s eyes, it places us in their predicament, and engulfs us in the terrifying experience. Unlike last year’s THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, we are not invited to be in awe of the majestic visual spectacle, but rather terrified of its affects. The visual sense created by Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, has the camera, and our eyes, constantly moving to avoid the horrors that are occurring. In a day and age where each week brings us the “event movie of the summer”, Spielberg proves that he is still the one to deliver the blockbuster of blockbusters. I highly recommend this visual, imaginative and terrifying WAR.
Grade: A-
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