War of the Worlds (2005)

I saw War of the Worlds last night, and it was terrific! It had all the suspense and fun that i have always enjoyed from Spielberg, but virtually none of the syrupy cutesy-ness I do not enjoy. This isn't to say that it doesn't include smile-inducing emotion, its just that he does His thing well and actually better than he has in the past.

One of the keys to this film is the skill of the actors. most summer event films (Jurassic Park comes to mind) just have their stars doing nothing more than bearing witness to, or screaming at, whatever is happening on the screen. Here that is not the case. the dialogue gives us the backstory which is more about family dynamics than biography (THANK YOU. that's what we want. THAT is character development, not knowing that joe blow is a tire salesman). There is one great scene in the basement of a house with Tim Robbins. It reminds me greatly of the light behind the door scene witht he little boy in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Much has been made of Dakota Fanning's abilities (here and elsewhere) and I can say that she does everything right. she's a child in utter peril (on a level strong even for Spielberg, who makes his living putting kids in danger). Cruise does an outstanding job of putting us THROUGH what the family goes through, as opposed to most disaster films where we just get to see it. that is where this film transcends.

This is Spielberg at the top of his game in doing what has come to be "a Spielberg Movie". I recommend it to anyone.