Cracking remake (War Of The Worlds (Special Edition, 2 DVDs))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	War Of The Worlds (Special Edition, 2 DVDs)
Date:	16/09/09 (2 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great effects and acting

Disadvantages: Dakota Fanning

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room

A lot of people were nervous when the War of the Worlds remake came out - it was not only an adaptation of H.G. Wells' beloved novel, but it also spawned a very popular film in the 1950s. Whilst the original film looks very dated now, it still has a kitschy charm that would be difficult to replicate. Instead, maestro Steven Speilberg takes a wholly different approach - a far more serious update for the modern times, and fortunately, it actually works.

The film opens as Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) returns from a tough shift of work to meet his 10-year-old daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning) and teenage son Robbie (Justin Chatwin). As they get home, some strange electromagnetic activity begins, and all Hell breaks loose as an alien invasion begins.

What this film benefits from most is an update in visual effects - the tripods that the aliens move about in look stunning, and the beams they use to liquidate the humans are equally impressive (it's also amusing how their clothes go flying in the air!). You don't see what the actual aliens look like until a lot later, but they are interestingly designed and probably not what you would expect.

As usual, Spielberg uses a disaster scenario to foreground a look at a family unit, with Ray and his kids trying to find peace out of this impossible situatiopn, given how they resent him for splitting up with their mother. It's not as heartfelt as a lot of his other films, but you desperately want these people to survive nevertheless.

A highly enjoyable remake of a classic. The effects are astonishing and aside from Dakota Fanning, the acting's not bad. It does begin to wane a little near the end, namely the execution of the ending, but overall this is a solid piece. Not Spielberg's best by any means, but highly entertaining nonetheless.

Summary: A solid and entertaining actioner