War of the Worlds

At one point in War of the Worlds, Tom Cruise announces There's nothing living in that direction! which pretty much sums up my feelings about this movie. It was well made, competently directed, and had perfectly good performances, but it just didn't go anywhere.

In War of the Worlds, Tom Cruise plays Ray Ferrier, your average New Jersey blue collar guy. But he has some problems. His wife has left him, he's estranged from his family and his life is just a mess. Just as his life seems to be going completely down the drain, the unthinkable happens -- aliens invade earth in an attempt to take over the planet. Ray must flee for his life, protecting his children at the same time.

Unfortunately, that's about all there is to this movie. Once we get through the first few minutes of the movie that portray the huge disaster that is Ray Ferrier's life, it just turns into one long chase scene with Ray and his children running from the alien invaders -- along with the rest of humanity. There is no real character development and I just don't care about anybody in the movie. The actors try to bring some life to their characters -- especially Dakota Fanning as Ray's daughter Rachel -- but the script gives them nothing to work with.

The only good thing about this movie is the special effects. The alien's invasion crafts that come up from under the ground are perfect. There appears to have been more time and thought put into the overall look, feel and atmosphere of the film then anything else. The movie definitely works on that level -- there are some very scary moments and it all looks almost frighteningly real.

While War of the Worlds is a highly polished and well made film, it's missing a heart. Fast paced, stylistically beautiful and somewhat entertaining, but by the end I just don't care if the aliens kill the entire human race.

More War of the World Movie Reviews

Review of War of the Worlds at FutureMovies
War of the Worlds Movie Review and Information Page at The Internet Movie Database