Today’s quick review: War of the Worlds. When a massive mechanical tripod erupts from the earth and begins slaughtering people, Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) flees with his son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and his daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning). Their destination is Boston, where Ray’s ex-wife is staying with her parents. But to get there, they must cross a countryside packed with desperate survivors and more of the alien tripods.
War of the Worlds is a science fiction disaster movie based on the classic novel by H.G. Wells. Directed by Steven Spielberg, War of the Worlds features strong source material, impressive special effects, and a tense, consistent tone. The plot loosely follows the original story, but adapted for a modern, American setting. Character issues and odd presentation make the overall execution a mixed bag.
Fittingly for the subject matter, War of the Worlds is a heavy movie. Ray and his children are by themselves in a sea of displaced people, with the ever-present threat of the tripods turning sanctuaries into war zones. The tension and sinister elements are enough to give the movie some weight, while the PG-13 rating keeps the darker content from eclipsing the whole film.
The presentation is skillful as well. The special effects do a great job of conveying the scope of the action, with several massive set pieces to inject some awe. The long, roaming camera shots capture the chaos of the film well, showing plenty of information at once while still keeping close to Ray’s perspective. However, strange lighting effects and too-realistic sound mixing muddy the presentation and give it an odd quality.
The characters are a source of both drama and frustration. Ray is an inattentive father, and his veneer of charisma quickly wears thin. He spends much of his time bickering with his children, often taking the objectively wrong side of the argument. Although the disaster forces him to step up his game, his best moments are when he is taking action rather than talking. The same goes for his children, who are decent characters with annoying tendencies.
Watch War of the Worlds when you are in the mood for a moderately dark survival movie with strong special effects. The film has enough issues with character, plot, and presentation that it doesn’t live up to its full potential, but what is there constitutes a credible, well-polished pass at the genre. For a zombie movie with a similar disaster tone to it, check out World War Z.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for good special effects and decent drama held back by weak characters and a mediocre plot.