Review of War of the Worlds (2005) by Amber D — 02 Feb 2013

This was SO, SO close to becoming another Spielberg masterpiece. All the acting is great in this film, particularly Dakota Fanning and Tom Cruise. I never got annoyed by them like some people during the destruction scenes, but then again I loved Cloverfield, so take that for what you will.

The first half of this film - is just mind-blowingly, breath-takingly amazing. It really captures the feel of a sudden invasion, and all the paranoia and destruction surround it. No joke, this first half literally contains some of the best movie moments I've seen in forever, and I got chills sent down my spine everytime I heard the low baritone call of the tripods.

But then there comes the last 45 or so minutes of the movie, and instead of heightening these stakes and providing a satisfying conclusion, it falls back on conventionality, cliches, and gimmicks we've seen all before.

I can see how you would like the ending, considering [SPOILER] how Tom's character gets rewarded unexpectedly for his courage and bravery, [END SPOILER] but it just feels all cliche-ridden and, for lack of a better description, a cop out, and I left the movie with a bad taste in my mouth.

Which is unfortunate, really, because this movie was so close to becoming another excellent film from Steven Spielberg.