BY EMERSON LAYNE

The 2005 version of War of the Worlds was released on June 23rd. This version of the story by H.G Wells was directed by Steven Spielberg. The budget of the movie was $132 million and at the box office it gained $603.9 million, a great box office win. The movie was distributed by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures. The main characters of the movie are Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), Rachel Ferrier (Dakota Fanning), and Robbie (Justin Chatwin). 

The main movie plot follows Ray Ferrier with his two estranged children, Rachel and Robbie. After Rachel and Robbie get dropped off by their mother, Mary Ann, who’s also Ray’s ex-wife, a strange series of lightning strikes happen around Ray’s neighborhood. Ray and other locals investigate a hole in an intersection caused by the lightning strikes, when an alien spaceship wielding deathrays emerges from the ground. It begins to rain destruction upon the town causing Ray, his children, and others to flee the town. After deciding to head to Boston where Mary Ann and her parents reside, Ray, Rachel, and Robbie discover they weren’t the only people to be attacked. They realize the aliens have been here a long time, and it’s now time for the invasion. 

An all around decent movie, not surprising since it was directed by Steven Spielberg, who helped create Jurassic Park, Transformers, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Men in Black, etc. Tom Cruise did a great job showing emotion during scenes, for example, after misplacing Robbie, he and Rachel take refuge with Harlan Ogilvy in a basement after a battle between the spaceships and the military. After spending a bit of time with Harlan, Ray realizes that Harlan is not mentally stable, since Harlan wants to fight the aliens at all costs. After almost being caught by a surveillance camera from the aliens, it is heavily implied that Ray kills Harlan off camera to protect himself and Rachel. After killing Harlan Ray huddles up with Rachel, showing the guilt and horror in his eyes.The best actor in the movie, surprisingly, was Dakota Fanning, who was a child actor at the time, giving a spectacular performance in her delivery and performance as a scared child in a frightening scenario. During one scene, after Ray and Rachel arrive in Boston, the spaceships noticeably act strangely and seem to be dying. Ray notices the shields of the spaceships are down, and notifies the army soldiers. Ray, Rachel, and other survivors hide in a sewer drain as the army attacks the vulnerable spaceship. Ray tries his best to comfort Rachel as the spaceship shakes the ground, but Rachel is terrified, confused, and trying to grip onto anything to stop herself from tumbling around.The effects and CGI of the movie were amazing, making you feel like the alien spaceships actually interact with the environment. During a scene in the beginning of the movie, Ray and other townsfolk investigate a hole in the intersection caused by the lightning strikes. They begin to notice that the ground is beginning to move, and the ground around the hole begins to crack. After the police back up the crowd, the ground around the hole collapses, like a sinkhole. After a few moments, out of the dust comes an alien spaceship, still covered in dust and rubble of the road. 

The entire scenario is terrifying to actually be in, since our technology does nothing to the spaceships. Though it seems like a hopeless scenario, luck is the only thing that we have going for ourselves. 

Rating: 7.5/10