Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father is about to get his kids for a rare weekend visit. Soon after his ex-wife (Miranda Otto) and her new husband drop off teenage son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and young daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning), a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down. Moments later, at an intersection near his house, Ray witnesses an extraordinary event that will change all their lives forever. A towering three-legged war machine emerges from deep beneath the earth and, before anyone can react, incinerates everything in sight. An ordinary day has suddenly become the most extraordinary event of their lifetimes--the first strike in a catastrophic alien attack on Earth. Ray scrambles to get his children away from this merciless new enemy, embarking on a journey that will take them across the ravaged countryside, where they become caught in the desperate tide of refugees fleeing from an extraterrestrial army of Tripods. But no matter where they run, there is no safety, no refuge--only Ray's unconquerable will to protect the ones he loves.

Some movies it is hard to define what went so wrong with them and with others it’s quite easy, War of the Worlds would be in the latter category. The problem with the movie was quite simple they were too impressed with their special effects and CGI and forgot to do anything else. The story was weak and flimsy at times and filled with numerous plot holes. There was way to many questions asked and way to few answers. Why were the military so patriotic or insane to the point of stupidity? What was the purpose of the alien attack so much so they had been planning it for five million years? And worse of all in a world of terror and destruction why do the all the main characters live and the end of the movie is like some Disney fairytale where everybody lives happily ever after. Oh, don’t get me wrong at times I enjoyed the movie, very much so in fact but at other times I couldn’t but help shake my head at the absurdity that I was witnessing. I recently watched the original movie version of the film and while the special effects were incredibly cheesy, the movie was fun, quirky and enjoyable to watch. The new version is rarely any of these except a spectacle of effects, which can be enjoyable at times.

Tom Cruise always seems to enjoy changing his image in movies and it why I have come to love Tom Cruise movies where as I used to despise them. He basically plays a jerk and a crappy father in the movie that through threat to his own life and his children’s life finally learns to become a father. This is not a so interesting angle from Steven Spielberg as most of his movies deal with his own father leaving him when he was young. It is almost an idealistic look at what he wishes could have happened in how own life with his father finally learning to be just that, a father. Dakota Fanning steals the show though as her looks of terror are so believable that it is almost like you are there amidst the destruction. Fanning is proving to be an amazing actor and she pretty much saves the movie. I am sure those who enjoy a good destruction picture full of special effects will enjoy the movie but for me I was kind of dissatisfied and wishing for more story and less effects.

Mankind is so arrogant in its importance that for the most part it sees itself as the greatest thing on the planet and the universe for that matter. This is why there are so many Armageddon type movies as it is quite possible despite all our advances in science and technology there might be something grander than us out there or for that matter like the alien invaders find put something so tiny we don’t see it but it lays us to waste with its great power. Mankind will always be striving ahead so sure of itself that it will most likely trip over its own feet to its own ruin.
2.5 stars out of 5