War of the Worlds

I grew up reading Jules Verne and H.G. Wells wondering how it is that these two could see the future in such detail, an ability more clearcut and pronounced than the grabled musings of Nostradamus :)

Coming back to "War of the Worlds" it is perhaps one of the weakest pieces of H.G. Wells in terms of plot and structure... in effect it is the seminal alien attack story and Spielberg delivers something that is true to the spirit and letter of the original story.

Excellent performances by Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins and especially Dakota Fanning.

The movie uses "retro" special effects, which kept reminding me of the cover art and illustrations in the hardcover edition I own.

The aliens are well imagined and do not share the cutsie factor with Spielberg's other "alien" pieces most notably "ET"... In terms of flow and impact, this is perhaps closest to Jaws and Jurassic Park.

The music is awesome... and Morgan Freeman does a very able narration... there are some plot holes, but nothing that the original story did not have.

In all, not a bad movie to spend your time if you are looking for some summer fun, but not of the superhero kind... for the others there is always "Batman Begins" :)