War of the Worlds (2005)

A gripping plot; Fantastic CGI; An action packed adventure; a selection of great actors - well, its directed by Stephen Spielberg. Need I say anymore?

War of the worlds was a thrill to watch, containing a nice balance of action, fear and touching family bonding. We start off in the gritty reality of modern life: a broken family, a cramped city home and a less than loving father, giving us a realistic background for our characters. The convincing acting and the plausible setting makes the concept of aliens from Mars, who have stayed hidden for millennia, plundering our planet in narcissistically formed tripodal robots, a little more digestible. The film is fantastic though, so excuse my unruly scepticism!

One thing i can critique it on is the unlikely nature of Ray and the gang's near death escapes. I mean, its a little bit like watching power rangers: the good guys always get out alive but for some reason the enemies' lasers keep missing. Now I'm not saying all the characters should've died, but perhaps if their escapes were a bit more feasible, my immersion would remain intact for the whole film.

Before spoiling any more of the movie, I would like to congratulate possibly the most recognisable name in directing of our time on making this film for us to enjoy (and poke at) here at film club.

* * * * "Any more explosions and I would have got a tan!" The Daily Telegram