Post #168797 by Satan's Sin on Wed, Jun 29, 2005 6:17 PM

Big thumbs up. For a popcorn sci-fi flick, a masterpiece.

Here's the part that surprised me most. It was really, genuinely scary. This movie had me squirming and wringing my hands and seriously wondering for the first time since I was a small child whether it might be prudent to slink outside the theatre for the next big scary scene. Speilberg -- of whom I am no great fan -- has really learned how to put an audience through the wringer. And he did. Several times.

Good story strategy in focusing in on Tom Cruise and his small family. Even better story strategy in not piling on the "likability" factor, even with the small daughter, who was something of a jerk. I suppose these parts could have been done better. But to be perfectly fair, there are some Tennessee Williams scenes that could've been written better.

It is always a problem in a big action movie of how many yakata-yakata scenes to expend in order to build up some empathy with the characters before the mayhem begins, and though this was not perfectly done in WOTW it still did the job.

But as for the action -- I have no idea how these scenes could have been done better. Tripods great, destruction of cities great, just perfect, perfect, perfect.

I certainly enjoyed myself more than in BATMAN BEGINS.

Recommended!