War of the Worlds

Aroview: Dynamic and intense re-imagining of H.G. Wells sci-fi staple (for its first half at least), in which hostile aliens invade Earth in tripod war-machines, wreaking destruction and chaos on virtually helpless human beings.

Set around the efforts of a working-stiff-deadbeat-Dad (Tom Cruise) to save his children and himself from the onslaught, this unfolds with the gripping half-awareness of a nightmare. Wisely playing down an explicit unveiling of the threat, at least initially, this snowballs into a fullblown flight for survival, echoing contemporary images of 'terror' like the 9/11 events, yet resolutely claustrophobic and individualised. Although dir. Speilberg cannot draw subtexts of much complexity out of the scenario, it certainly trumps any of Hollywood's recent apocalyptic visions.

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