War of the Worlds (117 minutes)
My alternative title would be: There's No Place Like Holmes

SUPER MOVIE FAN'S RECOMMENDATION: 3, SEE IT

Who is in it?:
TOM HANKS, DAKOTA FANNING, TIM ROBBINS, MIRANDA OTTO, JUSTIN CHATWIN, MORGAN FREEMAN

What is it about?
STEVEN SPIELBERG retells the 1898 H.G. Wells story of alien invasion and attempted annihilation of Earth. TOM CRUISE is the lead as a divorced dad, Ray, who, on a weekend caretaking of his kids, inherits more than he counted on—an alien invasion in Bayonne. DAKOTA FANNING is his 10 year-old daughter. JUSTIN CHATWIN is his estranged teenage son. Aliens came a long way to destroy the Earth, but thank goodness they have a flawed plan. They've planted machines underground and underwater that lie in waiting for the human population to grow large enough that they can come back and reap their harvest. There is a lot of running, hiding and bloody vines. TIM ROBBINS plays a confused survivor in the best acting in the movie. Mostly this is a visually stunning portrait of terror.

When and Where does this movie take place?
From New Jersey to Boston.

Why see it? The movie is a combination of all the effects you've ever seen. It is amazing, stunning and visually mesmerizing. As it turns out, humans have a lot to fear, but our Earth itself might save us. There is a lot unexplained in the story, and it tries to stay true to the Wells original, with voiceover directly from the book by MORGAN FREEMAN. This is a gripping movie about doom and the dark side. It really is less about aliens than about survival in our complex times. The very end disappointed me.

How about the kids?
PG-13 for language and violence. Some very intense scenes do not make this for little kids.

Video Pick of the Week
Bride and Prejudice takes a contemporary Indian (that's India the country) spin at Jane Austen's novel, building in ethnic issues in this frank often funny movie.

Next week, we'll review, Fantastic Four, the original Marvel Comics group, now in another special effects-laden comic book movie.

John Fischetti can be heard Friday's on the Wayne Perkey show on Oldies 103, WRKA and can be reached at fischettij@uncw.edu



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