War of the Worlds

Synopsis:

Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife (Miranda Otto) and her new husband drop off his teenage son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and young daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning) for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm begins above his house.

Moments later, at an intersection near his house, Ray witnesses an extraordinary event. A towering three-legged war machine emerges from deep beneath the earth and, before anyone can react, incinerates everything in sight. An ordinary day has suddenly become the most extraordinary event of their lifetimes - the first strike in a catastrophic alien attack on Earth.

What the critics are saying:

"...astounds, alarms and grips you like a bear-trap. Psycho Steve is back. Hold on to your popcorn."
- Paul Arendt, BBCi Film

"Steven Spielberg's reasonably entertaining rendering of the 1898 H. G. Wells novel is an elemental story of predator and prey."
- A.O. Scott, New York Times

"War of the Worlds is a big, clunky movie containing some sensational sights but lacking the zest and joyous energy we expect from Steven Spielberg."
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times