As one of the water droplets morphs into Earth, the voice over (Morgan Freeman) is saying “they watch over us with envious eyes” you cant miss the warning signs that alien invaders are coming or are they already here?
As Earth changes into Mars and then changes to a red traffic light this connotes danger of that you should stop. Close Shots of busy streets from all around the world, gives the impression that the aliens are watching the world form above, and are getting closer this makes the watcher think are they watching me?
As the screen fades we see the Earth with the sun behind and Mars in total darkness, drums start like war sirens this connotes that a war is going to start, big, silver sci-fi letters ‘War Of The Worlds’ is about to start the screen fades and the film starts.
The clear Manhattan skyline is the scene for most of the movie. The shot we see as we zoom in on the New Jersey docklands. Is the hyper real environment for a sci-fi movie
The divorced family of Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) Robbie (Justin Chatwin and Rachel (Dakota Fanning) fight for there life’s as lots of 300 huge foot tall monster that could kill you in a second overlook them. Will Ray become the dad he can be?
The half hearted relationship between Ray and his son Robbie is made worse because of the baseball teams they support. Yankees and Boston. As well as Robbie being stubborn there’s Rachel who takes the role of loud but wise, typical pre-teenage girl who when the aliens attack has to count on her brother and dad, will the attack force Ray to become the dad he really is?
In between the fantastic sound and sci-fi effects, is the social message. Extra terrestrial monsters coming up from the ground, is a terrifying reminder of the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York. As the aliens start to take over the new Yorkers realise that this is more than just an attack its an invasion.
Spielberg’s fantastic directing makes this remake of the classic the best yet. The sci-fi effects blow your mind into thinking thanks the aliens are really coming. This remake is a must see, outstanding summer blockbuster, in most of the news papers, they say it is disappointing, but in my opinion it deserves 8/10 for its fantastic monsters and unusual sound and lighting effects.
