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I was intrigued to see this film as in the run up to its release, unlike with most blockbusters, not much has been revealed about it. It was a great idea to not show any of the tripods in any trailers as it really does increase the impact of their entrance in the film. Unfortunately though, other than the tripods, I found the film to be a bit of a letdown. Spielberg's intention was obviously to keep this a very personal, intimate affair; as such, the camera never leaves Tom Cruise. If his character doesn't see something, we don't. While this is quite effective in portraying what the character's feeling, it does limit the entertainment somewhat. For example, at one point we see some fighter jets fly overhead towards some battle with the aliens. It would've been great to see that, but we don't. Spielberg's insistence on making the film as far removed from Independence Day as possible (given the alien invasion storyline) is actually detrimental in that respect. Everything seemed surprisingly small-scale, given the $130 million budget. The film is more of a horror/thriller than anything else, and it does build up some good suspense in places, but ultimately I felt there was never really a payoff (an unsatisfying ending didn't help matters). Not a complete write-off - in fact, I was quite into it for the first hour or so - but unfortunately wasted potential.
The summary
War of the Worlds unfortunately squanders a tense set-up with an undercooked finale.
