 A towering three-legged machine rises from out of the earth and within minutes begins to incinerate every living being in sight. Ray grabs the children and embarks on an extraordinary journey across country, with thousands upon millions of other refugees fleeing the merciless extraterrestrial army. War of the Worlds delivers everything you'd expect of a Spielberg blockbuster: awesome, special effects-laden set pieces, shocks and surprises, and a dysfunctional family coming together in the eye of an unforgettable storm. But there are elements of this film which are completely unexpected and chilling: a disturbing lynch mob scene; a sequence in a farmhouse basement that hammers home the extremes any person might go to, to protect his or her loved ones. The film delivers plenty of slam bang, but almost always with Ray and the children in the frame. Thus, when the tripod decimates Ray's hometown, the camera remains firmly on the father as he runs for his life, buildings and people exploding around him. Cruise, who last collaborated with Spielberg on another sci-fi adventure, the moralistic Minority Report, delivers a strong performance as a parent wrestling with his responsibilities. At the beginning of the film, his character Ray isn't very sympathetic, even unlikable, but the character grows and evolves, as he realises the terrible sacrifices necessary to save his brood. Enfant extraordinaire Dakota Fanning, who at just 11 is already a movie veteran, having held her own alongside Sean Penn in I Am Sam and more recently Robert de Niro in Hide and Seek, is amazing as ever - by turns precocious and heartbreakingly fragile - and Justin Chatwin plies a nice line in rebellious adolescent. With its escalating tension and sense of dread, not to mention carnage on a grand scale, War Of The Worlds more than merits its 12A certificate. Little Rachel spends much of the film screaming and whimpering - I imagine small children will probably have the same reaction. ET, please go home. | 
