War of The Worlds may possess one of the fastest conception-release turnarounds for any summer blockbuster from recent years. It started shooting last November for a Summer 2005 release. It was only made when both Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise had other projects stall. So, is this a marriage of true love or just money-hungry convenience?

Ray Ferrier (Cruise) is a dock worker who’s parenting skills leave much to be desired. When his kids come to stay for the weekend, they arrive with the usual trepidation. The precocious Rachel and the wayward Robbie let Ray know from the outset their ill-ease at staying. But, when a freak electrical storm wipes out all of the power, they realise there are bigger problems on their door-step. Especially when Ray realises this storm wasn’t freak at all, it was perfectly planned, by something far more advanced that humans.

You know where you stand with a Spielberg movie. The man who invented the Summer season with his 1975 smash Jaws, he has redefined popular cinema over the past 30 years. An expert storyteller, he grips the audience from the opening Morgan Freeman speech. It’s clear from the outset that we’re not dealing with cuddly E.T.s this time.

From the impressive storm to the initial alien attack, there is a realistic sense of urgency and fear which is impossible not to share. By choosing to focus on a family and by not having any Independence Day stereotypical around the world invasion scenes, Spielberg keeps a tight grip on the plot. It’s easy, at least in the early stages, to put yourself in their position as they run from one place to another. The aliens are ruthlessly effective and there’s no shying away from the death count.

Like Spielberg’s most successful film Jurassic Park, the film rarely lets up the tension. Cleverly, the threat doesn’t just come from the invaders but also from other people. There’s a horrible realism in the way people act, reacting violently in order to get what they want: survival. There’s nothing heroic here. But in the late stages, the film slowly loses its tight grip and becomes good, if not as great as it could have been.

When Cruise and his on-screen daughter take shelter in Tim Robbins’ cellar, the tension dissipates. Robbins is unnecessary and there are situations which should have been nail-biting yet barely garner a whimper of fear. The conclusion, well unsurprisingly it’s horribly sentimental. But then what else did we expect? Spielberg is a self-confessed optimist and despite some cleverly dark touches throughout (such as the references to possible allegories of terrorism and the holocaust) he delivers a pat, convenient finale, which apparently is exactly what the original book did.

Tom Cruise is fine, but then his everyman dock worker is not really a hard role for any actor to play. Dakota Fanning yet again proves herself to be a superb child actor, improving with every role she’s given. The film is shot in a refreshingly realistic manner, without much of the Spielbergian gloss. He calls it the ‘biggest small film he’s ever made’. Following on from such varied films as The Terminal, Catch Me If You Can and Minority Report, he’s going through an excellent period in his career.

War of The Worlds delivers plenty of excitement for a Summer blockbuster. The effects are incredible and there are plenty of exciting set-pieces. While the last half an hour may drag slightly, it’s a minor complaint. In a season usually filled with disappointing shallow action films, you can always trust Spielberg to deliver the goods.

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