5. War Of The Worlds (6.5)
I think the main rationale behind this low rating is simple. That is Steven Spielberg. Whilst this isn't a bad movie by any stretch, people were simply envisaging more from such an iconic filmmaker. People wanted something of the same calibre as E.T or Jurassic Park. People were expecting a revolutionary sci-fi epic that would transform the face of film forever. Spielberg didn't deliver on this. But what people fail to fathom is that The War Of The Worlds is still a highly engaging and impressive big-budget summer blockbuster, and it notably succeeds in avoiding every alien invasion cliché out there. This isn't easy to do. The greatest achievement of this film in my opinion, is that it never gets preoccupied by the alien invasion itself. Spielberg skilfully focuses the narrative on Ray Ferrier and his family, and whilst the destruction and invasion whir on in the background, it never dominates the screentime. In my view, this quality propels the movie above any other run-of-the-mill sci-fi picture out there. The brunt of the criticism has been aimed at the culmination of the film, and also at the physical appearance of the extra terrestrials themselves, but, whilst I confess the movie is not without its flaws, Spielberg still manages to deliver on the thrill and paranoia of HG Wells' classic novel and that definitely deserves some credit, of which he has not yet received.
My Rating: 7.5