Tom Cruise headlines in "War of the Worlds", which is scheduled for its US release in just five days. Directed by film titan Steven Spielberg, the film is filled with the typical top of the line special effects and mega star casting that accompanies a Spielbergian opus.

The movie is based on a book written in 1898 by science-fiction writer H.G. Wells (he also wrote "The Time Machine"). The book was made famous by Orson Welles, who adapted it into a radio broadcast that was so realistic that it sent countless Americans into a state of panic when the story hit the airwaves on a fall night in 1938.

It seems fitting that a masterpiece of this magnitude would be adapted into film by Steven Spielberg. It was written by one of the greatest science-fiction writers ever, adapted by one of the greatest directors of all time (Orson Welles directed films such as "Citizen Kane"), and is know being adapted arguably the greatest director of the modern era.

"War of the Worlds" has a relatively simple plot. The central character, played by Tom Cruise, is Ray Ferrier. He is a working class man whose life is in a state of disorder. He has been estranged from his wife and kids and is struggling to find direction. A sudden and unexpected alien attack forces Ferrier to gather himself, so that he can defend his children's lives.

The film should be a visual masterpiece, and Tom Cruise will most likely hold up his end of the bargain. What remains to be seen is if the script can match the force and depth of the book and radio broadcast that preceded it.