The special effects are outstanding in Steven Spielberg's ripping and gripping retelling of H.G. Wells' 1898 sci-fi classic. Tom Cruise stars as a divorced father trying to find a safe haven for himself and his two children after aliens invade Earth, intent on destroying it and all who live there. Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, the stars of the 1953 film version, play the grandparents. Morgan Freeman is the narrator. Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, Lenny Venito.