Scared of terrorists? Remember the white dust that covered the survivors of the Twin Tower collapse? Remember seeing Americans attacked and running for their lives? Then get ready for some of the same images only this time, we can blame invading aliens!

Tom Cruise Credit: Paramount Pictures

In War of the Worlds, Tom Cruise plays dock worker Ray Ferrier, an everyman, hard-workin' dude who toils on the New Jersey docks. He's divorced from his wife (Miranda Otto) who has remarried, and is pretty estranged from his two kids Rachel (Dakota Fanning) and teen Robbie (Justin Chatwin) who come to visit while ex-wifie frowns at Ray's messy house. It's obvious that Ray doesn't connect with his kids who had rather be anywhere else.

Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds Credit: Paramount Pictures

When strange clouds approach (the Spielberg harbingers of doom), at first Ray thinks it's cool but things go really, really wrong from there. Let's just say that very scary, very large death machines show up to turn Ray's life upside down. The rest of the film is a struggle for survival as Ray has to track down his teen son (who has taken off in his car), grab his daughter, steal a car and run for his life.

During the many horrible trials and survival challenges the family faces, they become closer and Ray's goal isn't to find out why the machines are here, or become a vigilante to fight them, it's to get his kids back to their mom and grandparents in Boston. He's willing to go through hell to do it.