WAR OF THE WORLDS opens wide. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. For all its peerless production values, calculated jump scares & Tom Cruise's star power, Spielberg's somewhat schematic update of H.G.Well's 1897 alien invasion classic fails to tap into the pervading sense of dread.that Byron Haskin brought to his 1953 low budget original. With Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto and Tim Robbins. Narrated by Morgan Freeman.