I hate Tom Cruise, I occasionally hate Spielberg, and I still thought War of the Worlds was a great movie. Of course there is some serious suspension of disbelief, but it's an alien invasion movie, after all. I found it genuinely scary & a mostly accurate portrayal of what would actually happen if alien invaders erupted from the earth to kill us all. People alternately being panicky/practical, genius/idiotic, compassionate/self-serving, etc. I also liked that the special effects, while fantastically realistic (or as real as can be expected), were not the center of the story. And of course Dakota Fanning was great. The ending is kind of a letdown, but apparently that's how H.G. Wells ended it.

Anyone else willing to give some $$ to Mr. Mindhead for some good entertainment?

Hell yeah, I'll be seeing it for sure.

The movie was done really well. Of course you would expect that with Spielberg. As much as I try to hate Tom Cruise I still have say he's a good actor (Last Samurai is a movie I fought not to see, but ended up loving it).

Ok, the effects were great. Especially when the buildings get destroyed. Dakota Fanning was great, Tom Cruise did his job well and Tim Robbins played a cracked up older guy really well, but not long enough. The story was done really well with just enough from the original book to use the title.

I would suggest this movie to almost everyone. The suspense was non-stop thanks to the aliens always popping up somewhere.

Saw it. Good movie. I liked the first half more than the last half. Once Crazy Cruise and lil' Kota bunk up with Tim Robbins, I felt the movie lost a lot of momentum.

Still a nice movie but not Spielberg's best. I watched the last hour of "Saving Private Ryan" the other night. Way better.

How wrong would it be to say that this movie is as flat as Dakota Fanning?

I cant stand her.

Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed.

Let me say up front that I've never read the book. I have seen the original film, though it's been awhile. I don't feel that either of those facts affects my ability to review the movie.

The acting was really not that bad, in my opinion. Although I too can't stand Tom Cruise, he is a pretty good actor. Yeah, Dakota Fanning was annoying, but think about it for a minute - how do you think a girl her age would act in a situation like that? She'd probably scream a lot and be annoying. So I don't really have a problem with her performance.

My problem with it is that it seemed to just be very sloppily put together. I don't have a problem with suspending disbelief when I step into the movie theater, but some things in this movie were just ridiculous and too hard to overlook. There's the issue of the camcorder that's working despite every other powered device (including Cruise's wristwatch) NOT working. There's the issue of the minivan that just needed to have one part switched out and it was working fine, but no one else in the movie can figure out to change that part and get their car to work? There's the issue of the tripods shooting beams that instantly vaporize humans, but not the clothes they're wearing? And speaking of that, the movie is inconsistent on exactly what the aliens' objectives are. In the beginning, they're just vaporizing everybody, but then later, we see them harvesting human blood? There was no explanation for that. There's the issue of the crashed jet airliner leveling a suburban neighborhood but not touching the house that Cruise and his kids are in or their van parked outside. There was also a nice, neat little path for the van to drive through to get away. And that film crew? What was up with them? They were rummaging though that food and drink like they'd been stranded for days, when it had not even been 24 hours. Another incredible incosistency is how the aliens do a double, and then a triple check of the basement of that rural farmhouse where Cruise & Co are hiding, but there's a whole row of townhouses in Boston that are untouched?!! And Cruise's in-laws are unharmed and come to the door looking like they're about to go to church?!! But my ultimate problem with this movie is that bullshit ending, because it's the ultimate inconsistentcy. So these aliens have been studying the planet Earth for THOUSANDS OF YEARS, and in alllll that time, they didn't do a check to make sure that they could survive in the elements on our planet?!! I mean, haven't they already actually been to Earth to plant the tripods? I'm insulted that Spielberg, or Wells, or whoever would expect me to believe that.

It's just hard for me to believe that such a high-profile, high-budget movie could be made without a certain level of proofreading being done. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

I agree and also noted said sloppy parts. Some, like the camcorder, van, etc., are unforgiveable. But beyond that, I still enjoyed the movie as a way to watch people reacting to their world ending.

Ditto. But everyone says how great she is.

My own opinion is that it can't be a patch on the album of War Of The Worlds.

I will not see this movie, or any Tom Cruise movie. He is an idiot and he really pissed me off with what he said about mental illness and psychology. My mother is bipolar, and I want to punch him in the face for what he's been saying.

Agreed, and I would be glad if someone would punch him. Such a dumbass. I'm not usually one to criticize someone's religion, but let's see...it was founded in the 20th century, designed by a sci-fi writer, and involves aliens. I fail to see why any teachings of Scientology should be seen as credible.

(Edited by Lauren at 7:54 pm on Jul. 18, 2005)

I feel the same way about folks who think that a Higher Power would pick a specific animal species on a particular planet in a vast universe of which to take form to teach that species on Earth about the humanoid feelings and expectations "He" has.

I have a MUCH easier time believing in aliens. But hey, that's just me...

Total snoozefest! I am terrified about what Spielberg has tried to pawn off on us as a damn summer-blockbuster! What? Like he needs the money? Please tell me Spielberg has't run out of ideas like every other facet of popular entertainment ( I am reminded of Jamie Carrols complaint about U2(I'd link to it for everyone's convenience but I'm simply not that technically proficient)). How many times can we recycle the same damn story or idea or what have you? Is the genral public so sheep-ed out that they don't realize bad from good for themselves? Can Morgan Freeman narrate Spielberg out of having to really end a movie that otherwise has no resolution. (I love Morgan Freeman but, he's only narrating 'cause James Earl Jones wouldn't sully his good name with such a shamful sham) The bit of acting I saw was the 20 mins. of Tim Robbins, who put Tom Cruise to shame. Tom incidentally has not "acted" since somewhere around the time of Mission Impossible 2, when in a not so bizzare effort to clear yet another level of scientology, and purify his body of toxins his auditor was forced to remove several large sections of Tom's brain, and replace them with a high-grade space-age polymer bubble-wrap. I was so glad I didn't pay for my admission, but still bummed out about what this could mean for our already poor standards of entertainment. I'm done now.