War of the Worlds
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: June 29, 2005
7.5
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 1257 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
895
Mixed:
174
Negative:
188
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0
DanA.Jul 2, 2005
Absolutely terrible! This movie is an insult to the viewer as it seeks to sell two hours of special effect spectacular but delivers no content. There is almost no story line of any acceptable depth, and all characters are as annoying as Absolutely terrible! This movie is an insult to the viewer as it seeks to sell two hours of special effect spectacular but delivers no content. There is almost no story line of any acceptable depth, and all characters are as annoying as hell. There is little explanation for what happens and only a 30 second voice to let you know that the [OMITTED] prevail. Nothing made sense in the movie: why the aliens came, how the hell they arrived...., why there were bloody vegetations all over the earth, and why they were out there to kill. Finally, the end scene was designed to make you hate the movie if all the previous scenes were not enough.....And what the hell was up with the Tom's son anyway? Here this from me and don't waste your time and money.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
3
KeithYNov 29, 2005
I agree with another's remarks, but she was pretty harsh. This movie deserves at least a three. It's funny to read all the half-baked critics who just want their name seen next to Spielberg and Cruise for once. The acting was so I agree with another's remarks, but she was pretty harsh. This movie deserves at least a three. It's funny to read all the half-baked critics who just want their name seen next to Spielberg and Cruise for once. The acting was so bad, I found myself annoyed at how stupid the alien was that it couldn't just squash Tom Thumb in the first 5 minutes. The scenes in the cellar were absolutely laughable, these Spielberg's tripods were dumb and dumber. I really wanted to like this movie, honest! Starts off quite well, but it went all downhill after about 20 minutes into the movie - Did Spielberg go on vacation and let someone else take over after the first few minutes? Things I hated about this movie 1) Severe plot holes - Usually I don't let a plot hole or two ruin the movie, but this was ridiculous. Plot holes throughout meant that the story just didn't make sense and wasn't believable at all 2) The main characters - Very unlikeable. The audience couldn't care less if they lived or died. The acting was okay, for what they were given to work with. I still have faith in your acting abilities, Tom Cruise. I know you'll do better in your next movie. 3) The pacing in the film is extremely uneven 4) The ending! Very uninspiring and a total let-down. It's as if the director suddenly got bored and didn't care that he was slacking off, thinking hoping that the start of the film will at least get it good reviews. All in all, don't bother with this movie. But if you're still curious and hoping that all the bad reviews were wrong, get it on DVD. It's a renter at best!… Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful
3
PhilDec 20, 2005
This movie had so much potential and just did not deliver. The holes in the plot were large and frequent. The main charecters were annoying and at times I wanted them to die. The special effects were good but could not rescue this flop.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
1
JSDec 5, 2009
This is the worst movie I've seen in a very long time. It has no style, no personality. Its sole purpose is just to show a small town get blown to pieces in the first 20 minutes. Every other second of the movie is agonizing! Its not This is the worst movie I've seen in a very long time. It has no style, no personality. Its sole purpose is just to show a small town get blown to pieces in the first 20 minutes. Every other second of the movie is agonizing! Its not even a movie, its what the "nails on a chalk board" sound is to the visual sense. The actors all spend the whole time screaming at each other in a very melodramatic fashion. Or just screaming in general. I've never seen people scream so much before in my life. If a giant robot is trying to kill me, I'm not going to be like "DAD WHY ARE YOU UPSET ITS ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD!!!! DAD!!! DAD!!! DAD!!! AAAAAAH YOU'RE MAKING ME NERVOUS TRYING TO FLEE FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!!" The characters don't even have lines when they're not screaming or acting stupid. At one point, Tom Cruise's son begs him to let him go watch a battle between the US army and aliens, and Tom has to try and drag him away; to no success. That's the dumbest thing I've ever seen in a movie, and it was totally non-secateurs. No plot. No nothing. When the pretty visual effects stop momentarily, Tom Cruise resorts to throwing peanut butter and breaking the windows of his house to entertain us. I guess they ran out of budget after making all the terrible CGI.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
3
Andy92Sep 12, 2010
this movie i must say is very unsuccessful in my eyes for starters not providing an entertaining story i thought was even boring in some parts. the acting from the cast is the only thing that saves it in my opinion
0 of 9 users found this helpful09
All this user's reviews
1
ballpark_frankNov 24, 2012
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. OK...team up Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, and one of the greater science fiction writers' best story...like the saying in "Crazy Like a Fox": "What could possibly happen?". As it turns out, not too much. Cruise running around like a maniac would not be too bad...IF it'd happened following the 'invasion'. However, it seems like that's the way the character normally acts. Dakota Fanning's claim-to-fame seems to be her ability to remember one line of dialog: "SHRIEK!". 'Sir' Spielberg places this film in the modern day, which might have worked. However, in this case, it didn't. In his re-imagining of the invasion, it turns out the aliens have been here all along (Spoiler...naw...). The so-called effects just seem too Michael Bay-ish, with the only item that I enjoyed being the 'harvesting' tripod. I will mention that the ending was great...it meant this tripe was finally over.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
0
voidersApr 26, 2013
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. That is the first one in my "black list" os worst movies ever.
I hate when a history force too much to give a good end without any reason.

The movie dont have a start, a middle and an end, have nothing. Every behavior from humans and aliens are so stupid. The script has so bizarre errors. Like someone recording a PEM with a cam, or Tom Cruise leting off the city in a car with ALL cars stoped in the streets, how?

When i saw the end, i just ask "why"? The perspect of view was amazing, but all the rest was disastrous.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
3
QuelhasSep 15, 2015
This site doesn't allow me to write just one word, that for me, best describes this movie, so I'm writing this just to submit that word that best describes the feeling I had watching this at the cinema: Painful.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
1
LifeCoachOct 14, 2005
I liked the lightning and weather effects, but ALL the crowd scenes were terrible. It was a first date movie with someone I didn't last more than a month with. And, I am tempted to blame this waste of money and time and energy and I liked the lightning and weather effects, but ALL the crowd scenes were terrible. It was a first date movie with someone I didn't last more than a month with. And, I am tempted to blame this waste of money and time and energy and online time to write this review. I want to have a subtitle to this movie: "Spielberg and Cruise, The Betrayal."… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
KaRJul 2, 2005
In this days... great f/x doesn't justify a bad movie like this one. The first thing to do before an invasion is recognising the place, so, how can a group of aliens with that technology fail in a basic strategic point like that one?????
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
DrakeV.Aug 30, 2005
Joel is correct in attacking the workmanship of this poor effort by Spielberg and Cruise as it makes no sense and is laughable from beginning until the bitter end. But Joel may be the most prosaic person ever to write on this board. To Joel is correct in attacking the workmanship of this poor effort by Spielberg and Cruise as it makes no sense and is laughable from beginning until the bitter end. But Joel may be the most prosaic person ever to write on this board. To attack Spielberg for other efforts that were truly heads and tails above the best of its generation is grossly unfair. War is simply bombastic in that it tries to attack the senses without plausable explanation. It fails on every level imaginable.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
SidiotNov 10, 2005
Too bad to be believed. It falls off a cliff early on and into an abyss.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
SomeonewhocaresOct 2, 2005
The horror......the Razzie-worthy horror. Crappity crap crap, all of it. Acting, cinematography, FX, script, characterisation, logic, bookends, you name it. Fugly and unprofessional as sin. Spielberg and his lousy leading man need to go away The horror......the Razzie-worthy horror. Crappity crap crap, all of it. Acting, cinematography, FX, script, characterisation, logic, bookends, you name it. Fugly and unprofessional as sin. Spielberg and his lousy leading man need to go away ASAP if all the reaction they can elicit with their sad craptitude is not one shred of unintentional amusement, but instead bore me to death with their bumbling indifference to quality. I know lots of videogames more mature and entertaining than this trailer trash - so why do the ravers even bother? I'd think a non-event even more effortlessly mechanical, empty, contrived and idiotic than Revenge of the Sith(!) is hardly worth talking about in the first place, let alone gushing over.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
AliceK.Oct 6, 2005
[***SPOILERS***] Not a patch on The Terminal or Catch Me If You Can. I don't blame Steven Speilberg, more the writers who did the script. It is totally unintesting espcially after some of the great versions that have been done in the[***SPOILERS***] Not a patch on The Terminal or Catch Me If You Can. I don't blame Steven Speilberg, more the writers who did the script. It is totally unintesting espcially after some of the great versions that have been done in the past. The only excellent scene was the bit where the young girl goes off into the forest and gets to the river and sees the bodies flkowing down the river. That was excellent thought.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
daved.Jul 21, 2005
I can't believe how high most critics scored this. its fairly entertaining in the same way pyromania is. cruise sucks in pretty much everything bar Magnolia, and no change here. Throw in some of the worst logjc ever, some stupid I can't believe how high most critics scored this. its fairly entertaining in the same way pyromania is. cruise sucks in pretty much everything bar Magnolia, and no change here. Throw in some of the worst logjc ever, some stupid mistakes such as the deaf guy reacting to a sound when someone says 'did you hear that', and the biggest cop out ending involving a family who from the looks of things didnt notice the aliens. The daughter is also incredibly annoying, and Spielberg tries to add some depth im some really dubious shots of cruise and his son. Photography is nice however, but that hardly saves this mess.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
GateAug 23, 2005
The reviews by average posters on this board is all in the RED column but somehow this film has a rating of 6.4? It is as preposterous as the storyline in this absolutely dreadful remake of a great science ficition classic. Message to the The reviews by average posters on this board is all in the RED column but somehow this film has a rating of 6.4? It is as preposterous as the storyline in this absolutely dreadful remake of a great science ficition classic. Message to the genius Spielberg: If you are going to take a book from a century ago, made into a movie a half century ago and then set it one hundred years into the future, perhaps it would be wise to use 21st century technology. For example, would you make a movie in 2005 and use smoke signals rather than computers? Pony Express instead of Federal Express? Wind power instead of nuclear power? So then why would we believe that these super intelligent omnipotent aliens who came a billion miles through space and had been monitoring our planet for a million years would know nothing about filtration, bacteria, our atmosphere or wear space suits? It is total illogical as was the irritating Cruise and his band of misfit children running toward the danger instead of away from it? As for the ending the less said the better. It worked one hundred years ago when the book was written but not now! What could have been a great movie turned into a natural disaster because of a financial partnership with a no talent pretty boy like Cruise who backed the movie with Spielberg. About the only thing they did right was to hype this to the rafters to turn a profit from basically a pet rock production. Avoid at all costs.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
LudovicT.Aug 25, 2005
No, seriously, what's the point of that story ? They take a car through the crowd... What is gonna happen ? Everybody is going to jump on the car to take it. Yep. Then the son is joining the army, is he gonna die ? yep, or no, because No, seriously, what's the point of that story ? They take a car through the crowd... What is gonna happen ? Everybody is going to jump on the car to take it. Yep. Then the son is joining the army, is he gonna die ? yep, or no, because it's a happy ending movie. I'm looking for something in this movie I couldn't predict before it happened... Ah yes, actually, I couldn't predict an end as dumb: the Martians are sooooo technologically advandced that they forgot their space suit, and fall for the first virus. Maybe they didn't know about Pasteur, but I know about Spielberg: he doesn't do a movie like one does art, he chain-produces meaningless blockbusters. Star Wars was stupid but at least funny. This movie is boring, and I still don't get what the critics found interesting in it, I think critics are so bored they overrate any novelty.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
WarrenR.Sep 1, 2005
[***SPOILERS***] Please excuse Matthew as he obviously checked his brains in at the door. There are more plot holes in this film than Carter has Little Liver Pills. If you had a lobotomy then the loud noises and special effects make you giddy[***SPOILERS***] Please excuse Matthew as he obviously checked his brains in at the door. There are more plot holes in this film than Carter has Little Liver Pills. If you had a lobotomy then the loud noises and special effects make you giddy with joy. But if you have the ability to rationalize then this makes no sense at all. Imagine superior creatures capable of traveling a billion miles through space and somehow they forgot their spacesuits, filtration systmem and antibiotics. Simply ludicrous. Would any of us walk out naked on another planet without first checking the atmosphere out other than Matthew? I don' think so. Lame ending to go along with a totally lame effort by Spielberg. And those annoying children.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
TigerlilyJan 12, 2006
All that leaps off the kneejerk critical page to me - a lot more than this irritating brainless movie per se can muster anyway - are comments regarding 'top-notch special effects'. What are all you peeps smoking? I'd sure like All that leaps off the kneejerk critical page to me - a lot more than this irritating brainless movie per se can muster anyway - are comments regarding 'top-notch special effects'. What are all you peeps smoking? I'd sure like an optimistic drag, because the only thing I found 'special' about these effects is how often I've seen less laughable and amateurish effects on bilge made for the Sci-Fi Channel.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
georgea.Nov 21, 2005
V.dissapointing. Why anyone would want to ruin such a good book god only knows. people should stick to just readin the book.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
PedroO.Oct 12, 2005
I think it's not such a good movie, and it should be nominee to the razzies.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
DenisS.Dec 21, 2005
Positively the most boring 'major' movie I have seen all year. Incomprehensible dialogue, poor scripting and equally poor, dark, under imaginative, photography. Independence Day might have been cheesy but it shows how alien Positively the most boring 'major' movie I have seen all year. Incomprehensible dialogue, poor scripting and equally poor, dark, under imaginative, photography. Independence Day might have been cheesy but it shows how alien invasion films should be done. Usual dysfunctional family and brattish kids. When will Hollywood move on and stop repeatedly depicting this tired cliche? The real action was in how the USA would respond at a military political level to such an invasion, not in running around the streets or countryside screaming at each other while irrationally walking back into danger as soon as you have escaped it. Independance Day recognised that. War of the Worlds did not. Which made the most money for their backers?… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
WarrenL.Dec 30, 2005
I just watched it on DVD. All I can say is thank God I did not pay to see this in the theater. It was one of the most disappointing efforts of the once great Mr. Spielberg. Steven have you thought about retirement? Nothing made sense. It I just watched it on DVD. All I can say is thank God I did not pay to see this in the theater. It was one of the most disappointing efforts of the once great Mr. Spielberg. Steven have you thought about retirement? Nothing made sense. It confirmed that Tom Cruise can't act. As for the story it was comical. You don't run toward the danger you run away from it. Every scene was stolen from a previous movie. Awful.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
KrisS.Jul 2, 2005
One of the best films I've seen in ages. Speilberg digs his old roots, but delivers a film that comments on social issues as well as humanity. Boy does it work!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
midig8rAug 22, 2005
Stop! Don't waste your money on this piece of garbage. Cruise and Spielberg can't rescue this. No story, half done special effects, overused cliches, and, did I say waste of your time? As a long time SciFi fan, I felt I overpaid Stop! Don't waste your money on this piece of garbage. Cruise and Spielberg can't rescue this. No story, half done special effects, overused cliches, and, did I say waste of your time? As a long time SciFi fan, I felt I overpaid seeing this POS at the 2 buck discount theater. See the original...much better!!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
ShirleyH.Aug 24, 2005
No one on this planet loves sci fi more than I do. I have seen them all dating back to the 1950's. Among my very favorites is George Pal's 1953 original War of The Worlds. I can still remember Gene Barry and the beautiful Ann No one on this planet loves sci fi more than I do. I have seen them all dating back to the 1950's. Among my very favorites is George Pal's 1953 original War of The Worlds. I can still remember Gene Barry and the beautiful Ann Robinson. Gene played a scientist trying to find out how to stop these aliens from anhilating all of us only to fail. But in the end, God's littlest creature, an amoeba, does in the big bad aliens and saves the world. Back then it made sense as we knew little or nothing about biological warfare, weapons of mass destruction, etc. But for some strange reason Mr. Spielberg moves the setting another half century into the future but does not update the story to account for today's knowledge. What we are presented with is Spielberg's commentary on social issues mascaraded by the dysfunctional Tom Cruise and his annoying children. What could have been a great story is reduced to completely implausable special effects. The two legendary actors Barry and Robinson are shown standing at the door as the grandparents in a nonspeaking cameo that lasts all of perhaps two seconds. Mr. Spielberg has made some great films that are all time classics, but this work is so amateur in all aspects that it downright irritating. I would not advise anyone to pay ten cents to see this hogwash.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
JoelAug 26, 2005
Guess the consensus is more than obvious, but nowhere near as grossly unsubtle as the terrible movie itself. Zero thrills. As far as I can tell, the only supple horror you'll find is how much it plays out like what I'm sure is the Guess the consensus is more than obvious, but nowhere near as grossly unsubtle as the terrible movie itself. Zero thrills. As far as I can tell, the only supple horror you'll find is how much it plays out like what I'm sure is the 'reinvented' 21st century Spielberg's and that phony Cruise's brainstorm of 'cinematic transcendence'. Hopefully anyone who *hasn't* seen this simplistic, childish mess yet still isn't tempted, it's really about on par with something like The Core, or a DTV effort. Mind-bogglingly stupid, blandly limp and unriveting from start to finish, with 'scripting', 'special' effects and 'performances' to match. How could anyone behind the scenes or upfront be proud of this garbage or their 'efforts' is beyond me. But I guess it's to be expected, though even the 1953 version of this nonsense source-material can only register as skillful and timely by comparison. Spielberg's always been immensely overrated if you ask me, it's just no contest. The Indy films are yawn-inducing amateurish crap, every last one - if you want enjoyably throwaway, you want old Looney Tunes shorts, not feature films. While other supposed renowned favorites, i.e. E.T., Close Encounters, Empire of the Sun, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, despite likable qualities, are just too humanly sketchy, and seriously lack enough oomph overall to qualify as remotely great. The remainder of his oeuvre is largely hideous and/or worthless. Even Jaws, his best film by a country mile, clearly ranks somewhere at the very bottom of a list of other superior directors' best films. And now, does Spielberg even care anymore, or is he just a bigger, more laughably earnest joke of a director than I ever thought he was? Retirement is in dire order. At least five out of six Star Wars are indeed similarly, grandiosely dumb and unsophisticated as a box of rocks, sure - but at least *amusing* in their sheer badness; re: attempts to take themselves seriously. Unlike.....THIS.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
CarolAug 27, 2005
Yuk it was awful.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
ClarkKentSep 15, 2005
Booo!!!!! the show sucks! do not waste your money watching it!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
2
timz.Sep 2, 2005
A disaster from the get go. Good effects but terrible plot and acting. Why cant hollywood leave well enough alone. Whats next, Forbidden Planet of Day the Earth Stood Still. Save your money!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
EonMar 3, 2007
Now I'm almost convinced that Spielberd is a patsy for the elite. Now that the "terrorist" fear is starting to work not-so-well , they are preparing public to "threat from outer space". And they allways do it in entertainment first, so Now I'm almost convinced that Spielberd is a patsy for the elite. Now that the "terrorist" fear is starting to work not-so-well , they are preparing public to "threat from outer space". And they allways do it in entertainment first, so we will accept it as something "natural" when it actually occurs. They showed the idea of "enhanced-human-through-implanted-microchips" in Star Trek long ago. And what a coincindence - one of the Star Trek creators happened to work for the NASA. And now the microchips are started being pushed towards public, what-a-natural-event. It is interesting that no matter what crap Mr. Spielberg makes, it always gets some "100 percent" positive reviews, no how mysterious is that... Although , most of you will think I'm crazy.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
JohnnyW.Nov 1, 2005
Gets one point for some nice special FX (the way cars flew in the air was cool, realistic). The acting was poor/mediocre and the mass scenes were the worst there have been. The original story wasn't a great one but this version could Gets one point for some nice special FX (the way cars flew in the air was cool, realistic). The acting was poor/mediocre and the mass scenes were the worst there have been. The original story wasn't a great one but this version could have been a lot better if Spielberg had only tried. I wonder if this is what we are going to see in the next few years from Cruise and Spielberg (I think they have invented the script writing machine and are just cashing in).… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
2
ArielGNov 22, 2005
I really wanted to like this movie, honest! Starts off quite well, but it went all downhill after about 20 minutes into the movie - Did Spielberg go on vacation and let someone else take over after the first few minutes? Things I hated about I really wanted to like this movie, honest! Starts off quite well, but it went all downhill after about 20 minutes into the movie - Did Spielberg go on vacation and let someone else take over after the first few minutes? Things I hated about this movie 1) Severe plot holes - Usually I don't let a plot hole or two ruin the movie, but this was ridiculous. Plot holes throughout meant that the story just didn't make sense and wasn't believable at all 2) The main characters - Very unlikeable. The audience couldn't care less if they lived or died. The acting was okay, for what they were given to work with. I still have faith in your acting abilities, Tom Cruise. I know you'll do better in your next movie. 3) The pacing in the film is extremely uneven 4) The ending! Very uninspiring and a total let-down. It's as if the director suddenly got bored and didn't care that he was slacking off, thinking hoping that the start of the film will at least get it good reviews. All in all, don't bother with this movie. But if you're still curious and hoping that all the bad reviews were wrong, get it on DVD. It's a renter at best!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
AdamL.Nov 28, 2005
Other Than it being a speilberg film, it sucked. Sure, the girl was cute, it had Tom Cruise it in it, the story was sort of good, the CG kicked, there are a lot of good things to say about it, but I don't rate on the good things, I rate Other Than it being a speilberg film, it sucked. Sure, the girl was cute, it had Tom Cruise it in it, the story was sort of good, the CG kicked, there are a lot of good things to say about it, but I don't rate on the good things, I rate on the overall originality and quality, and in those points it sucked. It is so cliche and dull, it made me think speilberg is losing his touch. He uses things that are so old, it makes you think your see E.T. again. I feel sorry for you speilberg fans, because this movie makes me think speilberg won't be around much longer.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
2
afdfa.Oct 18, 2005
This movie starts out great and totally flops halfway to the end and through to the end. The hero in the movie (Tom Cruise) is no hero at all. The ending of the movie is a total flop, I mean a real joke. When the movie ends I was very This movie starts out great and totally flops halfway to the end and through to the end. The hero in the movie (Tom Cruise) is no hero at all. The ending of the movie is a total flop, I mean a real joke. When the movie ends I was very disappointed to say the least.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
2
ByronDec 5, 2005
Steven Spielberg, once one of the film industry's best directors, turned out a real stinker (his second-worst, after AI) with this remake of H.G. Wells' classic Martian invasion tale. Tom Cruise is an unpleasant everyman who does Steven Spielberg, once one of the film industry's best directors, turned out a real stinker (his second-worst, after AI) with this remake of H.G. Wells' classic Martian invasion tale. Tom Cruise is an unpleasant everyman who does little but to run, run, run from the bad aliens with his even more annoying daughter, who does little but scream, scream, scream. Even more irritating are the dozens of inconsistencies and gaffs that indicate that Spielberg was focused on grand special effects to the exclusion of simple subtleties that make good movies great (or, in this case, makes an awful movie tolerable). Cruise's car, for instance, survives being crashed into by a commercial jet, then he drives away through a nice, neat path in the wreckage. A 300-foot alien ship pops up out of a New York street and starts blasting everything in sight, yet a few blocks away no one knows anything is going on. Later, in the midst of worldwide destruction, Cruise turns on his radio and gets the "test of the emergency broadcast system" message, as if there wasn't an "actual emergency." And so it goes, to a reunion scene at the end that is laughably inane.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
VictorSep 18, 2005
Was this a comedy? If it was, it was a great satire because nothing made any sense. If it wasn't then you need a barf bag. Either way it was awful.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
1
TomSDec 10, 2006
Wow, this movie sure is scary. As horror films go, it's really horrifying. Unfortunately, I got up to greet the pizza-man, and when I got back a minute later, somehow all the aliens were mysteriously dying. We're told this was from Wow, this movie sure is scary. As horror films go, it's really horrifying. Unfortunately, I got up to greet the pizza-man, and when I got back a minute later, somehow all the aliens were mysteriously dying. We're told this was from bacteria of some sort, then shown a zoom-in beyond the level of DNA (much smaller than bacteria) to some indefinite specks. Don't try to think about this one. The whole movie just meandered lazily from one grotesque scene to another. Completely sadistic, really. I didn't see The Passion, but I imagine it's sort of the same thing. This movie only makes sense in the context of 'New World Order' conspiracy theories about Speilberg -- like, if 'they' decide that a billion people have to die to preserve the world's resources, let's just stage a temporary 'alien invasion,' where a ton of people will be helplessly killed, and then the killing will miraculously stop without anyone doing anything. (Probably why we see only the plight of a do-nothing citizen, rather than an actual story a-la ID4.) This sort of speculation is necessary for entertainment because the movie gives you nothing else to think about. No plot, no drama, no honor in the actions of the characters, no imagination. I didn't see it at the theater, only on someone's enormous plasma TV, but the visual effects were underwhelming -- nothing we haven't seen many times before. Many scenes are interrupted in the height of suspense by a fade to silent black that has no purpose except as a future commercial break. Lots of loud noises to keep you and your neighbors awake, though. That earns one point.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
2
JohnSNov 26, 2005
Aside from the excellent job of things "blowed up good" this was a horrible movie. Only watchable when the aliens got on screen, then it was kind of fun. And why do they do this? Smart people like speilberg, the world is being invaded and we Aside from the excellent job of things "blowed up good" this was a horrible movie. Only watchable when the aliens got on screen, then it was kind of fun. And why do they do this? Smart people like speilberg, the world is being invaded and we have to spend the whole movie listening to an unlikeable family whine to one another. That is not hard to find, so give us the aliens destroying cities, please.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
2
Badger01Jul 26, 2013
I don't know how one of the greatest film makers alive (Steven Spielberg) managed to turn one of the most iconic pieces in early sci fi literature in to just another bland boring action film. It reminds me a lot of 'Independence Day', exceptI don't know how one of the greatest film makers alive (Steven Spielberg) managed to turn one of the most iconic pieces in early sci fi literature in to just another bland boring action film. It reminds me a lot of 'Independence Day', except with out even the pluses of saying it's special effects are (comparative to the time) very good or having a memorable, stirring speech. In fact, that's a problem of the whole film, not one god damn thing in it is memorable, just Tom Cruise and his constantly screaming daughter driving every where. I think the big problem was that setting it in the modern era removes any sort of tension at all. When all the alien just have big anti-everything shields that can't be hurt by squat, there's no sense of humanity fighting back, so it turns from "War" of the Worlds in to "Ants on poking at an exterminators shoe" of the Worlds. Bland, samey, dull, boring, lazy, cliche, and all other manor of adjectives. And the worst thing is, this means it'll be far longer until someone is allowed to actually make a GOOD adaptation at last. (Stick with the radio drama/rock opera).… Expand
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2
joegFeb 21, 2014
Way too much Tom Cruise in this movie. They took a great story line and made it about Tom Cruise rather than about alien invasion. They didn't do justice to the wonderful HG Wells story
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1
shag00Mar 1, 2019
I am at a loss to understand how this movie was so well received. This is a modern, poorly dramatised remake of a classic book and fails on just about every level. The first and last narration pieces stand at odds with the guts of the movieI am at a loss to understand how this movie was so well received. This is a modern, poorly dramatised remake of a classic book and fails on just about every level. The first and last narration pieces stand at odds with the guts of the movie and appear trashy while trying to give film status. The story of mankind's survival is superseded by the crappy soap opera of a dysfunctional American family, for lack of a better term.

What was the point of having the tripods buried (a million years ago, what is the point of manning them through capsules and lightning. Just stupid **** A good story spoiled by having to listen and watch Cruise continually argue with his brain dead off spring.… Expand
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1
egoBorderAug 19, 2020
If you want to know what an alien invasion would be like completely devoid of tension and filled with inane cliches instead of characters, you'll love this. In case of an actual alien invasion, find Tom Cruise immediately because even thoughIf you want to know what an alien invasion would be like completely devoid of tension and filled with inane cliches instead of characters, you'll love this. In case of an actual alien invasion, find Tom Cruise immediately because even though he's just a car mechanic he basically figures out everything. Skip this dumb movie, or watch it on mute as the visuals are the only good thing.… Expand
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