@dunpealhunter - I agree with you to a point. For me War of the Worlds is a great film up until they get their car jacked during the second act; after that it starts to fall apart horribly and the last 10 minutes are terrible. For me.

The lightning/tripod scenes you mention are fantastic and I thought Tom Cruise did a really good job during them, particularly when he gets back to the house.

Dakota Fanning was excellent as Rachael, some of the stand out character moments are hers.

Justin Chatwin as the son on the other hand; a thoroughly unbelievable character, poorly acted and poorly scripted. Like a number of things, I can see what they were trying for but it just didn't come off.

Similarly the whole thing with the Tim Robbins character. I know what they were trying to do and they did need to show that type of situation, I just don’t think it played out well. Maybe it was the pacing.

Weak of the Worlds for me I’m afraid.

@dunpealhunter - I agree with you to a point. For me War of the Worlds is a great film up until they get their car jacked during the second act; after that it starts to fall apart horribly and the last 10 minutes are terrible. For me.

The lightning/tripod scenes you mention are fantastic and I thought Tom Cruise did a really good job during them, particularly when he gets back to the house.

Dakota Fanning was excellent as Rachael, some of the stand out character moments are hers.

Justin Chatwin as the son on the other hand; a thoroughly unbelievable character, poorly acted and poorly scripted. Like a number of things, I can see what they were trying for but it just didn't come off.

Similarly the whole thing with the Tim Robbins character. I know what they were trying to do and they did need to show that type of situation, I just don’t think it played out well. Maybe it was the pacing.

Weak of the Worlds for me I’m afraid.

This was a great movie. Like always Steven Spielberg does what he does best; making movies that become blockbusters and keeping us in suspense until the last minute. I especially liked the scene where first there was that freak lighting storm and than that tripod came out of the ground and started zapping people. That is one of my favorite scenes ever. I also liked the fact that we for once saw an alien invasion from the eyes of a normal civilian instead of always the generals standing in a command center and a few scientist who just discovered the way to destroy the aliens.