War of the Worlds

Blue K, Custodian of the Cinema

When you watch shit like this, you want a reward, like some sexy time. But when she walks out the door leaving you dry, two hours of your precious life have been wasted. You suffer from pangs of guilt and remorse, realizing that you could've watched The House Is Black 6 times instead.

Stefan Drees

The most boring of Spielberg's films. There are two things worth mentioning: the first one is the sound design with its bloodcurdling low frequency drones; the other one is the cellar sequence with Tim Robbins. Other things are annoying, e.g. Tom Cruise with his minimalistic acting (using only two simple facial expressions throughout the movie) and his film daughter with her permanent screams.

Frankly, Mr. Shankly

Why so underrated? Saw it about three times and it always terrified me. Though I admit it's not entirely perfect, this is one of the most efficient Spielberg's efforts (not to mention Kaminski's flawless cinematography). Near-masterpiece for sure.

Dave

Really good - between this, A.I., Munich and Minority Report, Spielberg had a spectacular decade in the 2000s. I have never seen the original, so I can't compare, but I love how this one just dives right into the invasion - no explanation, no real analysis of the invaders. Right into the chaos. Forgetting all the supposed 9/11 connections, this is just good ol' Spielberg storytelling. Solid 4/5 for me.

Mark Garrett

The more I think about it, the more I like it: a totally batshit but classically adventurous film. It makes little sense how so many people are still on the run from the aliens, but their plight makes one hell of a movie!

Matthew_Lucas

Whereas the original WAR OF THE WORLDS from 1953 dealt with Cold War fears of invasion by outside forces, Steven Spielberg's 2005 update dealt with post-9/11 fears of attack from within. Taking a gritty, hyper-realistic approach, it puts us squarely in the shoes of the protagonists, creating a feverish atmosphere driven by a terrifying sense of the unknown. One of Spielberg's darkest works.

Daniel S.

Tripods, blood, tri-therapies. Steven Spielberg, the ideal American family's eulogist is running wild. Highly recommended.

Z

An accomplished artisan having some fun by abusing the audience with excessive visual charisma and power. Spielberg cooks up some quick archetypes and drops them into an epic, living nightmare. Candy colored chaos reigns as Spielberg orchestras a world of anxiety/fear combining Irwin Allen with Argento. Spielberg works from his gut and conjures an immediate and abstract (other) threat. Spielberg keeps Cruise on edge.