Unrealistic plot; disappointing of Spielberg

Rating: 3/10 (8 January 2006)

OK... without giving too much away, I want to say right off: Why is this movie based on the Orwell novel? It has no real relation to the novel in that the novel occurred completely on the radio with no actual 'alien' attack, but a perceived attack by the American public. This movie depicted an actual fictional alien attack on the world.
Next, why did Tom Cruise drive home form work in a '67 Mustang (which, by the way would not have been affected by what the Earthlings thought were sunspots (because it has no electronic ignition)), yet the vehicle he chose to rescue his family in was a Plymouth Voyager van which is renowned for electronics for everything on board and has significant electronic problems to this day on REAL Earth?! i.e.- Why did HIS car work, when he was driving past all of these vehicles on the road that had failed electronically?
Also, there was no explanation as to why the 'wierdo guy' living in his basement, who motioned for Cruise and his daughter to come and stay with him did so. Was it just by chance that they happened (out of the twelve million or so people passing by) to catch his attention?
Additionally, the military (with all their faults) DID HAVE weaponry apparently capable of taking down these 'things'. Why not take out their legs so as to make them immobile? An immobile threat is a threat that can be easily contained. Instead, they kept shooting at the body of the creatures (which eventually DID work) but not nearly as effectively (Bush must have been in charge in the background).
Last, a technologically advanced race such as the one that attacked, surely must have been prepared for some sort of warfare, especially if they had been watching for so long (as one actor put it, "for hundreds of years"). Two simple grenades lodged in just the right place puts the entire pod out of operation? Surely, these beings, intelligent enough to hide pods underground for centuries, travel through eons of time/space, and use what is apparently microwave beams to destroy everything in their path would have a 'safe room' in their ship in which to examine and/or dissect humans, that would not be susceptible to explosion or resistance.
OK, finally, Spielberg made ET many years ago and even then the graphics were great. Only ONE alien was actually shown, which was the one who came out of the downed ship and it was a poor excuse for a Spielberg alien. Come on already! It didn't even put up a fight!
Then at the end of the movie, the voice (which I believe was Lawrence Fishburn's (a great choice, much like James Earl Jones was for Star Trek and other fantastic movies)), sums everything up in an instant, telling the viewer how the invaders were ultimately killed by, apparently the smallest of organisms, which humans had become immune to over the centuries, indicating that the aliens begun dying from 'the moment they set foot on the planet and began partaking of our food and water'. Again, if these beings were intelligent enough to do all that they did, why would they eat and drink of Earth substances that they surely would have know were deadly to them. Come on!
Sorry to spoil your fun. Great movie and great idea. Poor planning and research. Tom Cruise, although I did not find him the actor for the part, performed well. The little girl (his daughter) was fantastic for her age. The son, well, his whole behavior was a mystery.
Thanks for the space, Scott Randolph SDIgroup2001@yahoo.com
P.S. Sorry about the double parentheses, but this system is not advanced enough to accept brackets... SR