Without logic, what's the point?

Rating: 2/10 (28 July 2006)

As teens, when my friends and I were laughing at a badly plotted movie, we'd say, "Script says ..." as in, script says Ollie's father just happens to be entering the hospital as Ollie exits upon Jennifer's death in Love Story so that Ollie can utter the immortal words, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." In War of the Worlds, script says: 1) After every electrical and battery powered device stops working, Tom Cruise & family get hold of the only operational vehicle in a tri-state area in order to survive and move the narrative along; 2) Even after ALL other cars have suddenly stopped in traffic, there's a perfectly clear path thru which Tom can drive, heading toward the next plot point; 3) At his ex's house, there's suddenly a TV crew whose truck and equipment are functional, so that they can clumsily convey the next plot point to Tom; 4) In the basement with Tim Robbins, the aliens don't see or hear the humans when the plot calls for suspense, then DO hear or see them when the narrative needs to move along; 5) For the plot's sake, the aliens were able to survive on earth to bury their ships millions of years ago, but when they arrive in the present to reclaim the buried vehicles and destroy earth, they're suddenly NOT able to survive here anymore?!?!? And on and on and on. The acting was good -- which is why I've given the movie 2 stars. I think all the actors were wasted in this dreadful mess of a movie.