All the special effects in the world couldn't save this movie.

Rating: 4/10 (2 July 2005)

Every single movie that I have seen this summer is a better movie than War of the Worlds, and none of them cost nearly as much to make.
Beneath a veil of absolutely stunning (and insanely gory) special effects, lies a plot that is so implausible that I left the theater laughing at first, then cursing Spielburg later. I want my $7.50 back.
I will not tell any secrets or spoilers, but I will say that an entirely superior alien race made a plan a VERY long time ago to wipe out the human race. In all that time, they couldn't find a better and more cost-effective method? Those really cool toys (that seem like Star Wars rip-offs) seem to be able to destroy anything, so why did they wait to attack for so long? If you're willing to accept all of this, one might wonder what the alien motive is? What are they getting for their effort? I saw the movie and still don't understand.
What I do know is that the ending, without giving anything away, is going to leave every self-respecting, even mildly intelligent person asking, "Does Spielburg really expect us to buy into this?"