It sucks

Rating: 3/10 (13 July 2005)

Spielberg should know better. If I wanted to see vignettes on dysfunctional fathers and wacky survivalists, I could have watched Oprah or Jerry Springer Show. HG Wells should have been more closely followed. For example, the underlying reasons for the alien invasion could have been better defined (Martians having to leave a dying planet due to environmental factors, etc...) and the cause belli was never fully explained. Special effects were well done, but there was too much weirdness, strange red goop, etc.. that really did nothing other than be creepy. This was not a science fiction movie, but just a running daytime soap opera that happened to have an alien invasion as a background event.