May contain a spoiler...

Rating: 5/10 (3 February 2008)

This is not a worthy treatment-if you compare it to the book. There were a few lines / themes adapted gave a hint of consistency with the original material, but, these were obscured by Hollywood "twists".
EXAMPLES:
They came from beneath (movie ala-"Tommy Knockers?") vs. came from above (book). The book gives the reason for invasion - movie left you befuddled. What, aliens wait until we develop the state of civilization in order to invade and destroy civilization with cinematic effect? An invasion of stone age earth would have been less dramatic, but, also, less costly. The book, at least, presented a plausible reason: attenuated atmosphere/environment forced them to seek a new world - a green one they could see from Mars.
The crazy caretaker (movie) vs. the crazy curate (book). This, apparently, was the reason for the basement scene. In the book, the main character shares a basement hide-a-way (for some time) with a crazy curate. But, here it only serves to show Tom Cruise poor acting.
What failed: -plodding dialog & situations -"They want our blood" - this was more 1950's than 21st century
What worked: -Alien sequences they were fairly creepy. -Tripods - they were great