Stylish, but too nihilistic

Rating: 3/10 (29 December 2005)

From Jerry Bruckheimer, I would have thought this to be an inferior film. From Spielberg, its an outright disaster.
War of the Worlds is on par with Independence Day and that ludicrous Bruce Willis movie with the flying rock - big, ungainly loud moves that are still a financial success. It was easily the worst, and most disappointing film I saw in 2005.
As goes with Spielberg, it is expertly made and has flashes of brilliance all over. Some of its best moments are in the few quiet ones. But for 90 nearly endless minutes, it is simply Tom Cruise and company yelling, running and watching everything around them get destroyed. I have never experienced the onslaught of senseless, plot less death from a Spielberg film that I got from this one.
The ending has to be seen to be believed, and it is what elevates it from disappointing to downright bad. The script entirely forgets about the character of Tom Cruise's son, who seems to miraculously appear for the final scene. And miracle of miracle, the whole of the US eastern seaboard is annihilated, save for the block on which the mother of Cruise's children live.
War of the Worlds received a lot a press for being made in a short time span and it feels rushed and unfinished. It is purely and exercise in special effects, a not a very good one. *1/2 out of ****.