Puts the horror in horrible

Rating: 1/10 (3 July 2005)

Instead of rehashing the plot, I'll stick to the bad parts.
First and MOST importantly, the violence was almost without exception gratuitous. Whereas I've been known to watch some kinda violent stuff with few qualms, this one was too much. I think it should've been rated R for graphic violence if nothing else. You may argue "it didn't show anybody's guts coming out." Hey, I've seen more violent movies (I'm not proud), and I feel you shouldn't have to see guts to make R. An "R" rating would have prevented the people two rows back from bringing their 10-year-old daughter so they had to take her out of the theater. You might be able to argue, plausibly, that the first couple of graphic sequences were necessary; after that it was overkill.
Second, there were some things that were just ridiculous and obviously added for "horror" effect. When this movie is categorized, putting it in "action" or "drama" or even "sci-fi" will be a farce; it's purely horror. Here's a spoiler, not of the ending but of one of the effects in the movie: why did the aliens drink human blood and/or process them through their machines? It's never even explained, thus possibly making it necessary to the plot; otherwise it's a simple, obvious, but still repulsive vampire device.
Third, it didn't do justice to the original story. If you will read (or have read) War of the Worlds, and I hope you do INSTEAD of watching this movie, you will encounter descriptions that were gross, cruel (of the aliens), etc., but never to the level depicted here.
Finally, I will say this: I give the actors their due recognition in acting out family issues in the midst of crisis. But it's almost completely overwhelmed by the heavy-handed frenzy of adrenaline that comes in every other scene.