Just to give my opinion on "War of the Worlds":
The effects and tripods and so were very good, no problems with that. But Spielberg ruined the atmosphere. Sometimes it was a dark, threatening mood. Which, in my opinion, would have been perfect. Don't show the murders and murderers, don't do those big expensive CGI, just keep it plain simple but it would achieve a very dark atmosphere. But unlike Alien, he shows the tripods in full glory, shows the killing and big action and even lets one the bad-asses get a bicycle on its head (haha so funny-not).
Not so, okay. So he wants to make a big action movie? Wrong again, as I find myself being bored half of the time with plain stupid and clich? dialoges between daddy Cruise and his horrible daughter which, in the middle of death and destruction, threatening noises and big machines, complains about daddy who can't look when she goes peeing. A good action movie is Terminator 3. Funny one-liners, big, over-the-top action, and no pathetic emotional bullshit which blocks the action.
So no action movie, no dark sci-fi movie, and no good old family-in-trouble-comes-good-again too, as there is too much of the action and darkness. This mix could be done good, and bad. This movie is the latter.
Sorry for all the off-topic, but I had to make my complain as I was quite disappointed by this movie. I like Cruise, I like Spielberg. But not this movie.
If you have another opinion, don't hesitate to counterback!