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Yes, the effects were outstanding, story was a nice update from the origional book (but nothing beats the book, as usual). Dispite Cruise's recent rantings, in the movie he is an outstanding actor and I didn't think once of his rantings, etc. The little girl actor is also outstanding. It is a blockbuster that needs to be seen on a big screen to appreciate it, from the awesomely loud lighting storm that initiates the Invasion, to the cracking of the streets and the rising of the first Tripod, to the blasting of the folks....and the effect of the bridge as it...well, it is just very cool effects throughout the whole movie. The movie starts running almost right away and it doesn't let up until the end. Even the scene that takes place in a farmhouse basement has high tension throughout.

The editing of the car sceen as it speeds away from the exploding city: freaking fantastic. I still don't know how they did it. The camera constantly pans around the van as well and in and out of it as it speeds around stalled cars, etc. Excellent editing, to give you one example.

Those who say this is boring, etc...man, they are on a whole different wavelength from me this time. Each time I saw it, people were clapping at the end.

Save your money if you want, but for my money it was well worth it. Spielberg did this one well. Had a few illogical flaws, but didn't distract. 5 Stars? Prob not, but close; it is great entertainment both visual and storyline.

Interesting...thanks...

I was not among those offput or even amused by Cruise's whatevers, whenevers, so that wasn't even (remotely) a reason for my not having seen TWOTW in theatres (I actually didn't find Cruise's sofa dance as strange as many other than it indicated a certain uncouth attitude about other people's furniture, but, otherwise...a non issue to my view as to his personal views, etc.).

I, also, find Cruse a great performer -- so I enjoy his films, for the most part, if not consistently.

My hesitations and outright objections to the idea of TWOTW was that it's a remake of a great film. I love the original film and found the whole modernization/remake/"new vision" thing offputting about a great film, great as it is in the original.

About the big screen, I'm someone who gets far more from a DVD than I do from theatre viewing, primarily because I see and hear/experience far more details about a film from DVD (great screen, excellent sound system so I'm happy with the DVD experience), plus I can advance, rewind and view as many times as I want while theatres are often a problem due to people chattering, coughing, heads in front, all that...even the finer theatres have a sound system that makes for headaches afterward so I just altogether am far more happy when I can view films on DVD.

But, I'll buy this DVD, and enjoyed your take on the film. Like I said, I enjoy Cruise as performer and although I have a mixed-reaction to some of Spielberg's films, I think his "Artificial Intelligence (AI)" was outstanding...while the TV series, "Taken" left me completely cold, as have some of his other films and television series (something far too insincere in his camera work, can't quite define it beyond writing here that he manages to capture his own insincerity about literary issues on film and it's uncomfortable for my view, in that it discourages empathising with what's on film). "AI" supplanted that for the most part and so I hope that "TWOTW" might, also...

The movie really kept to the spirit of the book that it was all action right from the get go. The book cannot be beaten I agree, but I remember the character in the book would finally find a place to stop and rest, and then wouldn’t you know it, another one of these damn walking pods appear. That was well captured in the movie. I didn’t care much for the idea that the machines were always there. That didn’t add up. Also the movie could have explained WHY the aliens came. The book has a great but grim ending where the main character comes across dogs eating the carcass of one of the aliens. I would have liked to see that in the movie.