There's another HG Wells's War of the Worlds by Pendragon Films, an indie, that sticks to the Victorian story by Wells pretty faithfully.
The Spielberg version is a remake of the movie based on Orson Well's adaptation of H G's original.
I'm going to see the Pendragon film first, then maybe the Speilberg one when it comes out on DVD and I can watch it for free from the local library.
I've seen two versions of WotW. The Gene Barry version from the 50s and this one. Both are good, but I really recommend seeing this new one on the large screen in a theater with good sound. My wife and I were astounded and my daugher was terrified (in a good, healthy movie sort of way).
By the way, Gene Barry has a cameo.
The Pendragon version went straight to DVD, and the reviews are not encouraging:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425638/usercomments
...which IS in the public domain now. (Oy! Mama: come and look! Such a deal I got - not having to pay for a writer for something new!)
Go, read the book:
http://www2.cddc.vt.edu/gutenberg/3/36/36-h/36-h.htm
"I'm going to see the Pendragon film first,"
I too was looking forward to this one.
But I saw it for sale at walmart. Not a good sign.
I checked internet movie database and the feedback is awful
I had high hopes for it now dashed. I saw some pictures of the so-called FX. Horrible. I mean really bad.
Too bad. I wish that someone else had the big budget instead of spielberg and cruise and did this great classic work properly. Oh well, it will probably be decades before another person gets a shot at it properly.