I admit I wasn't expecting much from this Spielberg Movie. However, I never imagined it would be as bad as it was. Plotless, irritating and 'god when will this be over' are the things that crossed my mind as I watched this utter dross. It always amazes me how often Hollywood productions might spend millions on special effects and pay millions to its favourite Hollywood stars but can't be bothered to find a decent script writer.

If there is anything worth watching in this film, it is the special effects. There is one part were the alien machine comes up out of the ground and causes the city streets to crumble and the people to flee. The aliens then start to blast away the fleeing people with laser beams. Apart from this there is little else to look forward to in the rest of the film.

Stereotypically as in all such movies the glorious US army has to come to the rescue. Couldn't they think of anything more original? I always suspect that one of the main reasons the military always get in on the act in such films is merely to advertise its military hardware to the worldwide audience that such Hollywood productions guarantee.

There is also a pathetic reference to terrorists by one of the characters as she and her colleagues make their escape by car.

It would have been a much more interesting if there could have been some sort of alien perspective. But I imagine that would have been far too challenging to the feeble minds of the film makers.

Even if your one of those people who love action movies, I still can't imagine anyone with more than three brain cells getting anything out of this Hollywood dumbed down trash. I only recommend that you by the DVD as a present for someone that you utterly despise.

There are two DVD versions available. One includes just the film along with a 12-minute documentary of how it was made. The one that I watched was a double disc edition offering further features including an interview with Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, two of the stars of the original 1950's film. Spielberg pays homage to them by giving them cameo roles near the end of the 2005 film. The double edition DVD also offers an exploration into the technology of the aliens, how their machines are designed and how their death rays function. There is also a commentary on H. G. Wells and his influence on the genre.