As sci-fi movies go, this is a very good one, and it's by far the best adaptation of the original H.G. Wells story yet onscreen. Wells set his story in the Victorian era, which really made for some great scenes, given the fact that people at that time had fairly modern artillery, ironclad warships, and such weapons...but the Martians had far superior weaponry. Accordingly, the Earthlings were occasionally able to destroy a Martian machine, but the Martians would quickly adapt and make sure it didn't happen again.

The new movie is set in the present, so the Martians must have a considerably more sophisticated form of technology, in order to cope with our modern weapons systems. That makes things a little less suspenseful, but it's still a great movie. Good acting, good script, a real sense of horror, and unlike the Wells' story, the aliens land all over the planet rather than just in England. That makes it far more realistic.

For once, I had a glow in my heart seeing the American forces doing what they should be doing...defending their own ground, their own homes and families! That's the real job of an army.

This is one hell of a good sci-fi film. Go and see it, unless you hate Tom Cruise for some reason... ;-) (he plays his part well)