A monster budget retelling of H G Wells' tale of merciless all powerful aliens. This being Spielberg the family touch has been shoe horned in and we witness the rise of the death ray tripods from the view point of a less than ideal father, who rekindles his paternal instincts in the face of almost certain annihilation. The special effects are exemplary, the little acting required, faultless, but there's the crunch, Spielberg has turned Wells' subversive little piece into a family drama with some huge pyrotechnics. No wit, no warmth I say…still looks darn good though and my, it does rollick along.