Overrated Movies (or "Why Does Everyone Like Tyler Durden?")

Ultimately the problem with War of the Worlds was that it wasn't good science fiction. Science Fiction is supposed to be reasonable fiction, not some fantasy pull-it-out-your-ass bullshit like the situation featured in the movie. It requires that it be based on enough scientific principles, or reasonable circumstances in order to remain plausible in a future or alternative past setting.

Spoiler:

While you could say that nothing in the movie was scientifically unfeasible, the way the aliens invaded Earth make the whole situation an impossibility. Burying machines for God knows how long in anticipation of later invading the planet and then terraforming it implies that the aliens do this sort of thing with some regularity. The idea that these aliens could invade other planets like this and never encounter a deadly micro-organism is highly unlikely. The idea that they also planted the machines on a dead planet (without micro-organisms) in the hopes that there would maybe be life there someday is also unlikely, seeing as how it's not going to be a guaranteed return.

It's that the movie didn't follow the book enough that makes it stupid. I don't know why the aliens couldn't have come from Mars. While we know plenty about Mars's surface, the possibility of there being a civilization living beneath it isn't entirely impossible. The book had already posited the idea that Mars could no longer sustain life. Is it really that unreasonable to present newspaper articles mentioning unusual activity on Mars as in the book?

An intelligent species invading another planet where there is a risk of dying from bacterium has to be presented as a desperate measure in order to remain plausible. That the machines were buried beneath the surface implies that the aliens aren't desperate, and that they have plenty of time to wait.

Like Lehah said, the first 2/3s of the movie was a great experience, but Spielberg gayed it up with a retarded premise, and a feel good everything turns out alright ending.

Jam it back in, in the dark.