War of the Worlds (2005)

Before the aliens show up, the biggest threat to Ray Ferrier is a peanut butter sandwich his daughter is allergic to. Ray is a lousy dad, and the movie never lets him turn into an action hero, which is the smartest call in it. Spielberg shoots the first attack like shaky news footage, a crowd sprinting from something you only half see. The tripods’ horn is still one of the scariest sounds in any movie. Dakota Fanning screams a lot, and honestly, fair. The ferry sequence is legit huge. Then everything grinds down in Tim Robbins’ basement, where the pace stalls into a long game of hide and seek with a robot eye. And the ending wraps up so neatly it feels like somebody sent a memo. It made $604 million worldwide, so plenty of people sat through that basement with me. A 7.0 because the first hour is genuinely terrifying and the last stretch lets the air out. $561 says the next big lightning storm, you go check whether your car still starts.

What works: Spielberg makes the invasion feel terrifying and close up, and the tripods’ horn and the ferry sequence are all-timers.

What doesn’t: The basement stretch with Tim Robbins drags hard, and the ending ties things up far too neatly for everything that came before.

Who it’s for: Sci-fi fans who like their alien invasions scary instead of fun, and anyone who has ever been a stressed out parent on a road trip.