Well, that was a waste of five bucks
So, that sucked. Like massively sucked. People running from one place to another while aliens destroy everything is not a plot. If there is not going to be a plot, then you'd better include some damn interesting character developement to make up for it and turn it into a character study. Too bad the makers of this movie didn't do that. Maybe they figured Tom Cruise couldn't pull it off. In addition to way too much Cruise, the daughter did way too much shierking and screaming. Scary Aliens, we get it, shut UP now. The most interesting and likeable character was the teenaged son. It's too bad that he disapeared (assumed dead, as there was a GREAT BLOODY EXPLOSION) for half the movie, probably because they couldn't have him upstaging Cruise and, well, what do you do when the hero's son is more heroic than the hero?
The ending was a total cop out. The aliens died because they didn't have the right immunities to diseases, which, while it does make some sense, still smacks of "Oh crap, how do we end this so humanity is not destroyed?" The happy family stuff at the end could only have been made worse if the ex-wife and Cruise had gotten back together. It was certainly not helped by the son's miraculous unharmed appearance. They should've left him as dead. Happy families at the end doesn't work with the movie like this.
Actually, very little worked with this movie. The aliens' entire plan was idiotic. (we will bury these great ships now, and then we will give the humans a chance to spread and develop impressive weaponry. and then we attack! mwahahaha!).
This movie shouldn't been made. Not just because it was bad, but there's no way it can work they way they tried to set it up. Not in the modern world and not with what we expect out of movies. Or atleast not with what we should expect from movies. And I don't think there's any way to make it work and remain faithful to the source material.*
(* I have not read the book. Maybe it is possible, but I hope to god that some of the stupiest things, such as the aliens' evil plan, was the result of trying not to get too far from the book/radio show, and not something that the makers thought would be a good idea.)