The following are reviews of "War of the Worlds" and "Rebound."

War of the Worlds

In his kinder, gentler "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," director Steven Spielberg mused that if there is intelligent life in the cosmos it isn't necessarily hostile. Five years later, "E.T." provided us with further assurance that cold, black space had a warm heart.

In the apocalyptic "War of the Worlds" (Paramount), Spielberg offers a close encounter of a different --- less benevolent --- kind. Forget cute and cuddly; these aliens are out to exterminate us.

Adapted from the 19th-century sci-fi classic by H.G. Wells, "War of the Worlds" is a dark, scary and distressingly violent thrill ride that delivers edge-of-your-seat excitement and knockout action sequences.

Sure, it's basically a 1950s' B-movie dressed up with an A-movie cast, director and budget. And, yes, the script has problems (implausible and illogical plot elements and an anticlimactic ending). But as summer popcorn fare it succeeds where so many other blockbusters have failed. It is also arguably the most impressive of Spielberg's recent films.

"War of the Worlds" opens with Morgan Freeman's ominous narration informing us that our planet had been watched by intellects "greater than our own ... vast, cool and unsympathetic."

Keeping to his storytelling formula of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances, Spielberg quickly introduces us to Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), a divorced dockworker and deadbeat dad of two estranged kids -- angry teenage son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and precocious daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning) -- who are dropped off by Ray's now-remarried ex-wife, Mary Ann (Miranda Otto), for a rare weekend visit just in time for the alien invasion.

After briskly setting up the domestic friction, the film gets down to the real business at hand. A mysterious electrical storm provides cover for the extraterrestrials to "ride" lightning bolts down to Earth and burrow deep below ground, only to eerily re-emerge in gargantuan tripodal doomsday machines which had been buried for millennia. Brilliantly orchestrated, it is among the film's most chilling sequences.

The space invaders quickly lay ruin to Ray's Newark, N.J., neighborhood (wreaking similar havoc around the globe). Ray packs the kids in the only car still running and flees Jersey for Boston, where Mary Ann is visiting her parents.

Visually, Spielberg is at the top of his game, doing what he does best: creating riveting cinematic roller coasters. The nightmares envisioned are both spectacular and terrifying. Among the more suspenseful sequences are a nighttime massacre at a crowded ferry station and a deadly game of hide-and-seek in a farmhouse cellar with Ray, an unhinged survivalist (Tim Robbins) and a slithering alien probe.

With their squidlike tentacles, death rays and blood-curdling bellows, the metallic monstrosities are truly menacing, though the aliens themselves are actually a bit of a disappointment.

The mass-scale mayhem -- which includes scenes of the towering tripods vaporizing fleeing humans or cherry-picking them with tendrils to process as fertilizer -- is much too intense for children (and maybe some adults). However, the most disturbing episode does not involve the aliens at all, but rather an off-screen murder heard, but not witnessed, by a deeply traumatized Rachel.

Originally published in 1898, "War of the Worlds" was penned as an indictment of imperialism. Orson Welles' infamous 1938 radio broadcast of it tapped into fears over the growing specter of real world war. The 1953 George Pal movie version -- starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson (who appear in brief cameos in this film) -- did the same with Cold War anxieties.

Though the new film avoids any political (or religious) references, it nevertheless plays on audiences' paranoia following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Shots of displaced masses wandering among the carnage and walls plastered with missing people flyers conjure memories of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

Whereas "Minority Report" (Spielberg's last collaboration with Cruise) raised complex moral and ethical questions, "War of the Worlds" is simply a story of survival.

The set pieces unfold in episodic fashion, loosely strung together by the film's "journey" narrative.

What elevates "War of the Worlds" above empty special-effects spectacles is Spielberg's knack for grafting compelling human drama into his techno-wizardry.

At its emotional heart, it is a very small, personal story about one father trying to reconnect with his children and keep them safe.

The message imparted is that -- whether the threat comes from the night skies or a culture-of-death ideology -- what matters most is the love that binds families together.

The film contains intense sci-fi violence, including mass destruction and slaughter, disintegrated bodies, a murder with extenuating circumstances and child peril, as well as scattered crude language and profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Rebound

2005 is shaping up to be the summer of kiddie-sports comedies. First, a small-fry soccer team left Will Ferrell "Kicking & Screaming." And later this month little leaguers will be lining up to see a remake of "The Bad News Bears."

Sandwiched in between is director Steve Carr's "Rebound" (20th Century Fox), a diverting, if formulaic, crowd-pleaser about a hotheaded, big-time college basketball coach, Roy McCormick (Martin Lawrence) who, after being banned from coaching on the collegiate level, finds redemption by whipping a hapless junior high school hoop squad into winners.

The love interest is provided by Wendy Raquel Robinson, who plays the single mom of the team's "star" player. Rounding out the cast are Megan Mullally as the school's principal, Horatio Sanz as a friendly faculty member turned assistant coach, and Breckin Meyer as Roy's agent.

There is the usual bullying of awkward adolescents, but the humor never sinks to mean-spiritedness. In fact, the film celebrates the underdog.

Of course, the warmed-over premise has been used before and to better effect. The movie's tagline is "Old school meets middle school." "Old jokes meet a middling script" is more like it.

A minor foul should be called for an out-of-left-field (and unfunny) gag involving a wacky preacher (also played by Lawrence) who delivers a mildly irreverent pre-game pep invocation.

And though hardly a slam dunk, the manic but likable star manages to elicit a few laughs, scoring points in his first family-friendly role, as does the movie's feel-good message about teamwork, sportsmanship, self-esteem and believing in yourself.

Sure, it would be nice to see an idea for a kids' movie that was fresh, intelligent and inoffensive, but, even though this one lacks the first two qualities, having one out of three ain't bad these days.

The film contains some mildly crude language and humor and minor comic violence. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested.

David DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.