Tom Cruise in War Of The Worlds. Lately the actor's hectoring comments concerning Scientology have raised eyebrows.

NEW YORK -- Has the love-sick, wildly excitable Tom Cruise lost it? Or is this the real Cruise revealed?

These questions dominate debate on Cruise's antics since he hit the campaign trail to promote his summer blockbuster, War Of The Worlds. This is Steven Spielberg's $128 million version of H.G. Wells' classic sci-fi story. It opens tomorrow.

Other than his fresh but much-publicized romance with actress Katie Holmes -- who accepted Cruise's marriage proposal at the Eiffel Tower in Paris -- nothing that the 42-year-old Cruise has been doing is new to the media or to the public.

We already understood his zeal for the controversial Church of Scientology: "There are things in my life -- Scientology and tools -- that I've spoken of before that I apply to my life that help me overcome barriers and problems," Cruise tells a New York press conference last week. "And that has been extraordinary in my life."

We already understood he believes in alien life forms: "I think it is supreme arrogance to think that we are the only (life) in all the universes," Cruise says in relation to War Of The Worlds.

We already knew he has boundless energy to go with that mega-watt smile: "I'm interested in life," Cruise says. "I get excited about living and I'm interested in people." He is also willing to make a self-mocking joke, teasing that he misses having a couch to jump on to show just how excited he is today.

The real difference in the display is that Cruise appears to be on a singular mission to spread his gospel. He hectored Brooke Shields about using prescription drugs to handle post-partnum depression. He got into a bitter debate with Today host Matt Lauer over psychiatry and the dispensing of antidepressant drugs.

In interviews in the past, Cruise chose to mention Scientology only when specific questions were asked. Now he drops references freely, boldly scolding a Boston journalist who tries to connect the aliens in War Of The Worlds with Scientology. Cruise stammers: "It has no relation to that whatsoever!" Then he resorts to an easy out, recommending a reading list of Scientology promo books.

Cruise also has been more vocal about H.E.L.P., the Hollywood Education and Literacy Project in Los Angeles. One of its goals is to get kids off all drugs. The centre has been praised for its efforts but there are questions about the Church's role in it.

Cruise's Scientology campaign may be related to the end of his long relationship with uber-publicist Pat Kingsley, legendary for tough talk and total control of media and clients. Insiders say Scientology divided them. Kingsley quit, or was fired, and replaced with Lee Ann DeVette, who is Cruise's sister.

At the press conference, Cruise is outspoken. Yet he also remains his charming self, when not debating Church issues. So he allows Spielberg to do most of the talking, especially about War Of The Worlds. Cruise is visually in awe of the filmmaker, with whom he first collaborated on Minority Report.

"I'm a fan always of Steven's films and then I'm an actor! For me, the experience working with Steven just gets better. I had a lot of fun on Minority Report. I had even more fun on this one."

Yet a nagging thought about that "fun" remains: Cruise had a Church of Scientology info tent operate on the movie set and plans to do the same on Mission Impossible 3. His own impossible, soul-saving mission has become more public than ever before.

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