Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning face destruction when extraterrestrial invaders attack in War of the Worlds, now out on DVD.

It's safe to presume if aliens ever see transmissions of Tom Cruise leapfrogging on Oprah's sofa, they'll either skip Earth altogether or assume the lemur is the dominant species on our planet.

Aside from potentially frightening off extraterrestrial visitors, Cruise's antics -- the ridiculously ill-conceived (so to speak) impregnation of Katie Holmes for one -- were also blamed for scaring off moviegoers from War of the Worlds.

The $230 or so million US it made in North America means it will never be called a flop, but considering it stars Cruise, the world's most reliable box-office draw and was directed by Steven Spielberg, it can't be termed a homerun either.

The irony is, Cruise's performance -- alongside the genuinely staggering special effects -- is arguably what works best in this otherwise dour, listless entry in Hollywood's alien invasion pantheon. For that, blame Spielberg. The legendary director appears now so intent on crafting films with "meaning" -- much of War of the Worlds is an obviously staged metaphor for the events of 9/11 -- that he Hoovers all the fun out of seeing stuff blow up good.

Rather than the awe of his earlier work -- even his last "horror" film Jaws was a rollicking thriller-- War of the Worlds, after a propulsive first 20 minutes, degenerates into a bleak black hole of boredom, much more yawn than yarn.

Cruise stars as Ray Ferrier, a divorced New Jersey blue-collar worker who's never taken much interest in the lives of his two estranged (and irritating) children (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin).

As luck would have it, he just happens to be babysitting them for the weekend when aliens arrive to annihilate humanity.

Unlike Independence Day, War of the Worlds tells its narrative solely from Cruise's point of view. There are no asides to the White House or sequences of landmarks being dashed to dust, meaning the film is essentially an extended chase with Cruise, forced to become a responsible father, staying one sprint ahead of the aliens' people-pulverizing tripods.

Depressingly, though, despite all the mouth-watering visuals, the film fails to tingle the spine or soul.

Spielberg seems either no longer willing or capable of crafting the sort of pitch-perfect popcorn entertainment he made his fortune on.

E.T. would be bummed.

EXTRAS: The DVD arrives in a barebones edition and a two-disc set that is loaded with production extras, including a documentary about the legacy of WOTW scribe H.G. Wells.

WAR OF THE WORLDS

STARS: Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning

DIRECTED BY: Steven Spielberg

IN BRIEF: Cruise must protect his family when aliens attack humanity.

RATING: 2 out of 5