That War of the Worlds doesn't have an obvious stand out track (not that this is a requisite, but I can't think of a single Williams score - since Jaws, at least - that doesn't have at least one really memorable cue) is a strike against instant likeability. It is also lacking a strong main theme. True, Minority Report hardly leaves you humming, but plenty of incidental motifs keeps most tracks fresh. That there is no "this is clearly the main theme" track here is quite telling. Yes, there are incidental motifs, largely during the tracks that are neither action nor tension building - Ray and Rachel and Refugee Status are both relatively hopeful and a lovely oases - but they don't linger in the brain for long. It seems like a fatal strike against a score to say that it's the atmosphere that is most memorable, but for War of the Worlds, that is very much the case; the brooding, intensely claustrophobic suspense for cues such as Probing the Basement, and the earlier parts of The Confrontation with Ogilvy harks back to the creepiest moments of (appropriately enough) Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but with the tension both greater and more sustained and without the promise of a spectacularly optimistic, melodic finale.
Both the Prologue and The Reunion contain the voice over of Morgan Freeman, but his grave tones work well (even if The Reunion gives away the ending) against the musical angst. Yes, even The Reunion resolutely avoids lightness and the Epilogue is closer in spirit to Sith's Immolation cue in its tragedy. One almost wonders whether Williams has gone too far - Schindler's List has a more uplifting finale than this. It seems surprising for a Spielberg/Williams collaboration to so unashamedly avoid crowd pleasing and really go for the tension and tragedy, shutting out the light almost entirely. The action follows the stylistic pattern of Williams' recent outings, but its dissonance, intensity and complexity is a refreshing twist on its any similarities to other recent works. It both harks back to very early Williams works (his Essay for Strings) and the recent (the werewolf music from the last Harry Potter) and shows what could be deemed a more mature side to the composer, unafraid to move away from the tuneful musical territory that made him famous and into the more astringent side that he so usually only explores in his concert works or, briefly and infrequently, his film scores.
Those (like me) who occasionally revel in hair raising, challenging sound worlds, will find much to relish here - it's certainly a score that needs repeat listens to pick up on the nuances. One listen is entirely insufficient and will almost certainly result in disappointment to the average Williams devotee, but try it again and each listen reveals Williams typically staggering way with the orchestra. Maybe the comparison to his Essay for Strings is apt - to some, parts may feel like an extensive exercise in orchestration and dissonance, but with a more complex palette and several decades more experience. However, that does not mean it should be dismissed and there is, I would venture, far more to be gained from extended acquaintance than his far easier score to The Terminal (for example) whose frothiness will eventually pall. War of the Worlds is unlikely to be a first choice while browsing one's Williams collection, but it demonstrates a composer still at the top of his game and of stupendous technical facility.
Rating ~ 
Total Time ~ 61:01