I think that scene you described in #4 is actually a homage to the original WotW movie. There's a scene where the alien probe is in the house and the main character is hiding. This is the first time you see the mysterious Martians. The main character cleaves one of the tentacles with a butcher knife if I recall correctly.

From what I've heard about this movie, I'm waiting for video. Fantasic Four is much higher on my list and it costs us $20 to go to a movie not including dinner.