I really didn't like this movie.

Rating: 2/10 (17 August 2009)

Actually, I hated this movie...from start to finish. And I didn't want to. It's received numerous favorable reviews, several friends loved it and I certainly sympathize with any work designed to expose bigotry of any kind. But I still hated this movie. I found the premise silly, the aliens cheesy, their infatuation with cat food trivializing, the Nigerian mafia stereotypical (at best), the ending a rip-off of the worst of Transformers and the characters completely unlikable. In fact, I rooted only for the alien child who has about five minutes of air time, and then only because it would be sacrilegious to wish ill on a kid.
The opening news scenes drag on and on. Yet, I found myself longing for their return when the "action" started. I felt like I was watching yet another remake of "The Pink Panther." The "hero" is a bumbling moron on the order of Inspector Clouseau. He finds the pink panther diamond, which is a magical canister containing fluid that both turns people into aliens and simultaneously powers the alien ship (one of countless absurdities). Despite being borderline retarded, he somehow knows how to operate the aliens' ships, weapons and even Transformer-like robot. But despite his valiant efforts to save this film through special effects involving laser-gunning humans for a few fleeting moments, the film, for the umpteenth time, shows it does not want to be saved by having him eventually mimic Jeff Goldblum in "The Fly."
This movie is like "The Sneetches Meet the Jetsons." While Peter Jackson may have been necessary to the modest special effects, Dr. Seuss could have written a better script. Frankly, the outpouring of praise for this movie leads me to believe many critics will support even the worst sci-fi if it tries to be politically correct.