Beginning was good, but ending was not so good.

Rating: Null/10 (18 September 2002)

"Oh, no," I thought. "Dogs in a film about aliens. I already know that outcome." Please, please don't allow any other animals to die in films - ever! (Why did that stupid family forget their surviving pet Isabelle?) I tell myself that this is fake -- but still -- I cannot sit through a film while anticipating those dreaded scenes. My daughter and I liked the build-up to the invasion, and both of us (SPOILERS) were disappointed when "he" was revealed -- kinda like a leather-clad mummy with a strong allergic reaction to fetid water. We considered the boy to be a bad actor whose character needed some serious behavior modification. When his father corrected the pronunciation of the author of the prized book on aliens (Was the purchase Fate or Coincidence? Ick!), the son did not like the "tone" of the correction. What's with that? And how did that kid become an expert on aliens? Did he read and recall the exact passages ole Father Mel would question? (Insert ghostly music here -- Fate or Coincidence or Inane Writing?) And director MNS's cameo was more like a supporting role. We liked the corn rows -- like "Children of the Corn" -- "He who walks behind the rows (or something like that)." *SPOILER* The ending with those fateful words about swinging away was tacky. Why couldn't the wife have said, "Leave the farm - take the dogs - go to a motel - swim away - remember the medicine - pack a lunch - put on the collar -- preaching is easier than farming - clean the house -- it's a mess." The film was a simple way to spend an afternoon, and not too much was lost - time-wise and coin-wise - So see the film if you favor eerie stories with a profound message attached. I hope those German Shepherds and their stand-ins are sleeping in the Hollywood sun, bellies full and beds worn.