Disappointing

Rating: Null/10 (29 July 2011)

This film prompted me to write my first IMDb review because it was so disappointing. I went into it expecting a Spielberg-esque kids/family versus monster movie like War of the Worlds, Indiana Jones, or g-d knows how many other such films considering that was the hype played out in the news media touting JJ Abrams as the next Spielberg. Boy was I wrong. I watched the first 23 minutes and stopped because it really didn't strike me as a good film. The kids don't act like kids. They act like boomer-generation nostalgic adults speaking through the bodies of kids. The film seems obviously marketed to a combination of children and those nostalgic boomers. Also the physics of the train crash was ridiculous over-the-top Hollywood action where everything is filled with gasoline and explodes in a fireball. At 23 minutes in I was not hooked; I was not wondering what lies ahead. No, instead I was bored and everything felt tedious and plodding. So I came to IMDb, read the critical reviews and decided to stop watching. If you enjoy kids movies and coming-of-age films maybe this could be an enjoyable film. But if your outlook on life is more mature, more cynical, and more gritty then skip it. Spielberg movie-making it ain't.