An Allegory for Our Times

Rating: 9/10 (1 December 2007)

This movie was INTENSE! And, a very important allegory in this time of fear which has lead to the use of torture, loss of civil liberties, paranoia, mistrust of neighbors, resorting to cruelty and violence, misuse of science, misuse of military authority, perversion of religion, distrust of the outsider, etc. Stuff we really have to deal with as a society now or go under. It's a clarion call in the guise of a horror flick. Yeah, the special effects weren't always top-notch (even though some of it was pretty original and effective), and there were a few events that didn't quite work, so I gave it a 9. But it's a solid 9!
But it is also great in its picture of human courage and cowardice, and character rising to the occasion. On the other hand, the sheep-like character displayed by a good number of the survivors was true to human nature as well. The question the movie sticks in your face is: Which side would you be on? And, are your so sure about that? SPOILER FOLLOWS - Classical drama calls for a hero that is flawed, and certainly the main character is flawed. That is what makes him human at the same time. That the rescue may not come in time makes this movie's ending depart from the bedtime story quality of flicks like "War of the Worlds". It is absolutely the case that in survival situations one may lose hope after going through hell and having the rug pulled out from under what you thought was your last resort. The ending serves as a lesson about not losing hope as others have stated here, and as a wakeup call.