Suspense Without Substance

Rating: 5/10 (5 August 2011)

Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning don the well-worn masks of dysfunctional family members who rediscover one other against the backdrop of an apocalyptic, world-shaping event. Oddly, many of the events surrounding the central theme of alien invasion take a back seat to the broken family's constant bickering. Even the plot device that ultimately drives the invading forces from the planet's surface is left to a tacked-on bit of Morgan Freeman narration to explain, which gives the impression that it's more important to see three random individuals arrive safely in Boston than it is to ensure the survival of the human race at large. Or perhaps the filmmakers just assumed that everyone was already familiar with the developments in the original tale and chose not to overdo it with a straightforward rehash. Either way, the tighter focus actually manages to deliver a greater perspective of the day's events and allows for a quieter, more suspenseful overall vibe, but misses badly at conveying any sense of a greater arching plot structure. With the benefit of hindsight, many of the film's special effects don't look particularly good, but an impressive display of sound design goes a long way toward redeeming those failings. It's not what the original was, but that isn't what it's trying to be - for better or for worse.