Disturbing, but good

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2006)

When I was watching this movie, I had two feelings: panic and fear. The panic came from being a mom. I felt this once Cruise and his family crashed the minivan and were mobbed by the crowd. Once they got in and Dakota couldn't get out, that's when I felt panic. I couldn't imagine my daughter being stuck in a situation like that and me not being able to help her. I also felt panic at how the people responded in the movie. It showed what real savages humans can be in desperate situations. The men shooting each other to steal the minivan were insane, where exactly were they going? Put people in a group with strangers who are scared and hungry and pandemonium breaks out. I also felt fear. It was really scary to watch the tripods break out of the ground and start vaporizing people. What was even scarier was a thought on a slightly higher scale. We humans (especially Americans) think we are invincible. Yet even with all our weapons, technology and supposed "superiority", these aliens were systematically eliminating the human race as easily as we step on ants. I really hope that if there are other species in this universe, they skip our pathetic planet. We are, to quote Star Trek TNG, "a savage child race." We can't even get along with each other, much less a different species. But, I digress. This was a movie with great special effects. Though I never saw the original, I thought I was very powerful and Dakota Fanning is amazing. She is as talented as she is cute. She deserves the most credit in the movie.