Better than the other stuff out there this summer, but not an instant classic

Rating: 7/10 (28 June 2005)

I really wanted to see this movie because in the past I've loved what Spielberg has done with his movies. ET, Close Encounters, Indiana Jones and the first 30 minutes from Saving Private Ryan are incredible.
The script was very good and I loved the idea of it, stick with a family and only show what happens to them. There are no clichéd shots of generals or the Prez in bunker directing the fight against the aliens. I thought this was a great idea and it translates well on screen. I also loved that Cruise's character did not undergo a huge change and go from a dock worker to the saviour of the human race by the end of the movie.
Spielberg did an excellent job directing this. Several scenes are really great, like the one when they are in the minivan and everyone was begging for a ride. It was almost as gripping as the Omaha scene from Private Ryan. The scene where the Tripod emerges in Cruise's neighbourhood was great too. You could totally relate to the terror they felt as the terrified people run to and fro. The ferry scene was pretty scary too.
Unfortunately, the movie has several plot holes/errors. How is that someone is using a camcorder to record the Tripod emerging from the ground when the EMP wiped out everyone else's electronic devices? How is it that the Aliens, who supposedly left these Tripods in place a million years ago, knew where we would build our cities? Why not wipe us out when we were just a bunch of apes in the trees? I also didn't like that Spielberg could not come up with a different way for humanity to win, rather than relying on the hackneyed deus ex machina that the original used. Independence Day might not have been a great movie, but at least they came up with an alternate way to beat the aliens in the end, even if it was corny.
Some people will say Tom Cruise was terrible in this movie, but I thought he put in a solid effort. It was much better than his work in Collateral last year.
Will this movie do big business? I think so, if only because the pool of movies this year is shallower than normal. Will I buy it on DVD like I did True Lies or Aliens, no. But I can see it rivalling Star Wars for #1 this summer.