A bit dodgy

Rating: 5/10 (5 July 2005)

Having really looked forward to this movie I must admit that it was simply a disappointment. Looking back after a few days of contemplation now, not as bad as I originally thought immediately after seeing it, but still a movie with a few major flaws and lazy scripting.
The problem here was that the 'family' storyline was just there to connect the action bits together, whereas Spielberg's intention was to make this a humanist story, so it should have been the most integral part of the film but you simply didn't care whether Cruise's character got wiped out or not! No real time was given to explore the characters, just present the basic situation and then 'bring on the aliens', it just felt so rushed, there was actually more character development in Independence Day!! Add to that his son's poorly explained disappearance over a hill into oblivion and his ridiculous reappearance at the end of the film (probably because it was essential that the next scene only featured Cruise and his daughter).
Rather than write a proper reason for their separation they gave Cruise a poorly thought out moral dilemma, let the son go and fight the aliens or let strangers take his daughter to safety!! The story was supposed to be an explanation of Cruise and his kids bonding as the journey progressed, however none of this happened - he never really got closer to either of them. And the payoff at the end when he 'triumphantly' arrived at his ex wife's parents' immaculately untouched doorstep was extremely poor! ...Another thing that bugged me as well, the aliens planted the machines under the earth even before mankind evolved. And as numerous characters throughout the film said, "They've been planning this extermination all along". But why would they plant the machines here to exterminate us later on when they didn't know we were going to be here in the first place...because the human race didn't exist yet!!! You see?? Stupid! Excellent special effects though!