Very good, scary in many ways!

Rating: 8/10 (28 June 2005)

I'll admit that usually I hate Spielberg and Cruise. Seriously. It took a lot for me to see past Mr. Corny and Mr. Nutty. But I got caught up in this movie right away. Why? (1) The action was great, shocking, non-stop. (2) The horror didn't just come from the aliens, but from imperfect human nature in a panicked situation. (3) Similarly, there were many terrifying situations: not just running down the street while people get vaporized, but being trapped in a quiet basement with a questionable homeowner. All in all, a very entertaining movie only slightly marred by Spielberg's need to be sentimental. GREAT sound editing, too.