A coherent point of view

Rating: 7/10 (30 June 2005)

Well, I am not a first class Spielberg or Cruise fan, but I must admit their work is just fine here. Cruise brilliantly acts a man which is not a (super) hero and that won't actually same the whole world (better say our world, given the title) on his own. The character is a common man, running for his life and for his children's. The thing I like the movie for most is that Spielberg sticks to Cruise's character's point of view. So, we won't see the aliens too in detail, we won't attend a board meeting of their army chiefs (nor a human one, for instance) and so you won't be given many details on how they actually are defeated or why they act this way: we only know what the main character witnesses or deduces. Disappointing in some way, but coherent I'd say. Great special effects, good direction, good acting, here are the good points. Bad points are part of the ending (can't say which of course), and sometimes the behavior of the girl (obviously too "written").