Better than expected

Rating: 8/10 (17 July 2005)

This is another example of a film which I watched where my preliminary expectations were quite low. I was pleasantly surprised. While I'm not an expert or the original novel, it does seem to stick to the basic plot. I think the director modernized it a bit, enough to be engaging, realistic and true to the original plot. Of course some changes in characters, and their relationships were made, but it all seems to fit well.
The suspense is built up well, and the story develops nicely, without a lot of rapid-fire explanations. The depictions of the way society breaks down in the face of the invasion was really very powerful. I was impressed with the way the monsters were presented, the special effects were very good, and the aliens had enough face-time to be pretty scary.
I'd been bummed out by most of the dribble to come out of Hollywood lately in the sci-fi vein, but this was a change of pace. I'm glad I saw this one on the big screen.