Good crafting ... ... ... but that's all

Rating: 4/10 (4 July 2005)

Includes possible SPOILERS!!! Don't want to be on the black list - there will be SPOILERS!!!
This is a good movie to watch, when you are bored cause it is in itself very BORING - a movie to watch just to go to bed thereafter. I have been skeptic about it, having seen Spielbergs recent SciFi movies (AI, Minority Report) but nevertheless could not resist to see it and give it another try - but it all was futile: this Spielberg movie (again) contained everything to really destroy every piece of good entertainment.
Yet first, lets list the good things about this movie. It is visually impressive. Alien intruders - at least the war machines, not so much the creatures (SPOILER: why do highly developed aliens never wear clothes???) - were nicely animated. Special effects were absolutely mind-blowing. The photography was just perfect. Some shots were so impressive, that you have to admit, that there is but one man today who can do such perfect crafting. BUT WHAT A WASTE OF TALENT...!!!
The Story is just awful, because he had to do it AGAIN. The small family survives, no matter how logical that is considering that all around everyone is dying. And not only this but the dis-likable becomes loved, the broken becomes steady, the unwanted becomes welcome everything about our hero's family has been repaired while the whole world is distorted. This moral impetus -or the "our-love-is-stronger-than-death-family-ideology" is absolutely out of place. It ruins the whole atmosphere. There had been so much room for real character development with fear, disbelief, guilt but Spielberg decided to cover it with thick layers of warm glibbery corniness - and thats so foreseeable so predictable that you exactly know what will happen next. All tension is ruined and every hope that Spielberg would change his pattern of creating plots at least in this movie fades with every minute and so did my joy that converted more and more to boredom with every minute.
However, there are some positive conclusions:
1. You can see the movie, if you want to see a visually good crafted piece of art and really have nothing else to do.
2. Its not only effects. It still is plot, acting, actors and characters by at least 60% to make a good movie - this one fails in this section.
3. Even though Tim Burton sometimes just does not get to the point, his alien invader's movie MARS ATTACKS is the best compared to ID4 and WotW. All movies share the same genes. But MA does tell the most realistic and entertaining story - not regarding the aliens design but human fate and character - and still contains enough irony to never become boring or solemn. So there is a good movie to cover this theme. See it.