A movie that mixes terror, gore and aliens with a lack of substance

Rating: 6/10 (1 July 2005)

You would usually expect a Spielberg movie to be more exciting and to have a very intriguing and growing plot. I found myself at first amazed, then started to see how the movie went from shallow to extreme and then just to go out being overly simplistic.
You would want to know how the Martians (they are Martians as the novel reads) came to be and how they would go about their business. You begin getting questions which some are answered but some are left for your own conclusions.
There are too many similarities with other movies that I think should have been avoided. I also think the scenes tend to be repetitive at times. I really disliked the little girl in the movie, she doesn't quite fit in. I for one prefer Independence Day, its more animated and has far much more substance.