Tired and disappointing

Rating: 4/10 (2 September 2005)

'Well', I ask myself after watching this mediocre fare of alien-invasion, 'what was that all about?'. A truly miserable film to watch, especially if you are a science-fiction fan, or even a fan of good movies. This film is a desperate jumble of imagery and half-hatched special-effects, that while thought-provoking at times - there is a short scene where a train with fire raging through all its windows, speeds through a crossing - in the main I was greatly disappointed. The alien machines, with their enormous haunting hooting, like land-borne whales with fog-horns, the initial scenes with howling winds and grey over-cast skies and electrical storms, heralding the arrival of the aliens and the awakening of their giant machines.... a wasted opportunity. These images are far and few between, intermingled with lame characters; Tom Cruise, an inept father working as a labourer - dull as ditch-water, yet of course as Tom Cruise, he has to drive a sports-car, which for no reason other than I guess his being Tom Cruise, he has to screech and spin the wheels of his car when driving home from work. His daughter, screeching herself at every other opportunity, and his son, sullen and full of angst, makes for a ill matched mixture of characters that the movie-watcher is stuck watching for the duration of the film. This film is tired and disappointing - there are a few scenes where our 'hero', Tom Cruise is seen running ( perhaps I should say jogging ) away from the developing madness that is the aliens, but these special effects are so clearly and obviously Tom acting in front of a projector-screen, you are suddenly distracted from the film to marvel at the simple-mindedness of 'Spillers' in thinking that modern movie-goers will still be impressed by effects I last saw seriously offered as awe-inspiring thrills in Back to the Future Part II. OK, OK - maybe I'm too harsh...... Um, no I'm not. If you're going to see the movie, go with a large dollop of.... uh, spare time?.... and maybe a book.
And see for yourself.