Big, dark thrill ride: simple plot, C G Eye-candy

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2005)

As a pessimistic cynic who has made it a habit to ponder all the various possible means by which the human race will eventually destroy itself, I never devoted much thought to the idea that our demise might really come from a sentient outside source; not like a comet or asteroid. And to take it a step further, H G Wells mused upon the invasion of a force that was so overwhelming as to brush us aside like so much dust. We've all seen the alien movies where we battle them and are hopelessly over-matched, only to then discover some crucial weakness that some human hero exploits in the eleventh hour to their dramatic undoing (Independence Day, "V", etc). But what about a TOTALLY ineffective defense and subsequent extermination of all human life, a scenario in which the only measurable factor is the time it takes for them to physically sweep us away? A situation in which there is nowhere to hide, no effective shelter, nothing left but to wait for the hammer to fall? To loosely quote Tim Robbins's character, "This isn't war. They are no more at war with man than man is at war with maggots."
A lot of plots start out with a seemingly indomitable threat but then the pressure relaxes a little later and someone "gets inside" and brings 'em down. This movie differs from that in that it presents a no-win situation. The eventual downfall of the aggressors is their own oversight. Yes, we get saved by germs. My problem with the plot is the obvious scientific inconsistency: how can an almighty race of super-tech warrior aliens not have the wherewithal to notice threatening microbes and guard against them? If you were going to eat alien food and breathe alien air, would you not scan/test them first?
The movie could have gone more in-depth into the family dynamic. Tom Cruise's character is initially too racy and shallow, but he gets better after the pressure kicks in. Like the situation of dealing with your rebellious teenage son who wants to fight the enemy and your frail 10-year old daughter who requires 100% supervision, all while scramming across two states in the only working minivan on the east coast and having no supplies. Tom Cruise does a nice job of portraying a clueless father who suddenly has the whole outer universe to contend with, including other panicked people who will literally kill for a working vehicle. These people all go from the cocky top of the food chain to mere vermin in five minutes and the acting is surprisingly convincing. The scene in the basement where Tom Cruise has to finally deal with the threat of Tim Robbins's unsafe rebel attitude is a nail-biter and evokes a lot of different emotions in the audience. Fear, quick thinking, and overcoming external and internal impossibilities are the rules for this family.
Of course, the hedonistically satisfying payoff of this flick is the thunderingly brutal special FX. The "tripod" vehicles are DAMNED BIG, DAMNED WEIRD, and rendered masterfully via post-modern CGI and Spielberg's limitlessly wild vision. On the big screen, you could swear they were going to stomp out onto the audience. Even the creepy giant bass-register noise they make is downright frightening. And that inescapable dual death ray? SHEESH! The aliens are morphologically similar to their tripod vehicles, which is a neat twist.
Overall, this is a satisfying sci-fi movie with plenty of fodder for the heart, nerves, and imagination to chew on. All told, I would recommend this flick to just about anybody except little kids. Warning: Go to the bathroom BEFORE the movie.