September 11...PTSD

Rating: 6/10 (16 October 2013)

This Movie Suffers Readily from what could be called 9-11 PTSD. The References and Remembrances are anything but Subtle, and sometimes Forced and Unrealistic like the Bulletin Boards Popping Up almost Instantaneously with a Defiance of Time-Space that can only come from the most Manipulative of Directors.
There is Smoke and the Dust, and let's leave it at that and move on to the Remake at hand. It is a Sombre Affair to be sure with the SFX neither Epic or Eye-Popping, just Impressive enough to be Realistically Frightening. There are some Horror Movie Chills like the River Scene, not the Titanic like Ferry, but the other one and the Bloody Creeping Vines and Vampire like Suggestions.
It is a Half-Good Mood Piece with much Crying, and Wailing, and Gnashing of Teeth and it has a Dark Atmosphere that is Unlike most Alien Invasion Movies. But there are other things that make this a Not-So-Entertaining Bore. The Family Dysfunction is Played Heavily and is Talked and Emoted to Death, and the Half-Hour Basement Retreat goes No-Where and is just Dull, even when the Creatures Show Up to give the Audience its only Close-up View and it is so Derivative as to be a Real Letdown.
Overall more of a Horror Movie than Sci-Fi and the Typical Spielberg Stuff is too Heavy Handed, even for Him, as Trademark Sentimentalism and the Usual Teen and Pre-Teen Characters do make for more than the Expected Irritation. Worth a View for some Thrills and at least it's a Somewhat Different Downbeat Turn for an Audience Friendly Director who is Undoubtedly still Suffering from the After Effects of September 11, 2001, or Maybe He is Exploiting the American Population and Their Trauma. Nah, Spielberg wouldn't do that, would He?