Tom and 2 tedious kids vs the aliens

Rating: 5/10 (23 May 2006)

It's one of those movies where the main characters are so unlikeable I almost wanted the aliens to get them--at least maybe then Dakota Fanning could stop screaming. Those screeches of hers were like fingernails on a blackboard.
Dakota Fanning spends 90% of this movie screaming shrilly. I'm surprised the child had any voice left by the end of the film. Tom, who plays her Daddy and spends quite a bit of his time holding the kid, probably completely lost his hearing from her shrill screams.
Tom Cruise plays Ray Ferrier, a rather irresponsible, divorced Dad with a smart-mouthed son, an older teenager named Robbie (Justin Chatwin--who actually kind of resembles Tom enough to look like he could be his son), and a blond-haired daughter, Rachel (Dakota Fanning)who looked be about six years old and her behavior would have certainly put her at around that age--but we learn she is ten.
It's Ray's turn to have the kids for the week-end when all hell breaks loose in the form of an attack by outer-space aliens. The rest of the film consists of action, running here, there and yon to try to escape from the encroaching aliens.
The film is overly long at two hours, and could have easily been told in an hour, or an hour and a half at best.
As usual with this type of film, the special effects are the real stars, and they are well done.
5 stars out of 10 - as I considered it only an average film.