Blown away

Rating: 10/10 (3 July 2005)

OK. First things first. Husband and I went to see this film today. TOTALLY blew me away. We loved this movie. It was tense, suspenseful, scary, it was...WOW. We debated not going because of Tom Cruise's very public ridiculousness, but ultimately decided his personal life wasn't going to keep us away from a Spielberg movie (whom we both admire).
Now I realize that opinion's are as different as the people who have them. And I realize that not everyone is going to agree with everyone else. BUT (ok, here we go) to those of you who are criticizing Dakota Fanning for her screaming and shrieking, I have to ask "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU????" THE CHILD IS 11!!! She is witnessing the most terrifying thing in her life!!! She is seeing her neighborhood destroyed! Her father in a petrified stupor after seeing people vaporized! She is seeing man in his most animalistic behavior!!! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT HER TO DO??? "oh, look. Monsters are destroying everything I hold near and dear. Oh drat. Here come the aliens, coming after me again. Oh dear, someone is holding a gun to father's head so they can steal our car - blah, blah, blah. Shall we have tea?" You guys are insane if you think you wouldn't be needing to change your pants if this kind of thing went down in your neighborhood! Give me a break! Yes, Cruise's character is a butt. He's a blue collar man with emotional issues towards his re-married ex-wife and the kids he doesn't connect with. Yes, his son is a butt. He's a teenage boy with emotional issues towards his divorced parents and a dad he isn't quite sure he wants to associate with. And yes, the daughter, while not a butt, does have issues and a few emotional problems. Yes, there is a shot of someone taking digital pictures and using a camcorder after the lightening storm causes everything electrical or battery operated to stop. So what? Here's your chance to list it as a goof on IMDb. Your so eagle eyed, YOU go get a job as a film editor! You don't like how Spielberg tells a story or directs the characters or the direction he takes the movie in? SO WHAT! YOU go get a director's hat and bull horn and make your own movie!! Lord, love a duck people! It's a movie! It's escapism! We went to see this movie because we wanted to be entertained. And you know what? It entertained the heck out of us!! It sucked us in! We bought it! I'm a mom of a 10 year old daughter and when Rachel (Fanning) started losing it that first time, my eyes were full of tears for that child. When Robbie (Chatwin) was being a smart mouth toward his dad (Cruise) I wanted to smack him! When those stupid machines started rising from the earth and zapping whatever moved, I about crushed my husbands hand! When Rachel and Ray are in that basement and that thing comes looking for them?? Good Lord, I was holding my breath. (That darn Spielberg.) And I beg to differ with the "critics" out there who said Cruise's character couldn't care a less about his kids - were you watching the same movie? From moment one, once the invasion started, his only thought was to keep those kids from harm and get them to the only place he thought they would be safe - with their mother. When Robbie would not take no for an answer about watching the Army fight the machines and Ray is screaming at him to come back with him to where he left Rachel - oy. A father having to choose which child to save. The emotion on his face was about as real as you could imagine. Meryl Streep gets an Oscar nomination for playing that kind of role in "Sophie's Choice" - while Cruise gets his teeth kicked in about how unconcerned he acts towards his kids.
Oh well, as I said everyone has their own opinion. So do yourself a favor. See this movie and form your own opinion. Those who complain they spent full price to see it - boohoo. Ever hear of a matinÃ©e? Go see it. Love it or hate it - whatever. At least see it for yourself!