A disappointment

Rating: 3/10 (22 May 2006)

Technically the movie is great, the special effects are just what you'd expect from a Spielberg movie. I had a ton of problems with the whole story line. *Spoiler Alert* The movie starts out with Tom Cruise starting his weekend with the kids while his wife goes with her new husband to Boston. Tom plays Ray a dad who is still a kid, playing with cars, eating from takeout. On TV there's a report of mysterious lightning in Russia, an EMP that darkens Russia then Cruises son leaves with his rebuilt Mustang. Cruise runs outside looking for his son when a storm arrives. It's an odd storm, the wind is blowing towards it. Then lightning hits the same place many times. Ray runs over to the spot and looks down the hole and checks out a smoking chunk of concrete only he says it's not hot it's freezing. What follows is a very good SFX shot of the first of the tripod machines breaking free destroying what had been a busy intersection. There is havoc as the tripod machine starts to shoot a death-ray and the killing begins. Much has been said of the man holding a working camcorder, being shot and the picture zooming into the viewer. The question arises if there's been an EMP and nothing electrical works then why does the camera work, I can't answer that. Nor can I answer why the death ray reduces everyone to dust but leaves the clothing alone. But the undergarments go the way of the bodies as well as do the shoes. Later in the movie Ray and others conclude that the machines were placed hundreds of thousands of years ago. One would think that if they were here to place the machines why didn't they just stay and conquer the planet then? I was disappointed. Then the end, the whole world is devastated but the wife's home in Boston is untouched. Happy Ending. Rent the 1953 version, it's better.