Falls short of already low expectations

Rating: Null/10 (4 July 2005)

Well you win some you lose some, right? Right. And this, unfortunately, is a clear case of a loss. Namely a loss of money from my pocket after shelling out the 8.50 to see this flick, a loss of excitement halfway through the movie to see how it all plays out, and a loss in faith in both Tom Cruise and Stephen Spielberg. The latter probably hurt the most. But losing 8.50 on a movie that I had bad premonitions about in the first place sucks too.
First you may wonder how a sci-fi film directed by Spielberg with Cruise as his lead could turn out sour. Well, quite easily apparently. Cruise plays a disheveled dock worker that enjoys working on car engines in his spare time. Now, if you can actually imagine Cruise in this role, congratulations because you have just completed the impossible. I think it was Neuton's 8th law that stated: "If a film company knows it's next movie is going to flop in the story department, they will cast a super famous actor as the lead to hopefully distract the masses" but I'll have to check my sources. On top of cruise failing to convince anyone he is the least bit the "grungy dude" his character was originally meant to be, he is also tasked with playing a clueless father to two children who have little respect for him...as their father, not professionally as a miserable actor. His attempts to connect with them are very limp and awkward, but not in the realistic sense of a man who simply does not know how to relate to his kids. It's more along the lines of Cruise not deciding how to present himself as this character. At times he is the goofy Tom Cruise we all know and, uh, love...but then he can suddenly get very serious quite inexplicably. Its all rather confusing.
And then come the aliens! Oh, how there has never been a bigger plot hole in the records of alien invasions that populate movie history. Without giving too much away, what it boils down to is that the Martians have been poised to take over Earth for so long, one can't help but wonder why they waited as long as they did! There are other intricacies to the numerous inconsistencies in this rather flawed scheme but I'd be spoiling the movie to mention them.
Moving on, the bulk of the movie after the invasion begins is viewed a la basement window, as Cruise holes up in this random guy's cellar for a good long time and has no real intention of leaving. Boredom ensues, as well as ham-fisted attempts at character development that is really just tiring to watch. Luckily though he is forced out when the aliens discover him, which then leads up to the denouement when the alien's weakness is finally revealed.
I could go on, believe me I could, but I think that I may as well note the highlights of the film. This movie was not wretched by any standards, but terminally flawed, I think yes. First on the list of good things is Dakota Fanning, who, ever since I saw her in Man on Fire, has always impressed me with her ability to command a role at such a young age (I hope Cruise was taking some notes during her scenes), also the beginning of the invasion is impressive, as is the very end. Once the aliens become vulnerable we are treated to a scene with a squad of soldiers taking positions behind a few junked cars in a parking lot, and totally blasting one of the Martian's machines as it crashes into a factory. That was sweet. Having said that, the CGI and special fx in general were all very well done.
But there just weren't enough scenes like the one just mentioned. I came to see a war, not to see Cruise and his kids running away from a war. And don't take that to mean I was expecting action from start to finish...but if you're going to focus on one man's struggle to save his family during an extermination of the human race, as Spielberg did, I expect to see some meaningful, resonant characters that actually have something to say during the times of low excitement. NOT the drivel that passes as dialogue found here. Bad form. Not recommended.