Good, but not great

Rating: 6/10 (13 July 2005)

Why can't Spielberg (or the majority of major American filmmakers for that matter) leave well enough alone? There's no argument that he knows how to make a film, but why, for god's sake WHY, does he have to put the stupid, schmaltzy, out of context with the rest of the film bits in? Two glaring examples of this: Tom Cruise gets sucked up the alien's back passage (let's face it, it looks like one), pulls the pin on some grenades and is pulled back out again. Wrong wrong wrong. The character is not an action hero, don't give him stupid things to do. And by the way, why don't those same people try pulling other unfortunates to safety, or does only Tom count? Two, the annoying son. There is no way, given the manner of slaughter we have just been shown, that he could have survived, but no, Spielberg had to have his happy ending. How much stronger would it have been if there were some personal casualties? We'll never know.