The bratty kids bring this movie down

Rating: 3/10 (26 December 2009)

I hate remakes. Despise them. Loathe them. 99% of them belong in the trash, because they are garbage. They're useful only to the greedy money grubbers who produce them. We don't need a retelling, especially when the original was (and still is) fantastic. This is a film that shouldn't have been remade, especially for a 3rd time. Why can't people just enjoy the originals as time pieces, rather than simply having to update them to today's standards? It's completely asinine.
Okay, remake rant over. Movie rant on.
A friend at work had seen this and said he liked it. In his words it felt like he "was part of the film," like he shared the main character's experience. Maybe not the most intellectual review, but it worked to draw me in. I'm ashamed, based on my intense hatred for remakes, that I actually went out and paid to see this.
That being said, it did feel like I was experiencing an alien attack as I sat there and watched it unfold. I am not a cgi enthusiast but the effects were stunning. I thought Cruise was okay in this but Robbin's character almost stole the show. Then there were those....kids.
Maybe films aren't made to be re-watched more than once, but I find myself able to do this for movies I like. Star Wars, Animal House, Road Warrior, Planet of the Apes, etc, etc...you get my drift. This movie however...I cannot watch ever again. Those kids are so unlikeable, especially the son, that I can't sit through their tirades anymore. Making this movie with a dysfunctional family was Spielberg's stab at life in the 2000's. Some other current movies also like to show angry pi$$ed off teens in the attempt to reflect the times. Well, it doesn't work for me. It would've been better if the bitter resentful son was killed off by aliens early and the daughter's mouth was duct-taped to drown out all the screaming. These factors alone brought down my rating to 3 stars of entertainment value.
Also, was it explained the the aliens died from a virus at the end? A few friends who had also seen it said they didn't understand how the aliens died. I knew why because I saw the original many times.
Way to screw up a great movie, Spielberg.