{yawn} Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Rating: 3/10 (29 June 2005)

Disappointing is the best word for it. It did follow the book pretty well, and also the 1953 movie. No surprises at the ending. There was one (irrelavant) twist to the storyline in the beginning, but otherwise...{yawn}. Besides, new story changes were silly, and highly implausible. It could have been scary, but they didn't make it very scary.
Dakoda Fanning was great. She easily bested Tom Cruise, who was flat and uninspiring. Cruise played an uninspiring loser father, who's kids have more brains and guts. Other than the special effects, the original movie was better. I can't imagine how they spent $200 million making this. It'll be another Waterworld. Batman Begins is a better movie. Spielberg's direction was disappointing, as was Tom's acting. I just seemed like a sloppy sci-fi remake, not a $200 million blockbuster. I was glad it finally ended. I don't think it'll do that well in the box office.
Tim Robbins performance was weak, but I think his scenes were poorly directed. If you want to kill a few hours on a so-so remake with a few good special effects, then see the movie. If you expect a great movie, be prepared for disappointment.