This movie is better than you think it is

Rating: 9/10 (2 July 2005)

This film is getting very bad reviews for Extremely predictable reasons. For one, people don't like Tom Cruise. I mean what a loser. Really. Two: People don't like Steven Spielberg, and why not!? He's a popular film maker that can make mistakes from time to time. Nobody likes anyone popular that does that. Three: What's up with those aliens and their walking space tripods? That isn't scary! Those pods ruined the entire film for me! And four: This film is so boring. I mean I really wanted to see America kick some butt! I wanted to have everything beaten over my head again and again so that I could feel really smart. I wanted Independence Day! I wanted the Matrix. I wanted an ending that satisfied my patriotic and selfish concerns. And what I got was...
A war film. An alien invasion film shot like a war film. This is a revolutionary film. No invasion film has ever been shot, executed, or acted in this way before. This is a film where there is no glorious ending, and every question is not answered, save for the trials and the truth of human suffering. This film chooses to feature people. Not aliens. Not the heroic president of the United States, and definitely not just Tom Cruise, in one of his most demanding roles ever. We watch people in a time of crisis. This film is about Spielberg's personal beliefs and fears, so of course the average audience member will criticize it. People love to criticize something so personal. Films like Citizen Cane, Pulp Fiction, and Being John Malcovich received reviews like this in their first few weeks. It is because people do not understand them. They expect what Hollywood likes to dish out every day, and they fail to recognize true genius when they see it.
If this film has any true fault, it is that it may not be honest enough. There is a very small "Hollywood" liberty taken to tell the story, making it much less savage than, say, Saving Private Ryan or Schindlers List. Perhaps if this liberty had been omitted, this film would have been criticized even more. In the end, this fault should be disregarded, especially when you consider what the director has attempted.
Mr. Spielberg, though I may be in the current minority, I am in awe of what you have created. I guarantee you that this film will one day be universally appreciated for what it is and not for its refreshing lack of sensationalized story telling.