Welcome the new Master of Horror

Rating: 10/10 (29 June 2005)

Let's not pretend this is a sci-fi movie, but rather welcome Spielberg to the Masters of Horror club. This is comparable to Dario Argento at his peak but on a global-scale, rather than showing intricate death scenes as is Agento's signature, Spielberg leaves the worst to the imagination of the viewer. A searingly realistic parable with sterling dialog that shows how people really act in time of crisis  not unifying but turning on one another. I walked out of this movie numbed with the horror I had witnessed. The subtle social context of humans resorting to terrorist tactics against the aliens (which one may argue have eminent domain)  truly makes one wonder about our place as Americans in this world. Along with Land of the Dead, Batman Begins, and Revenge of the Sith this marks the best year in American film in a long time with the sheer number of brilliant action horror / sci-fi / fantasy movies recently released in a short period of time. I would not recommend this film for the young or faint of heart, although lacking in explicit graphic violence  the intensity is all too much but for the seasoned viewer. I wonder how Spielberg got this one past the rating board without an 'R' rating.