Spielberg needs a producer

Rating: 3/10 (11 July 2005)

SPOILERS AHEAD After a very promising first act, with a well written and well played family situation, pix shows a constant disrespect of the audience : it is just a succession of scenes which were, in all likelihood, imagined long before a script was written. Then, writing it was just a matter of splicing these scenes one after the other, with no effort whatsoever for payoffs, drama, character logic nor character development. Tom Cruise sees the earth cracking and opening under his very feet ? Good scene, except that he has two kids waiting anxiously for him at home, and instead of spending his lunch hour hoping to see whatever monster comes out, he should already be running for their lives. Tom and kids end up in ex-wife's house where Tom shows that he doesn't even know how to spread peanut butter on a slice of bread Good scene, except that they're starving, and forget that there's certainly a fridge in there with goodies in it! (has the thunderstorm turned off their brains as well ?) Incidentally, they don't know what's going on around the country, but don't even think about turning on the TV set! Still incidentally, an airplane crashes on the lot, destroys everything BUT Tom's car! Tom torn between getting to his son and reaching for his daughter good scene, but what does it reveal ? What are the consequences ? None, as he doesn't make any choice : his son makes the choice, and survives it anyway (how ? God knows ; do you, Spielberg ?). Tom and family in their car, caught in a mob frenzy good scene, but what does it reveal ? How does it enhance or develop the character ? And what are the consequences ? None, as they reach the ferry in time anyway, like all the others, and the ferry capsizes anyway with the cars that made it on board. Tom meets a woman he knows in the crowd as they're about to board the ferry Not even a scene, but a happening. This encounter reveals nothing of Tom's character, nothing of the woman's character except that she has a daughter Nora and that they're written to die, something we don't care about as they're not " alive " anyway. Tom feels that Tim (Robbins) is a danger as he may draw the aliens attention, so he decides to kill him Promising situation, except that he's not thinking for an instant that he could be the one to get killed, leaving his daughter all by herself! So he kills Tim, but it's to absolutely no avail anyway as, a few minutes later, the alien's snake eye is back and this time catches them ! Good thing Tom knows how to use a grenade, which means that someone who doesn't know how to spread peanut butter knows how to spill guts. What a character revelation. So the guy probably spent time in Irak or Mogadiscio. And Tom finally makes it to Boston where ex-wife and ex-in laws look like they were having a nice Sunday lunch while the whole world was collapsing  and where Tom sees that his long lost son is safe and sound, and made it (how ? God knows Spielberg doesn't) to the Sunday lunch despite having been caught in the middle of a gigantic blaze. Well, maybe Spielberg thought that the lightning and thunderstorm would also turn off the audience's brains