Like being trapped with a bad-mannered, screaming child!

Rating: 1/10 (2 December 2005)

Wow...did this movie NOT live up to the hype! It's not only one of the worst movies of 2005, it's one of the top ten worst movies I've ever forced myself to sit through. At its core is a thoroughly unlikable family unit, and any "horror" movie that doesn't contain characters you care about simply can't succeed. I've truly enjoyed the performances of young Dakota Fanning in her previous movies, but I have to say, not even her charm could save this mess of a movie. In fact, I know she was just doing what she was told to do, but the fact that she shrieked and whined her way through the film absolutely drove me nuts; watching this movie was like being stuck in a very small airplane with a screeching, bad-mannered child. I also found it difficult to watch Tom Cruise's performance and not be reminded of his bizarre behavior as he promoted this film. I know it shouldn't impact a viewer's enjoyment of the work...but for me at least, it certainly did. He has become so creepy and unlikable off-screen that I have no desire to watch him in anything -- or to add another penny to his bank account. Many other things made me dislike this film -- including a lot of really bad plot holes (were battery-operated machines all frozen, or not??) and aliens who looked like rejects from the old TV show The Outer Limits -- so I could go on, but I feel I've already wasted too much of my time, just watching the movie.