A great disappointment

Rating: 5/10 (7 July 2005)

What has happened to Spielberg? Having made some of the most imaginative films of the last 20 years, War of the Worlds was a great disappointment.
The opening 20 minutes, as with the special effects are fantastic, but the story line lacks any imagination and is full of holes. Maybe due to the nature of my work, the notion of an intelligence that is capable of space travel etc is reduced to 'looking' for humans with an optical eye on a long snake is ludicrous. The film makes no reference to why the aliens are here, for what reason they are here and leaves so many unanswered questions - what did they want the humans for, what was the red stuff etc etc.
I cannot see any reason for the long scene in the cellar with Tom Robbins, it added little to the plot, but maybe saved money on the special effects.
The film makes no connection between the family escaping the aliens and the aliens themselves. I found the film slow and lacking in soul, it did not contain one emotional moment and I didn't really care if Tom Cruise and his family died or not. The incessant screaming of Dakota Fanning was annoying as was the continual part-time parent (Cruise) lying to his daughter about every event that happened, not a good parent role model, or is that what Spielberg is saying? A great disappointment, as the only plus points are the special effects, where has the emotional and empathy from ET and Close Encounters gone, 5/10.