Ok, my review:
This movie did the unthinkable: It was STUPID and AMAZING at the same time. Almost equally.
It was a seriously frightening movie. The way the film was framed lent itself to serious Claustrophobia, and I of course, loved all the visuals. Amazing.
Jesus Christ they overplayed the parenting thing. Stupid.
I found some scenes to be very hitchcockian in their delivery. I found myself relieved there was California sun outside when we left the theater. Amazing.
Ok, this movie had the worst ending of all time. Thank God I’m not diabetic. Just an opinion: if I have to make a “sophie’s choice” and my son goes over the hill into, shall we say, a half mile wide WALL OF FLAME… I do NOT expect him to meet us in Boston at his mother’s house.
The scene of the astrovan going down the highway with the family yelling at each other: the way the camera zipped around the car; starts on the right, then zooms around the front to the left, to the windshield. That was BRILLIANT camera work. Stunning.
A couple of notable stupid things:
The electro magnetic storm stopped EVERYTHING including Tom Cruise’s trusty wrist watch. HOWEVER…. When the aliens came out of the road, one guy’s camera had no problem and another guy’s camcorder was…JUST FINE???
Another seriously stupid thing: the “replacing the solenoid” mechanic can actually argue with TC’s character about stealing the astro van because “he’s got a shop to run?” This just moments before he gets zapped by one of the alien tripods??? DUDE did you not hear the bellowing of these sky high alien tripods? The streets being ripped apart? How can you possibly…as a deaf man…run a mechanic’s shop anyway? And why don’t you talk funnier? Most deaf people eventually lose their ability to govern both speech inflection and volume. Ah well, the question is moot because you are ash at this point. UGH> STUPID.
So, 2 1/2 stars from me.
