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Rating: Unspecified year: as if the various terrorists weren’t enough, the America-centric world suddenly finds itself facing unscrupulous "external" invaders (take that, E.T.!) who emerge from underground with strange three-legged machines and are protected by an invisible shield. Meanwhile, a down-on-his-luck, handsome&tormented worker reunites with his children who have been left in his care by his ex-wife just as the aliens prepare to land on Earth…
Despite the fascinating duo of Tom Cruise-Steven Spielberg (the previous "Minority Report" was good), despite the participation of Hollywood’s new child prodigy, Dakota Fanning, already present with Spielberg in the successful TV series “Taken” (indeed, the child actress is talented), despite the presence of Ann Robinson and Gene Barry, the two protagonists of the 53 film, here meant to pay homage to the previous film or provide some kind of continuation line (frankly, it’s hard to understand), despite the usual unlimited budget… in short, despite everything, it's a mess.
Why, Steven, why? A repetitive, banal film, cut at the end so that as the credits roll you're still there asking: "well… so what?".
Honestly Steven, I expected something more! Come on, there's everything. There’s the story (H.G. Wells' novel is quite captivating, certainly a good starting point), there’s the actors (Miranda Otto, in the role of the ex-wife, and Tim Robbins are excellent, even if relegated to minor roles) but the result is completely forgettable.
The alien invasion is told in a dull manner. The core of the film, which should be the pathetic and original family story (she leaves him because he’s a wastrel then brings the kids over the weekend because she’s leaving, the kids don't care about him but he has the chance to show his worth with all the chaos happening and blablabla) does not engage in the slightest and if there’s some vague reference to current society, the constant terror in which the world lives after 9/11, the intense patriotism (the older son thirsty for revenge who wants at all costs to enlist in the army to do his part) is really trivial and comes across as the usual demagogic political spot.
Even the special effects don’t hit the mark (good sound) and in the end, you find yourself alone in the theater asking: "but how is it possible that the aliens destroy everything they find, even the house, and leave Cruise's car miraculously intact...?" or "why, if everything is stalled and even cell phones don’t work, is there a guy filming the alien landing with a camera…?” Meh…
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