War of the Colds

It's impossible to write this without giving away much. Many of the things you don't know about it is a lot of the reasons I'd use to complain about this movie. That said, if you haven't seen this movie, you probably shouldn't read this review...SPOILERS...

THE GOOD

The effects were exceptionally well-executed and pretty flawless. There was a lot of good effects scenes, and the movie seemed to try to stay at eye-level, to keep us looking up like the characters. My favorite scene, though, involved a train burning from the inside, flying down the tracks which pretty much indicated that death and destruction was everywhere, and it's coming.

THE BAD

I didn't really care about what was happening, and that's probably because I didn't understand it. These machines are out killing everybody, but oh wait, eventually they need us to harvest our blood as well, because, well, they need to grow weeds...and, umm...everybody knows that aliens like weeds. Of course, through out the movie, Tom Cruise is smarter than everyone, especially the military, and everything culminates to a nice happy ending as the aliens all die because of failed immune systems. Perhaps, while they were "watching, and waiting with envious eyes," they might have read a biology book or two. My fourteen year old brother seemingly knows more about science than these naive creatures.

AND THE UGLY

Say goodbye to logic. Machines hidden under the ground have miraculously gone undetected throughout the world. Their generation creates electric storms shut off cars, watches, refrigerators, but camcorders and TV station equipment seem to work just fine. The infamous van that Tom Cruise and kids drive around is somehow traffic, rubble, and jumbo jet-proof. However, it seems to have serious problems with crowds, containing people who will kill each other to drive all but 10 feet to their destination. Perhaps everyone should have hung around Boston, because these alien forces seem bent on the destruction of...farm houses. It seems the alien plot conveniently involves the continual observation of one farmhouse basement, an important asset on their way to total world domination. It's no wonder they fail so horribly. These aliens just don't get the big picture.

All that said, let's discuss...

posted by steven @ 12:33 AM