Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

ingmarbeldman-753-927212 I have seen this series in one breath.But with every single compliment there is a 'but..' too. Fenning gives a performance that is outstanding given her age but... not all actors give their best unfortunately. The script is intelligent, exiting and it never fails to hold back when things are getting too spooky, fantastic or tempt to ask for too much technical blabla that you usually get in SF. So the events and characters always stay in a realistic decorum that is needed to accept the 'fantastic' without making it ridiculous.But.... the story lacks something. it lacks a planet. or to be more precise, it's premise seems to be that we are more alike then we might think - humans and aliens - but where is 'we'??? Where are the aliens and were is the population of planet Earth? I need them to relate to this great premise. I receive information on aliens but i don't see them act, feel, speak as a group to fulfill this premise. I see three families running through fields, villages.... i see a bunch of soldiers appearing everywhere without any constitutional back power. i hear about cover-ups but i don't see media that is covering or uncovering (just some blabla we usually see in movies), i hear about great theories on the very state of consciousness in both humans and aliens but again... where are they to show it to me?!!!... OK, a few representatives of both groups make this story. but they are tormented, hunted and are not common enough to make me be able to relate to the world they come from. characters chasing each other, mostly out of side of any population or media.... i miss the species of planet earth and beyond.one last thing. And i cannot explain it: i miss a heart. i miss a heart in this series. i miss goosebumps... and i am a sentimental guy. i would get them instantly. i was hooked up. but with the head. It's a Spielberg thing probably (?) and i don't even mean this negative because this great man delivers so many stories to think about. But i miss something that makes me choke..so, again, i would recommend this series. i saw it in one heartbeat, don't get me wrong. but with every SF-movie where i'm so relieved we are not drawn into the ship and are kept in our own imagination, here, in this one.... i needed the alien. clear, visual, acting, relating, talking. everything; so we are more alike then we might think? please show me next time! we are ready to enter the ship!

Mike Boyd Did they change script writers or director after episode 3? Because episode 4 was the biggest load of irritating rubbish I've watched. I had hoped that it was just a one-off: that episode 5 would recover from this temporary lapse. But no, episode 5 was also bad - not so much because of the script (although that wasn't too brilliant), but because of the introduction of one of the most irritating actors I know, Mr Matt Frewer.I see he is now listed as no. 2 in the series cast list, so I may well not bother with the rest of this series. Why do I hate him so much? Because he can only play one type of character - the stupid, crazy, grinning-like-a-madman type that simply doesn't exist. An unbelievable character. Why did they ruin this passably believable series by having this nut-case of an actor? I hate to think. But this is probably my way out of bothering to watch the rest of this. It's a great pity - the series had potential.

primacag-219-477782 Steven Spielberg has two themes in his work...close encounters with things we don't understand, and heroes. This combines both of them, representing people as human, life as unpredictable and uncontrollable, except for those few moments in which we get to make a choice. Dakota Fanning's narrations are made with a fully adult command of her voice, and and a more than adequate ability to use her face and body to convey what is going on in her head. The other characters confuse us in the beginning, but we eventually find out that there is no great alien menace, only ourselves and how we treat each other. You should watch this. It is well done, has great production value, rarely asks you to suspend belief for no cause, is well executed, with great period props and mannerisms. Aside from only a very few moments, the acting and writing is superb. All in all, a possibly transformative experience for those who do not know how to deal with the unknown.

Jeff Wayne I just finished watching this entire series and wanted to share some thoughts.The good:Much of the acting seems very natural and heartfelt.Dakota's narration really helps reinforce all the heartfelt acting including her own. Films that have also used narration well in the past really benefit from it. The Shawshank Redemption is a perfect example. I can't escape mentioning again just how heartfelt the acting is. There are many scenes where it doesn't even seem like acting and that it's a real person in that character just telling you how they feel or speaking of their trauma. I truly cherished all those great scenes where every word was spoke in earnest. If you enjoy really connecting emotionally with the characters in what you watch then I highly recommend this series. The bad:I found some of the non-verbal acting very unnatural. A prime example of this is early in episode 7 when it shows the one character playing drums. She looks so awkward and unnatural that I simply can't even pretend her character really is a drummer. Those types of non- dialogue scenes need to reinforce the character. Not devolve your belief in them.Some of the wigs and makeup is very bad and look extremely fake. I would expect more from something Spielberg was heavily involved with. I found the story was too scattered which weakened everything overall a little.