Spoiler Alert! Stop reading now if you want nothing of the movie plot revealed. It is almost impossible to offer a critical review of this movie without spoiling some of the surprises. Even the trailer (advertisement) showing Morgan Freeman saying, “Things are not what they seem…the people you work for have been lying to you,” is a plot spoiler.

This is a high budget science fiction CGI based action movie. It falls in the apocalyptic aliens attack earth genre. And as the movie’s own advertising points out, nothing is at it seems. There are numerous surprises and plot twists throughout. Avid sci-fi fans will foresee most of the major plot turns as obvious necessities. Echoes of Independence Day, Robocop, and Matrix are persistently evident.

Highly watchable and enjoyable are two terms that jump to mind. The direction is fast paced and crisp, the characters are endearing and likable, and survivor plot lines are generally entertaining as this one turned out to be. Imaginative weapons and abundant machines soothe the tech junkie in many of us. The tension in the movie shifts smoothly as the plot develops.

In short, there is little not to like about this movie. Except two things. Spoiler Alert! When the “villain” pronounces himself god it is almost as if the writers had decided the movie was already over and had gone home leaving the next climatic line to be written by the producer’s eight year old nephew. The line falls flat being so juvenile with no effort at profundity, art, or irony. I am reminded of two similar sci-fi moments with immensely better comeback lines from Star Trek and Stargate SG1. Had the movie ended there that flawed line would have destroyed the movie. Fortunately, there is a bit more to the flick and to the plot twists.

The second unlikable thing in the movie was the absolute lack of motive for the “villain’s” actions. Who was behind the “villain,” why was the “villain” sent to do this at all, and why did the “villain” use the methods employed instead of sending an army of drones to do the “mop up” campaign? Lack of motive behind the entire incident left me feeling like the writers simply said, “Who cares about this film, let’s get it over with and start working on Star Trek II.”

Because of those two shortcomings I would give this movie a three out five on the rating scale. There is some nudity hinted at and some swearing, though not overly much. There is a lot of violence, though less than in Lord of the Rings.

Nothing about the movie is profound or encourages deep thinking. It is a fun “what if aliens invaded earth” movie that showcases the acting talents of the cast and CGI animation at its best. And, hey, we get to see Morgan Freeman shooting machine guns…what’s not to like?