Okay. First of all, I apologize to all the nations for putting another dime in Tom Cruise’s crazy, crazy pocket. But it was a hot night, and late, and I craved the dramatic digital sound of a summer blockbuster.

Blockbuster it was, and dudes! I gotta say: it was good! It was good enough that I got home, nervously locked my doors and windows, and lay awake planning a “survival backpack” which would contain all I would ever need if aliens attacked the earth, intent upon annihilating all of mankind. (For those of you who are curious, said backpack would be packed with protein bars, water, and bandaids. I couldn’t think of anything else.) When I woke up in the morning, the survival backpack seemed stupid, but the fact that the movie freaked me out remained.

I really don’t want to give anything away — I was surprised many times during the film, and I want you, dear reader, to be taken aback as well. I will say that even though Tom Cruise is a lunatic, he’s a good actor. And even though Dakota Fanning is probably a spoiled brat, she’s a good little actress. And Tim Robbins? As always, super good.

The story was right up my alley — freaky, involves aliens, some teenage angst — I just wouldn’t want it to ever greet me in reality. The ending, by the way and IMHO, needed some work, as it was loophole-esque. But again, I don’t want to get into it too much! Email me once you’ve seen it with your opinion on the ending — did Spielberg wimp out?