Terrific mix of terror, humor, realism, ridiculousness and Hollywood schlock. This movie manages to maintain real heart which keeps it from feeling common or cynical. Many fine performances and surprisingly complex characters for what ought to be nothing more than a summer blockbuster. A real roller coaster of a disaster flick. Money well spent.
Once I accepted the anthropomorphizing of the alien characters and their somewhat cliche computer technology , this movie was fantastic, one part social commentary, two parts nonstop scifi action drama. The CGI realism was as perfect as any current effects-laden feature, the characters were well-defined, somewhat stylized. Great story, amazing art direction, top-notch sound editing. I left more than satisfied.