An action-packed visual tour de force. Highly recommended in the theater, especially 3D IMAX while it is available. Compelling story and characters. While not compelling enough to jerk any tears, the story is convincing enough to bring you into empathy for the aliens, which is no mean feat given the direct conflict between human and alien in the story's climax. The true draw of the movie though is the visual experience, which does not fail to amaze. Clearly the biggest "ah" moment in the cinema since Jurassic Park and the only movie I've seen in the theater several times in succession since E.T..