Aliens invade the entire earth to look for one boy. There is a point in the early part of the movie where human skepticism about the existence of aliens takes place. Unlike almost every other scene in other science fiction movies, the fascinating interaction that takes place here seems very captivating, almost for once, a really scripted-conversation of humans with suspended disbelief instead of the typical insanity response seen in every other movie. It's a refreshing experience. Also even Harry Potter movies don't come close to the same sense of serious danger that occurs in a silently standing still scene where the extended scene almost amazingly justifies the director's use of a questionable flashback at the beginning of the movie (a movie technique often abused). As a result there is a wonderful sense of exhilaration that the movie evokes, a sense of wondrous realization of alien life in a way that does not dramatize, but emotes its universal essence of discovery that is likely within all of us, as one character says, "This is freakin' awesome." 

The pleasant musical score is well executed and transforms with the chaotic bluster of fleeing refugees or the sweeping magnificence of a panoramic beauteous landscape in many ways resembling the epic martial arts movie like Yimou Zhang's Hero (2004) to accompanying scenes of quieter peacefulness revealing intimate interludes such as in John Schlesinger's Separate Tables (1983). The editing between set design and action, incorporating humor (from an unexpected source) and human drama is done in a well-executed fashion so the pacing and compelling interest is sustained throughout most of the movie. Additionally, the visual futuristic design when it is used is sleek, different, exciting, and visually pleasing too and, even if it is slightly fake, the totality of the images such as found in Fred Wilcox's Forbidden Planet (1956) can etch a memory sense forever.

Some would complain, perhaps rightly, about the various sudden editing chops and several disjointed scenes found in this movie. Yet for others, the rhythm and the overall editing of various disparate situations among different groups of people/aliens, may provide allowances for such jumps without destroying the flow of the movie itself.

There are simplified elements of political machinations as found in David Lynch's Dune (1984) with even faint suggestions of a more human version of the fantasy classic Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride (1987). Unlike the continuous sense of doom and ominous gloom along with a series of intense action scenes of The War of the Worlds (2005) which has similar themes as Taking Earth, Taking Earth is a more intimate and focused look at the humans involved in the story themselves interspersed with more captivating physical scenes. While the ending might be considered overly dumbed down and perhaps too saccharine, on the other hand, it seems to have both an edge to it as well as a powerful emotive blissfulness to it. Overall, this movie could be considered an excellent one for its originality and grounding to its more basic human/alien core.