Exactly. 'Taut suspenseful and frightening' was all it set out to be. It's Spielberg's shortest film in 17 years and very apprpirately so. The audience wasn't supposed to applaud at the end. This isn't about fighting back ala Independence Day its about surviving against a seemingly insurmountable enemy. Just holding on to human life at whatever cost.
It was about three or four special effects "set pieces" held together by lame references to previous Spielberg movies and dialogue that makes Russ Meyer look like Shakespeare.