Super 8 - 9 stars out of 10

Super 8 - 9 stars out of 10

This unique mystery from J.J. Abrams did everything right and very few things wrong.  Setting itself apart from Cloverfield, "Super 8" blends action and drama with comedy to make for an entertaining experience.  The comedy sometimes interrupts a serious moment for a lighthearted feel but is always appropriately timed, never ruining the overall mood of the film.  I had my doubts about Elle Fanning, even after her first few scenes of the movie, but once she started to cry it became immediately apparent that a new star has been born.  It was very smart to use a basically unknown cast for this period piece, giving it a historical and believable feel.  It would have lost the effect with a well-known celebrity in all of the scenes.  I thought that the child actors were incredible (giving the film a Goonies feel with more believable acting).  Joel Courtney and Fanning provided the dramatic moments while Ryan Lee and Riley Griffiths were absolutely hilarious.  The action is incredible, particularly the train crash sequence.  That sequence seems to last for an adrenaline-packed eternity.  There was a good balance of jump scenes with pure action scenes and, though you really have to suspend your disbelief for aspects of the ending, it was a nice blend of action and emotion.  I think that any cinematic resemblances to E.T. (particularly the end) were completely intentional from Spielberg.  My only complaint is that the "mystery" receives way too much screen time, particularly in the cave.  The novelty of Cloverfield is that, in Hitchcockian style, you only see the monster for a split second at a time and your imagination fills in all of the gaps.  The same strategy would have been incredibly effective here (and was for the first 80 minutes of the movie), but the impressive CGI should have been edited out at the last minute in lieu of the mystery.  I'd rather see too little and be kept wondering than to see too much and wish I hadn't.  I personally did not like this movie as much as Cloverfield (and I shouldn't compare them so much), but I think that it's a great story with great characters and some stunning special effects that will thrill the first, second, and fifteenth time viewing this film.