E.T.'s Big Brother Drops In For A Bite

Rating: 7/10 (11 June 2011)

A group of kids are making a zombie monster movie. They get more than they bargained for when a REAL monster shows up in their small town, courtesy of the U.S.A.F. and a spectacular train wreck.
Set in the 1970s, SUPER 8 is filled with references to disco, new wave— Blondie's "Rapture," the Knack's "My Sharona"—and CB radios. It's also filled with references to Steven Spielberg movies from the era—E.T.: THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, JAWS, even THE GOONIES—not surprising, given the producer.
Unfortunately, writer/director Abrams can't escape Spielberg's penchant for sentimentality. There are not one but two single, dysfunctional fathers raising alienated, resentful children. Needless to say, they will all learn valuable life lessons by the time the movie's over. Those expecting another CLOVERFIELD will be disappointed. The best part of SUPER 8 is THE CASE—the kid's zombie monster movie-within-a-movie— which screens during the closing credits.