Absolutely nothing new here

Rating: 7/10 (16 April 2012)

Yes! It is one part 'Cloverfield' with a dollop of 'ET' and a dash of 'Goonies'. Now, if it was a bad movie then the vultures could gather and shred this corpse. It wasn't a bad movie. But, it is far from original in any respect and, unfortunately, it began to be a let-down, plot-wise, toward the end as you witnessed all of the formulaic elements come together and merge into an ending that tries so hard to compel a tear from the viewer's eye. There's no surprises. It's almost thought provoking -- just barely -- yet it tsunamis any morals away by the time the alien makes his(her?) final exit. I suppose if you like good sci-fi with entrenched morals you could always go watch an old Outer Limits. You won't find it here. Still, the acting is excellent, the special-effects are top-notch....in fact, the movie is very well made. But, we've been down this road before...and we'll likely be going down it again. It's inevitable. I don't mind. A little originality would be a nice surprise. I do think "they're" running out of ideas for alien configurations, though. There is a long build-up before you get to see it and then it's >groan<. More convoluted spins on ideas already beat to death. At the end of the day this movie is most likely for the mid to low adolescent crowd. It has at least that much wisdom.