every monster film you've ever seen and less

Rating: 5/10 (11 June 2011)

This film has wonderful production values and excellent acting. However, it is totally derivative and predictable. I expected much more from Abrams and Spielberg. I can only guess that all of the reviews giving this 9s and 10s were written by 14-year-olds. There is absolutely no suspense. Rather the film goes for shocks - often. Val Lewton first discovered this technique in Cat People and it has been known ever after as a "bus". To be effective a bus has to be completely unexpected. Super 8's buses can be seen coming down the street for several blocks. The plot is completely unbelievable. The monster digs a pit and miles of tunnels in one day. I believed this could be done by a flying saucer when Invaders from Mars scared the wits out of me in 1953. But a single monster? And one that could attract tons of metal and magically turn it into a space ship? (Did anyone notice that while the kid's locket was being attracted to the water tower a background character had a necklace that wasn't?) Yet the monster couldn't escape from a box car? And don't get me started on the train wreck. Exciting - sure. But totally breaking the laws of physics. It is impossible for a truck to derail a locomotive on a straightaway. The truck would simply be pushed down the track for however long it took for the engineer to stop the train. And even if the loco derailed the rest of the train wouldn't act like a speeding bullet. Let's just sum it up by saying the great films are able to make you suspend your disbelief even over the most incredible events. Super 8 fails, making it only a so-so film.