Good sci-fi thriller! Something different for once!

Rating: 10/10 (26 August 2011)

This movie is noteworthy because it's not a franchise movie or an adaptation, the cast are completely or mostly unknowns and the alien wasn't shown in the marketing.
It takes place in the '70s in a small Ohio town. Several teens, five boys and one girl are making a Super 8 movie at a train station, a train crashes into a truck, an alien escapes and a few nasty, weird things occur. This movie is fun, compelling, touching and maybe scary. What I mean by "maybe scary" is I used to be a wimp when it comes to being scared in the theater, I would cover my ears when a horror movie trailer comes on or when a scary scene or moment is going on, I no longer do that, I will give the scary elements a chance to scare me.
Everything about the movie is good. Don't worry, I won't spoil anything, especially not the alien. The teens were written realistically, they hang out, joke, curse and sometimes do what is right. There is enough humor to help entertain the audience, if there were hardly any, this movie wouldn't be as enjoyable.
This movie is a homage to old Spielberg movies and it really works like that. If it wasn't a homage to Spielberg movies, I guess it would be less enjoyable or bad. If you like ET, The Goonies or Close Encounters which I haven't seen yet, watch this. This movie is a real treat and no this isn't a catchphrase.