Disappointing Film that Fades Into Melodramatic Mush

Rating: 4/10 (12 June 2011)

Warning: There are a lot of spoilers in this review, but it was necessary to make the point.
I am somewhat amazed that the reviews are so positive for this film. It was at best mediocre. It starts off in rather spectacular fashion with a train wreck that would make Final Destination proud, but it seriously stretched believability. Forget the obvious questions of the speed of the train and the lack of security. There were flying freight cars, explosions everywhere, demolished train station, complete and utter destruction. Yet not one of the kids was injured, let alone killed and even the driver of the truck that causes the accident survives!!! Of course, the car the kids drove to the station, parked right next to the wreck, didn't' have a scratch on it. My head starting to spin a little. This starts a film that had gaping holes in the storyline or just things that made little sense. The Air Force should sue the film makers for making them look so evil and incompetent. There are questions in the plot galore. My favorite is why, when they finally closed the town down, would the military bring back the trucks holding the secret contents wanted by the alien to rebuild his ship. Ugh, that material would have been safely tucked away in a high security location, but then there would have been no melodramatic ending. I could mention the military's use of tanks, the fire, and other silliness, but I will leave that to the viewer.
Even the premise of the kids making a super 8 movie was never really central to anything in the film more than a late in the movie glimpse of the alien being escaping the train wreck. Maybe this was the director's slight of hand making us think the Air Force would track down the film makers, since the movie made it clear the commanding colonel knew the super 8 film existed. More confusing than diverting. I had difficulty figuring out what year the film represented; my guess is mid 1970's. But that would make the communist angle seem out of date and it was inconceivable that the town folk failed to link the heavy handed Air Force actions with the events happening to them. And of course where is the news media? This was industrial Ohio, not a rural backwater somewhere unknown. It became a poorly done Twilight Zone episode.
There are parts of the film I liked. The subplots for the most part worked and the acting is passable. The kids are entertaining and the super 8 film making was wonderful fun. The adolescent love story and the jealousy it created was well done. Their exploits had a charm that unfortunately was lost later in the film.
This movie is worth seeing, just leave your brain behind. I read one review that saw this as a successful merger of ET and the Goonies. Unfortunately, I see it as an unsuccessful merger of ET and Final Destination.