Lack of backstory and plot development was the downfall of this movie

Rating: 7/10 (26 June 2011)

While watching "Super 8", I found that I was really enjoying myself. The actors were great. They were all young kids and had a lot of talent. I think that many of my favorite scenes in the movie were scenes where it had the all of them, just interacting. I felt like they were just a normal group of friends who got caught up in this whole whirlwind of events. They acted like any young teenagers. The actors made this movie.
After the movie ended, I still kept thinking that it was great. It was only after time had passed and the adrenaline set in, when I began realizing that this movie wasn't perfect. Not at all.
"Super 8" really lacked a good backstory. For example, (SPOILERS:) in the beginning of the movie, we see a young boy mourning over the death of his mother, Elizabeth. Pretty quickly after, we see the boy's father arresting a blond man. Later on, we learn that the blond man was the guy who was sort of responsible for Elizabeth's death. (/SPOILERS) I kept waiting for more explanation on this event. How did it happen? What were their jobs? But I got no explanation. That sucked.
But the real downfall of the movie was the ending. Aside from some questions that were left unanswered (see example above), the movie was pretty great. The acting was very good, the dialogue was witty and smart and the whole atmosphere was just fit for the movie. The buildup to the climax of the movie was brilliant. I was really interested in it. But the ending really disappointed me. These were some questions that I had after the movie: (SPOILERS:) Why didn't the alien kill the humans? What was it keeping them around for? Why didn't the alien just build a spaceship already once it was free? Did it have to wait for someone's approval and/or encouragement? (/SPOILERS) Those things really bothered me.
"Super 8" is a pretty good film. Disregarding the plot holes, it's a very interesting movie. It's not the best science-fiction movie out there, but it's good. If you had to choose between "Green Lantern" or this one, go with "Super 8".
Viewed on: June 26, 2011