Underrated - best kid buddy film since Stand By Me

Rating: 8/10 (13 December 2015)

First, E.T. is a 10, and the standard for all kid driven films Second is Stand By Me, which should be a 9 in the genre. Super 8 gets an 8.
Unfortunately, the movie fell short of the gold due to a weak feel-good ending and mixing in a strange horror/suspense sub plot. Just making the movie about the kids filming their zombie movie and the usual coming of age/early romance themes, would have made this a huge winner.
A lot of people put down the movie for gaps in the plot or improbable scenarios and I get that.
With access to unbelievable amounts of content and a social media culture, all of us have been split into the dual role of fan and critic. The big question is always if a movie can captivate us at the beginning and draw us into its world. If it does, we'll suspend our disbelief and accept all kinds of inconsistencies and mistakes. If it doesn't we're angry that we spent our money on a bad film, and rip the film to pieces for its duration.
Super 8 was one of those rare movies where I was completely drawn into the world of those middle school kids. The shy 14 year old that used to be me identified with Joe. Alice's opening scene blew me and the other kids away. And then suddenly, BOOM, we get hit with a scene so unexpected, so dangerous and so suspenseful, I almost shouted out loud as if I were a first person observer. That hardly ever happens to me - I can't remember reacting the same way to any movie I've seen this year, which includes all the blockbuster films. So I was hooked into the movie, and just shrugged off or ignored all the stuff other reviewers complain about.
it's that simple, if you get transported by a movie and it keeps you in that trance it's a great movie. If it stumbles and you lose that focus, your critic side is going to find all kinds of things to complain about.
One last thing, expectations are killers. Super 8 got such mixed reviews, I never saw it in the theater. Seeing it on TV was a low risk gamble, and I was so pleasantly surprised that may have contributed to the high rating.