"Super 8" is just "8", or in this case 7

Rating: 7/10 (13 June 2011)

Not since "Where the Wild Things Are" have I left a movie scratching my head saying, "What's wrong with me?". I have read what "Super 8" was supposed to be and the description and hype didn't quite match up with what was ultimately brought to the screen. Other comments have included anachronisms of bicycles, backpacks, automobiles, etc. Hey, one nice touch I did recognize was the retro logo/sign of Seven-Eleven. The turning point/payoff between the protagonist and the antagonist came really late in the film and came rather out of the blue without much preparation in the plot development. And the ending - voilà! - and it's done in a literal manner of seconds. I think the film relied heavily on Stand By Me and Alien, products of the 70's, neither of which, if I'm not mistaken, were Spielberg films. It did, however, include large doses of 1941 and War of the Worlds - neither of which were Spielberg classics. Did I miss something, or is this another case of "The Emperor's New Clothes" and no one wants to be the first to say it out loud?