Spielberg clichés fail to produce a coherent and credible story

Rating: 2/10 (7 July 2012)

Apparently, this movie had all the formulaic trappings of a Spielberg blockbuster. Unfortunately, it did not hit the mark. The storyline left a lot to be desired with a number of improbabilities, not the least being the alien, who after many years of tormented imprisonment by the U.S. government/Air Force, is suddenly able to re-assemble his ship and blast off -- as in ET goes home. How does an empathetic exchange with our young hero facilitate this miraculous re-construction of the space ship? The plot is left hanging at the end of the movie because we have an implied happy ending but an alien that is fleeing home with a pretty bad impression of Earthlings. God forbid that he comes back with an invading fleet with vengeance in mind.
Fortunately for Spielberg, he is only credited with the production and not the direction. Whereas this movie's concept had potential, Spielberg and Abrams simply excreted a real stinkeroo.