Very good film, final act not so much

Rating: 8/10 (3 September 2011)

Super 8 was one of the movies I was looking forward to all year and while it was slight disappointing I enjoyed it immensely. Super 8 looks absolutely great, with superb effects and cinematography. The score also fits well with the movie without feeling too generic, it is tautly directed by Abrams and the script and characters are engaging with the feel of a Spielberg film which made Super 8 somewhat nostalgic in a sense. The story, making the most of an intriguing concept, does have heart and poignancy and also quite intense, while the acting particularly from Elle Fanning is very impressive. Also, the train crash set piece is simply spectacular. If there is a let down though, it is the final act, which feels like a different movie altogether. The looser it gets, the less tense and more heavy handed it gets, and that's a shame because the rest of Super 8 was excellent. Overall, started off excellent but meandered making the final result just very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox