A good movie, but was expecting more.

Rating: 6/10 (19 March 2014)

SUPER 8
I remember watching this when the movie was first released. I thought it was very average at the time... but now I have watched it again I thought it was better the second time around.
The movie is about a group of kids that are trying to make a movie. One night they are filming on a train station when they witness a huge train crash... what they don't realise is that the train was carrying some alien creature that has now escaped.
The story is quite good. What I like about it is it has a lot of different levels to it. There is not just the one story about the alien... there are other elements to this film. The relationships that the characters have towards one another are really good and add a lot to the film. The relationship of the children with their parents is a big part of it. These kids are going through other things in their lives other than the disaster going on around them.
The film was shot to make it look like an older film than it is. It tried to feel like an 80s film... but failed mostly. There are moments that felt like it could have been made in the 80s. We have the hair, the cars, the soundtrack... but for some reason it is still missing something. I just can't put my finger on what it is. Maybe the effects are too good. I think if the effects were more 80s then it might have had the right atmosphere.
The acting was good throughout from everyone. The movie stars Joel Courtney, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso, Ella Fanning, Kyle Chandler and Ron Eldard. All deserve a lot of credit, but the best performance by far came from Ella Fanning. She has a lot of talent just like her older sister. I always thought that children were terrible actors and mostly annoying, but the Fanning sisters were both amazing when they were little. I just hope that they continue on and become big stars. They deserve it.
I was a little disappointed that we didn't see the alien sooner. I understand the suspense side of things and I agree with it in a lot of ways, but I did think that the alien could have been seen a bit more in the film. It also took the creature too long to even make it's first appearance in the film.
The movie was directed by J. J. Abrams. So as you can imagine, there was a bit of lens flare... no wait, a lot of lens flare. It was crazy! At some points I thought it was ridiculous. On the bright side though... Steven Spielberg was involved in this film also. These guys work well together.
I did like this film, but unfortunately I am not sure there was too much memorable in it. I can't guarantee that I will remember this film 1 year down the line. Only time will tell.
I will give this film 6 out of 10.
"Excuse me, can I have another order of fries? Because my friend here is fat."
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