A 7 not an 8..

Rating: 7/10 (24 June 2011)

Not out in the United Kingdom just yet but people will be seeing a lot of 'high-praise' reviews before it hits cinemas on August 5th. I neither liked or disliked this brave attempt at re-living family orientated entertainment. It had that 80's vibe to it but its actual feelings and outcomes were inconsistent at best. Was it trying to be a modern take on E.T. or The Goonies, perhaps a hybrid of both, perhaps it wasn't trying to be anything other than a summer slice of entertainment. And it does this well, especially the first half hour. A magnificent but scary train crash near the start which sets the films plot going is a brilliant piece of film-making and the whole thing is shot pro-actively by JJ.Abrams, if only Mr.Spielberg could have been bothered to put his 2 pence worth in. just like with the last installment of Indianna Jones, he is running out of integrity and a batch of fresh ideas. Super 8 is passable stuff, i would'nt not recommend it, the kid actors are all terrific and lift the film from potential drowsiness, Elle Fanning, struggling with a secret, and the obligatory 'fat' kid being very good. It can not be easy to capture the essence and the trials and tribulations of growing up. I might have preferred this if i was a kid myself, technically i am not, but it did remind me of being a late teen and messing around with film scripts and trying to perform a film called ZombieMaster, but thats another story. The Monster in this was always in the shadows, and that actually became a side issue for a long time while they focused on bringing out the characters a little more, which is no bad thing(but in a summer blockbuster, some may tire of the pacing). The film also ends on a bit of a bummer with a far too obvious, and corny finish. So after seeing the nifty trailer and reading some exciting early reviews, its nothing more than a walk the lines, airy bit of fun with a couple of noteworthy performances and scenes. Kudos to the kids though!