Super 8

[Olivia Bauer]

I usually trust everything J.J. Abrams does. Spielberg as well. But Super 8 isn't worth watching; it's generic, contrived, over done, and overall disappointing. It's really not worth watching. The characters are bland and 2 dimensional, the main protagonists are whiny and annoying, and they overcome the antagonizing force by talking it down, That's almost as stupid as "The power of love".

I'd give it a 5/10.

[Kaseykockroach]

An entertaining but uninteresting, forgettable hurricane of cliches and rehashes.
Yes, we get it. The main character's mother is dead. Please stop milking that every ten minutes. And enough of the 'jump scares'. It's annoying, not scary. And the portrayal of the military's just painful and pathetic. The only thing missing was giving them curly mustaches and top hats.
It captures of the feel of those 80's movies as intended, but nothing else, no substance. There's no vision or point of view behind it, no personality to the setting, characters or story. It practically feels more like a rip-off than an homage. Just put The Goonies, Explorers, E.T and Cloverfield in a blender, and you get this thing. You're better off just watching the first two movies.
I will say this, though: That 'film' during the credits was EPIC. Totally worth it just for that.

[akiratubo]

But Super 8 isn't worth watching; it's generic, contrived, over done, and overall disappointing.

Sounds like everything else with Abrams' name on it.

[Flick James]

But Super 8 isn't worth watching; it's generic, contrived, over done, and overall disappointing.

Sounds like everything else with Abrams' name on it.

That's cool if you think so.

Personally I enjoyed Lost quite a bit (the first three seasons in particular and the rest to a lesser extent), and Cloverfield.

[Olivia Bauer]

But Super 8 isn't worth watching; it's generic, contrived, over done, and overall disappointing.

Sounds like everything else with Abrams' name on it.

That's cool if you think so.

Personally I enjoyed Lost quite a bit (the first three seasons in particular and the rest to a lesser extent), and Cloverfield.

I like Fringe and Star Trek.

[Torgo]

I thought that Super 8 was a fantastic film and gave it ***1/2 out of ****.

[dean]

I enjoyed it, but I still get annoyed by all the lens flare.

Sooooooo much lens flare...

In any case, the film was a fun throwback to the old films I used to watch growing up [eg Goonies, E.T, Flight of the Navigator.] a good, though not necessarily great cast of kids, an interesting, though somewhat conflicting monster, and it had a few jump scares in it that I wasn't expecting.  It was also a touch more violent than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise.

**Spoilers***

I can't help but feel like the fathers did nothing, and added nothing to the film.  They could have deleted every single scene with either father and it wouldn't have made a difference.  If they had saved their kids, or did something other than just show up at the end then the characters would have progressed and that thing called 'character development' would have worked, but they built it up for naught.

The other thing that annoyed me, though not as bad, was that we treated the alien so bad that he hates us, he kills a bunch of people, yet we're supposed to feel sorry for him?  I get it, but Abrams didn't really give him a whole heap of redeeming characteristics other than a slightly human expression near the end.  I couldn't help but get the vibe that he'd return to Earth with his mates later and that would be 'War of the Worlds'...

[BoyScoutKevin]

I saw the trailer, which did not make me inclined to see the film. I will say that it got a fairly positive review from the film critic in our city's alternate weekly, which I always read every week, if only to keep up with what is playing in the local cinema. He saying he thought it was a better film than Abrams' "Star Trek."

The film critic did bring up one point about the alien, which I thought was interesting. Because of who the alien killed, the film critic said, he thought the filmmakers were pointing to the fact that the alien was suppose to be an angel. Any response to that opinion.

[SPazzo]

I really liked it.  I saw it without the 3D treatment.  Yes, the ending was cheesy and the plot cliched.  But it made me all nostalgic for Goonies and It.  I thought it was really enjoyable!