Super 8

Super 8 (2011) – It has Spielberg’s fondness for adolescence and it has some atmosphere, but it has trouble establishing its own identity: it’s derivative of too many other works, Spielberg’s and otherwise; it wants to be Stand by Me and a sci-fi thriller at the same time, but doesn’t manage to be either, and as a result, it’s never very compelling; it’s more interested in exploring emotions than telling a story, and the ending is particularly flat; the train wreck at the beginning is overdone to a Michael Bayan degree. 6