Review of Super 8 (2011) by Relm — 09 Jun 2011

Closer to "Goonies" than to "E.T.". I enjoyed this movie but in watching it, even though there is a sense of wonder and nostalgia that is generally missing in movies these days, you realize quickly how rare a talent Steven Spielberg is.

Here is what Spielberg did right and some of what is lacking in "Super 8". First, the villain is not flushed out. In E.T., the villain really isn't a villain except in the eyes of the protagonists.

"Keys" as he is known in E.T. believed what he was doing was for the greater good. He longed for an experience like Elliot. Unfortunately, he failed to see what the children saw all along, that E.

T. was a living being with his own needs and desires. In "Super 8", the villainous Nelec was completely two dimensional and malevolent.