Mo' Like LEGITIMATELY GREAT Super 8! (Nailed It!!)

[Lumenskir]

Thread title pretty much says it all. So far it's the only mandatory summer movie I've seen. As long as you have a soul/don't irrationally hate the Spielbergian 'suburb adventure' movies of yore, you'll find something to like here. It's just a great distillation/love letter.

Specific notes:
-Holy crap, what kind of deal with the devil do you have to make to create a movie starring kids that's not afflicted by a single bad kid actor? Also, I propose a Elle Fanning v. Elizabeth Olson "Previously unknown great actresses from established acting families" battle royale sometime soon.
-Can we pass a law that says that Kyle Chandler has to be the number one choice for all Small Town Father Figure roles?
-I kind of want somebody to deliver a movie made entirely of silent slow mo sequences to Michael Giacchino's doorstep and let him create a score that turns it into the greatest movie ever.
-Stick around during the credits for a delightful showing of the zombie movie the kids are making throughout the movie proper.

[Krylo]

Yeah this movie actually looked pretty good. Glad to hear it turned out that way.

[Bells]

It's the spiritual successor of Cloverfield, so i'm interested! But i heard it's a polarizing movie, like "what works really works. What doesn't work reaaaaaaaally doesn't work". Is that the case?

[Magus]

If I don't like ET, will I still like Super 8?

[Krylo]

If I don't like ET, will I still like Super 8?

As long as you have a soul

Guess not.

You monster.

[Lumenskir]

It's the spiritual successor of Cloverfield, so i'm interested! But i heard it's a polarizing movie, like "what works really works. What doesn't work reaaaaaaaally doesn't work". Is that the case?
Well, I wouldn't say it's the direct descendant of Cloverfield, because both the presentation and goal of the monster isn't really the same.

And I'm not really sure what kind of stuff "Doesn't work" that they're complaining about. The final reveal of the alien isn't as effective as the flashes and hit and runs from before in the movie, but the final reveals of monsters only briefly seen are never as exciting as well presented glimpses. Other than that, I thought all of the character dynamics were great, it looked and sounded fantastic...I dunno, nothing really jumped out at me as a drop in quality I guess.
If I don't like ET, will I still like Super 8?
Well, aside from your soullessness, what aspects of ET did you not like? This movie isn't "My Alien Buddy" if that's what you're worried about.

Again, it's more of a distillation of a lot of great Spielberg movies, rather than a copy or series of shout outs. Like, this movie steals the best part of ET (the weird and foreboding omnipresence of the outside government), Close Encounters, Goonies (more in the relationship and history between the kids) and so on and so forth, while adding on some great acting and a more modern pace. You'd pretty much have to hate a whole mini-genre of movies before this one would be worthless to you.