J.J. Abrams has crafted a Spealburgian throwback to 1979 and the art of making an old fashioned family-friendly monster movie, complete with government men, an alien, mysterious goings on, and of course centered around a group of kids as they accidentally film something highly nexpected while making their own Super 8 movie. As a concept it's good, as a final product it's great. Just to start it off we get the Best Train Wreck Ever! Not just a few cars thrown off the tracks, but cars exploding, doing summersaults through the air, looking like a war zone, type of train wreck... Then the movie really gets started. Just the right amount of mystery surrounding the creature's appearance, what it wants, what's going on. I would describe this film as equal parts E.T. and Alien.

A good solid movie, just made for matinee's (and drive-ins if there's any still around). I definitely recommend it.