Film Review: Super 8

What I like about J.J. Abrams:

1. His unique mix of heart and action. He can make you jump and just minutes later make you blink back tears. One minute you're scared, the next touch, but either way you're feeling something.

2. He works with Michael Giacchino, and it's always amazing.

3. His stories are different. Sure, Super 8 has been compared to E.T. and with Speilberg producing that's a real easy leap for people to make when they don't feel like putting much thought into what they just saw. But the story was different, from execution to plot, characters, and especially the alien.

4. His characters are relatable. You're not sitting through 2 hours of a tween girl pining over her would be vampire-I-mean-werewolf-I-mean-vampire boyfriend. These characters have issues and they usually are issues that are common to most people if not at least understandable to most viewers. The fact that an alien is terrorizing the town if just a plot device for character growth.

5. The special effect are just awesome. What is shown, what's not show, how things are shot/shown. I appreciate his eye for film and his knack for storytelling. He keeps me entertained and certainly keeps me coming back for more.