"Super 8" is a very creative science-fiction movie that can be seen as an homage to the works of Steven Spielberg such as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" or "The Goonies". The movie is not only set in the end of the seventies and the beginning of the eighties but also inspired by the movies, the music and the technical discoveries of that time which gives a nostalgic charm to the movie which distinguishes it from other comparable adventure movies starring young actors and the classic inspirations mentioned above.

Even though the story focuses on the adventures of a bunch of friends in a rather unknown and isolated small town in the middle of nowhere in the United States of America, this movie could also please to a lot of adults because of the classic influences, the nostalgic factors and a couple of surprisingly well done special effects and even a few rather brutal fighting scenes. I would like to underline the high budget that was perfectly used in this technically perfect movie as well as the brilliant acting of all actors and especially the young stars like the charismatic and authentic main male actor Joel Courtney and the very charming and breathtaking Elle Fanning that interact in a great way. Their relation is credible, dramatic and romantic and they are one of the best young actor couples I have ever seen in the history of cinema.

The story integrates everything a good adventure blockbuster needs to be a success for this year's cinematic summer: credible and diversified personalities, philosophically touched emotional topics such as first love, friendship and loss, some mysterious events that keep the tension high until the end and reserve some light surprises, some good humour, a lot of dramatic emotions, many and well crafted but not too overwhelming action scenes, many tension filled passages and a typically Hollywood ending.

The only thing that I might criticize is that the makers of the movie didn't always seem to know if they want to address to a younger or an older public and even though both public could appreciate this movie, there are a few flaws: the shooting and killing scenes in the bus are way too brutal for young children while the somewhat stereotypical ending waters the movie down and may seem ridiculous to many adults. The only other negative point is the fact that the homage automatically copies a lot from the initial movies and isn't that original and fresh anymore.

But in the end this is well crafted entertainment for old and young with a multitude of influences and a stunningly great acting that is only watered down by a childish ending after many mature and intense moments. After many weak cinematic months, this is finally a very well done movie for the whole family.

I was really intrigued by the trailer of this movie and decided to go to the cinema for the first time for a pretty while. The film is very worthwhile and touching with a great main actor, an interesting plot, a lot of suspense and action, a twisted part towards the last third of the movie and a happy ending with a philosophical focus.

The only problem is that we have recently had movies such as "Inception" or Avatar where people are getting transfered to different place and sometimes in the body of different persons in order to save the world or where they fall in love with a stranger. The conspiracy story surrounding this movie makes me rather think of "The Green Zone". "Source Code" is surely an entertaining and intriguing movie but it somewhat lacks of originality. A good twist, some emotional and dramatic touches and a very good acting still make this movie stand out and pardon for a rather mediocre script that also has a plot hole concerning the explosion of the two trains that works well timed even though the villain isn't able to observe the right place and time to commit his attack while the first train is also too late and should indeed have meet the other train a couple of minutes earlier than we see. Another thing that I must criticize is the weak villain that is not charismatic enough and I didn't like the rather superficial reasons and motivations for his devastating acts.

Finally, "Source Code" is a very entertaining and worthwhile movie but slightly overrated and not as stunning, innovating or gripping as one might think. It's worth to be watched at the cinemas because of the visual and sound effects but a part of that, I would rather suggest to wait and loan this flick later.

This movie is a nice and surprising little gem. I decided to give it a try because the main plot seemed interesting and because I found it particular that an independent science-fiction movie would come from Switzerland. As I know that this country has a technical avantgarde status with experiments like the CERN and as it is rather isolated and independent, I was expecting a rather unique movie.

Well, the film seems not that unique and could have easily been a small Hollywood production. The slightly dystopian movie reminds first of a mixture of the stories of "Alien" or "Equilibrium" but it turns out very soon that the movie takes a different direction that rather reminds of "Wall-E" that may surprise you.

The movie has a philosophical drama touch and interesting twists that hides a lack of true suspense or horror feeling that could have been established with the main idea. In that way, the movie is not what one might expect in many ways and different from the Hollywood movies I have mentioned before. If you are looking forward for an action filled flick involving aliens, robots or galactic battles, this movie isn't for you. Now, what is this movie? It's a very human conspiracy movie with some suspense and drama scenes that is essentially carried by an intriguing story and twisted development. The movie is slow paced, atmospheric and focuses on the essential main plot without much diversity. On a positive note, one must also point out the stunning visual effects for such a low budget production. The care for the details is very much present in this movie.

While all these things would lead to a rating of at least eight points or more, there are a few reasons why I rate this interesting independent movie down. First of all, the characters don't always turn out to be what they are, but I feel that they are still not profound enough. The basis of the love story and its tragic ending seems a little bit unclear and unbelievable concerning the male part. The decisions and actions of the two men on board of the spaceships seem quite dumb and inappropriate and I feel that those characters could have been developed more. The main villain could have also been a little bit more clever and menacing. I feel that all the characters of the movie are shown and developed underneath the possibilities. The whole thing feels like a "light" version of a more complex and detailed plot or main idea with the exception of the main female character.

In the end, "Cargo" is a visually stunning and very human conspiracy movie with an interesting twist and a few drama and suspense influences. While the story is well thought, the characters don't keep what they seem to promise and should have been more developed. And if you don't get attracted by the main plot and twist, there is not much left that carries this movie as it already has some lengths. You may positively recognize the visual effects and efforts from the independent staff from an objective point of view but from a subjective point of view you either get drowned into the plot or you won't get into it at all. I got drowned into that plot and enjoyed the movie even if there are some slight flaws that lead me to take off one or two points that rather subjective users giving eight or nine points wouldn't take off. But someone that doesn't like the twisted story may only give about half of the points to this flick.

Either you get into the story or you may feel apart. That's why I would suggest to rent this movie instead of buying it. It's an exotic gem and somewhat unusual science-fiction movie that has not much to do with science but rather with fiction but a very human soul connected to it.

This movie is easily the best German movie I have seen in the last three years. It is a haunting and atmospheric drama with some science-fiction elements, an eerie touch of suspense and even psychological horror as well as some action scenes. This flick has also a strong philosophical character without being too educative. The gripping question of fate and morality may affect you way beyond this movie and I thought about this intense film many days after I have watched it first.

Normally, I hardly give elevated ratings but everything feels right about the movie. The acting of the movie is simply great. Let's point out that Mads Mikkelsen is playing the role of his life and proves once again that he is a great actor that is able to improve every time again and again. He is amongst my favourite actors now. There are many promising German actors that are delivering more than solid jobs here.

The scenario of this movie is based on a novel and filled with complex actions, cliffhangers and twists, just like a great book. I am really looking forward to read the novel now and though I can't yet compare both, I feel that the movie was intense, detailed and diversified. What I really find fascinating is that the movie, even though the main plot is based on a fictional idea that one could associate to a science-fiction or fantasy movie, the whole flick seems real, authentic and down to earth. The mixture is unique and credible. The movie is not about a magic door that leads to the past or present. This little and only fantastic detail helps to kick the whole story off and one is quickly face to face with situations that mix dreams and reality, wishes and deceptions, hopes and despairs so that one doesn't care about whether the introduction is not fitting or too unreal. This movie is not about something exactly supernatural, it's a lot about the true human character and its ideologies and behaviours.

The movie has what I consider a perfect structure, it slowly introduces the main characters and creates more and more a creepy atmosphere with some weird, surprising and shocking scenes that lead to a dramatic, emotional and action filled ending. You really get drowned into the whole story and feel with the characters.

The way the movie is filmed is full of details and the angels and close ups add a lot to the atmosphere of the film. The movie score underlines the incredible and creative story that starts as a drama and ends as a psychological thriller that is more intense than many horror flicks.

I highly recommend this brilliant and explosive mixture that touches your heart, your nerves and your brain. Spread the word about this rather unknown European flick that should gain worldwide attention as it has now come out in North America and the rest of the world.

I think that this movie (I have only seen the extended edition) is a really epic and entertaining one with an unique and mysterious atmosphere and brilliant acting. Especially Kyle MacLachlan is doing a great job, the special effects and graphics are really great for a film from 1984. Of course, it would have been more intense and interesting to make a trilogy about it, but the film still shows the most important elements.

The only critical points are the lack of action and the weak end fight scenes and the fact that the young and brilliant director David Lynch didn't have the possibility to introduce his own and personal surreal style in this movie, especially of the short dream sequences which are nicely done. That's one of the reasons why Lynch doesn't like this movie and chose a nickname in the end as Alan Smithee to not be identified with this movie.

All in all, this one is a really solid science fiction movie which presents an interesting world full of legacies and mysteries. It is more interesting than the endless Star Trek movies and more down-to-earth than the Star Wars blockbusters. This movie is something like an inside tip, so give it a chance! If you watch this film because of you're interest in the genre, you may like this one even if it is nothing extraordinary. If you watch this one because you heard that it has been directed by David Lynch and because of Kyle MacLachlan (both worked together in the weird and surreal "Blue Velvet", and the legendary "Twin Peaks" series), you may be disappointed as it is a quite "ordinary" and "logical" movie for David Lynch but it may show you that he has some special talents and does a solid job even if this is not exactly his kind of thing.