[Patrick Skelton]

I liked it.  Reminded me of Goonies.  The ending was a bit lame, but the story had heart.

The potty mouthed kids got on my nerves after a while.

 

[drenee]

It was filmed in my town, and part of it one street over. They did set up on my street.
deb

 

[swolf]

I loved it.  The child leads did a great job.

Drenee, I live in nearby Western Pa, and the geography looked very familiar.  My wife and I were both saying it looked like streets we know.

 

[drenee]

You are in Pittsburgh, right?  It was filmed in Weirton, WV.

 

[Lisa Scott]

It was filmed in my town, and part of it one street over. They did set up on my street.
deb

How cool is that!! Did you see any of the actors around town?

 

[drenee]

My neighbors did get to see a couple of them while they sat in a car waiting their turn. But I missed it. Errrr. 

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Hubby and I saw it.  Loved it.  (Though I do agree the ending tended toward lameness.)

Is it just me, or did the whole movie (and I'm not talking about the setting) have a 70s vibe?  The style of it really reminded me of movies from an earlier time...  Maybe because it didn't seem to rely so much on special effects.  It "felt" like a movie I would have watched in the 70s/early 80s.  Those of you who are too young to have watched movies during that time don't need to answer, LOL!

Betsy

 

[Monique]

I'm one of those who was underwhelmed. It was enjoyable, but not great. The plot holes were problematic for me. And the characters, especially the adults, felt flat. Overall, the kids did a good job, but there no magic. It was fun, but - eh.

 

[R. M. Reed]

Just saw it and liked it. I would have made Joe more active in helping towards the end. It wasn't over-CGed (though of course there was some.) It didn't really have to be so loud, though. I am a little older than these kids and made Super 8 films before they came with a sound strip. I was in college learning filmmaking with 16 mm equipment by the time this is set.

 

[drenee]

Betsy, I thought I heard they were going for a feel from 70s/80s.

 

[Hoosiermama]

DH and I both saw it and thought it was really good. DH described it as "a less cuddly ET."

 

[Tripp]

Is it just me, or did the whole movie (and I'm not talking about the setting) have a 70s vibe? The style of it really reminded me of movies from an earlier time... Maybe because it didn't seem to rely so much on special effects. It "felt" like a movie I would have watched in the 70s/early 80s. Those of you who are too young to have watched movies during that time don't need to answer, LOL!

Betsy

FYI, the movie takes place in the summer of 1979. I think Spielberg was being nostalgic and going back to his early days.

 

[Monique]

Afaik, it was Abrams' homage to the Spielberg films of his youth and his own adventures as a young auteur.

 

[hamerfan]

I need to get out more.
I thought this thread was about motels.

 

[B-Kay 1325]

Saw this on Monday, I thought it was a good, clean movie (language aside) and enjoyed it.  I don't go to movies expecting the hype that the advertisements seem to boost so I didn't have any preconceived ideas.  Did everyone stay and watch the credits?  They show the film that the kids were doing, I thought it was great fun.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

FYI, the movie takes place in the summer of 1979. I think Spielberg was being nostalgic and going back to his early days.

I was addressing more the style of the film-making itself, not the setting. It seemed to me to be the kind of movie that would have been made then. Made me nostalgic for movies that didn't depend on CGI. And Spielberg produced it, but it was directed by JJ Abrams?

BKay, we always watch the credits! Hubby was just saying they should have shown more of the kids' movie when it started in the credits! We were delighted.

Betsy

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

I need to get out more.
I thought this thread was about motels.

 

[Kristan Hoffman]

Loved it. Wasn't expecting to. Child leads were "mint" and yes, the movie during the credits was fantastic!