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Even the man who drove his pick-up truck onto the tracks to cause the derailment is, while scathed, still alive and talking. It turns out he's another Hollywood type, the noble Negro sacrificing himself to make a better world for, you know, regular people.

Speaking of monstrous, though, "Super 8" is just getting started. Something big batters its way out of that demolished train. Things start happening around town. Things remarkably like those in "Close Encounters."

"Super 8" shares Abrams' weaknesses: the less snappy dialogue, the poor plot choices, the increasing narrative incoherence. If he were doing original work, an unsatisfactory final act would go without saying (as would a convoluted time-travel subplot).

Instead, he's copying master manipulator Spielberg, so pushing the right emotional buttons at the right time is even more crucial to achieving a commercially magical effect.

But "Super 8" is a pastiche, part boys buddy memoir, part monster/chiller/horror/thriller, part misunderstood out-of-town visitor story. Parts work, but parts are parts.

Joe Tyrrell may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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