Steven Spielberg can relate to "Super 8." He made homemade movies when he was young.

STEVEN SPIELBERG: "It's a lot easier today because it's so easy to get a video camera, go out and make a movie and you can put it right on YouTube. In a sense, not only can kids today make their own movies, they've got distribution. We didn't have that in the eight-millimeter days. We had to lug a projector, we had to plug it in to somebody's wall, put up a screen and show it to someone patient enough to sit there for five minutes and watch. J. J. began his career the same way."

Left to right: Gabriel Basso plays Martin, Ryan Lee plays Cary, Joel Courtney plays Joe Lamb, and Riley Griffiths plays Charles in SUPER 8, from Paramount Pictures.

J. J. is "Super 8" writer and director J. J. Abrams. He compares the film to older movies like "E.T." and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" -- both directed by Steven Spielberg. J. J. Abrams says the films are about more than the science fiction storyline.

J. J. ABRAMS: "They are all about suburban American ordinary people going through something that was hyper-real. There are fundamental and relatable relationships, broken families in some form, often friendships that are really critical and important."

(SOUND: "Super 8")

Finally, we take our own trip to the movies. We asked some people what they think of the summer films they have seen so far.