Arriving just in time for summer and wedged awkwardly between major franchises, here’s a film that actually manages to revive the spirit of 80s Hollywood rather than just cannibalizing the series name. Centered on a group of middle school filmmakers caught in an alien cover-up, J.J. Abrams’ film is most valuable (and most successful) as an homage to the vintage Spielbergian fantasies of that era, where suburbia is a setting for strange and wondrous events, and where a motley crew of geeks get their moment in the sun. Indeed, Spielberg himself is credited as producer, and for the first time in a long time, the credit feels more than nominal. Anyone who remembers VHS tapes will enjoy the vibe, and you can feel free to collect bonus points for each parallel you spot to E.T. or Close Encounters. The chief downside is that the actual plotline beneath the homage goes flimsy in the second half. But that’s the risk of a film powered on nostalgia: if most of your movie is borrowed (albeit craftily), how high can you rise? I don’t know what it says about me (or Hollywood) that my favorite blockbuster of the summer is a tribute to a bygone era, but bring the kids. They’ll leave wanting to make a movie.