It's telling that Lost creator JJ Abrams is still known as Lost creator JJ Abrams, despite the huge box office success of Cloverfield (which he produced) and his skilful handling of the Star Trek franchise reboot. Super 8 – developed in partnership with Steven Spielberg – marks Abrams's first directorial effort since the end of the TV show and, commercially at least, the signs look good – it's made $123 million since its US release last month. If big bucks can't shift the millstone, an Oscar or two might, but it's hard to see where Abrams can earn them. A serviceable alien adventure in the vein of – whisper it – M Night Shyamalan, Super 8 could pick up some technical awards, but it's super young cast and Abrams's propensity for biff-bang-pow probably exclude it from the high profile categories