J.J. Abrams Discounts Similarities Between Super 8 and Cloverfield Creatures

Even if you haven't seen Super 8, you probably know something about the third act creature thanks to spoilers from Paramount, Bruce Greenwood, and moviegoers who have loudly contested that the sci-fi thriller's monster looks a lot like the one in the Abrams-produced film Cloverfield. Finally, J.J. Abrams has responded to this allegation, but -- beware -- his explanation includes, of course, more creature spoilers.

While visiting MTV this week, Abrams addressed the monsters' alleged similarities.

"The only connection between the creature in Super 8 and the creature in Cloverfield is that they were both designed by the same guy, Neville Page," Abrams explained. "They actually look very different, but they both have two eyes, a nose and a mouth. So, in that regard, it also looks a lot like Laurence Olivier!"

Rather than just recycling aliens, Abrams and his production team put a lot of thought into the creature that came to be known as "Cooper" on set.

"The creature in Super 8 needed to be scary and it also needed to have the ability to have a performance and be a little bit less scary too," he said. "We didn't want a creature that was just running around thumping his chest and screaming. It needed to be something that was able to have a plan, have an experience. Smart enough to create something, build something. [...] Basically this could be someone who for some would be very scary, could be full of rage and also could be emotional and nuanced."

There you have it! Movie magic nullified by excruciating details about behind-the-scenes monster development. I think I'm good on the Super 8 Creature Explained At Length front. How about you guys?

· 'Super 8' Creature's 'Cloverfield' Connection: J.J. Abrams Explains [MTV]