At First Light is one of those Goldilocks style of films: not bad, not great, but just good enough.

This throwback to the E.T. and Close Encounters — as FIN program manager Alex Brundige aptly sold it — is a whole lot of Stranger Things with a lot of style, but little substance.

The special effects are incredible and the film is A-Grade quality in terms of shots and composition.

It’s easy to get lost in the sci-fi elements and good acting within this film, but nothing really coalesces into anything important.

It’s beautiful to look at, and there are strong performances from Stefanie Scott, Theodore Pellerin and young Percy White Hynes, a thespian to watch.

There are elements that work through and through, I just wish the whole affair was a little more exciting.

It’s clear the script and concept has places it could go, and Jason Stone does a fine job directing, but it script-work just needs a bit more fine-tuning for his next feature.

3/5 Stars