Hmm I thought it really missed a true intrigue in the plot. And it didn't do that well for a JJ abrams at the box office. It really felt like a re- Cloverfield, and the scenario was very predictable. The characters were not really convincing and the mechanics of the relationships wasn't right. It tried to be some kind of Spielberg E.T. with the kids, but the monster was like straight out of Alien.

I think it would have been much more powerful if the monster was a good and clumsy giant creature crushing everything that only the kids knew as a benevolent being while the adults hunted him down. The kids would have defended the gentle giant and eventually the adults would have realized they were wrong and scared of the unknown.

I think it would have done much better like that, esp since the audience was mostly kids.