From a technical side, Abrams is a superb director. In both Star Trek and Super 8, he was able to craft tightly edited stories special effects bonanzas with compelling acting. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that, in terms of acting and special effects, Star Trek was the best of the 11 Star Trek films thus far. Super 8 had some incredible child actors, including Elle Fanning. It takes a skilled director to work all of these pieces into a coherent film.
