I'm somewhat surprised at how little the studio has revealed about this movie. Its release is only three months away, and we don't know the character names, and nary a still or production photo has been released. The strategy is not dissimilar to another J. J. Abrams-produced film, Cloverfield, and that turned out pretty well. So, probably not a bad thing.
On the other hand, the viral marketing has been impressive, reminding me of the grassroots-style scavenger hunt associated with Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence from ten years ago. Coincidence? I'm prone to think not. I spent many an office hour hunting down all the cloudmakers back in 2001. It's fun to think of all the Abrams fans looking to unlock the secrets of his latest project with the same passion.
After all, various elements of the film seem to be paying homage to Spielberg's movies of old. The trailers for Super 8 look like they could have been shot by the same cinematographers as E.T. or Close Encounters. The fact that they weren't seems to indicate a desire on Abrams's part to recreate that style, with his own touch, of course (lens flares, anyone?).
I normally manage to resist the hook, line and sinker approach to teasing an audience with an indescribable mystery, but I have to admit, I do wonder what's inside that freight car!