Plot: It's the summer of 1979 in Lillian, Ohio and junior high student Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) is helping his friend Charles (Riley Griffiths) make a low budget zombie movie to enter into a local film festival. With the help of fellow cohorts Cary (Ryan Lee), Preston (Zach Mills), and Martin (Gabriel Basso), Joe and Charles convince Alice (Elle Fanning) to be in the film. But when the group witnesses and barely survives a train crash, and mysterious disappearances and deaths begin happening in Lillian, the group comes to realize that a dangerous, perhaps otherworldly threat has been unleashed on their town.
Review: Maybe it is because I grew up in the decade, but I have a soft spot in my heart for 80s films. Ghostbusters, The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark; I love them all. My deep passion for 80s movies probably explains why I loved Super 8. Filled with fantastic acting performances, a suspenseful and engaging plot, and excellent special effects, Super 8 is E.T. meets The Goonies meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
The heart of Super 8 lies in its young cast. It's movies like this that make me sincerely wish the Oscars had an award for best ensemble cast. In spite of the youth of the characters the performances are phenomenal. Part of the credit goes to director J.J. Abrams in being able to extract the best from this group, but for the most part it's all them.
Newcomer Joel Courtney is perfect as Joe, a kid who's still grieving the loss of his mother and at odds with his distant father Jack, played brilliantly by Emmy winner Kyle Chandler. Joel manages to convey the right amount of wonder, angst, and adolescent longing that we all went through at 14. He also possesses a strong streak of leadership and courage that plays out in Super 8 right up until the climactic closing scenes.
Elle Fanning steals the show as Alice though. I'm amazed that someone so young (she's only 13!) could give such an emotional performance. Fanning (yes it isDakota's younger sister) demonstrates a pathos and energy not seen in many adult actors. The scene where she plays the zombie protagonist's wife is particularly memorable and, like Joe and his friends, left my jaw firmly dropped. Even better are the scenes where Alice confronts her alcoholic father Louis (Ron Eldard), who has an integral connection to the death of Joe's mother.
J.J. Abrams script does an excellent job of balancing suspense with real human interactions. The sudden occupation of the town by the Air Force and the heightened paranoia of the townspeople creates distinct and palpable tension. Abrams also makes a difficult and bold choice, and delays the showing of the titular monster until the end of the film. Just like Jaws the decision worked and made scenes such as the one where a mini mart clerk is killed or when an Air Force officer is violently ripped out of a bus that much more harrowing.
That's not to say that Super 8 is a perfect film, it's not. Some of the scenes, like a confrontation between Jack and Louis towards the end of the film come across as sappy and corny. The film was also about ten minutes too long. Even the inevitable confrontation between Joe and the monster, although good, was not as good as it could have been.
Most of my complaints are minor however. After all as much as I loved the 80s film Predator it is far from a perfect movie. None of my grievances in any way ruin Super 8. You don't have to be an 80s film fan to enjoy Super 8, but I dare anyone not over 40 to walk away from this movie with anything but a heartfelt sense of nostalgia and a big grin on your face.
My rating: 8.5/10
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