Super 8

Ben’s Review of Super 8
JJ Abrams may very well be his generation’s Steven Speilberg. He was able to provide a fresh take on the Monster movie in Cloverfield and reboot the Star Trek franchise in a way that even non-Trekkie fans could enjoy. So obviously the next step would be to collaborate with Steven Spielberg to give his take on an alien movie. This is not only a good move for Abrams but, judging from the last Indian Jones movie, a great move for Spielberg. With quite a bit of mystery, Abrams backed by Spielberg, brings Super 8 to try and go 3 for 3 on the sci-fi front. But can Abrams pay homage to Spielberg without outright copying him?
Set in 1979 Ohio, Super 8 opens with a funeral for the main character, Joe (played by newcomer Joel Courtney), mother. Joe takes solace with his friends who are filming a zombie movie for the Cleveland amateur movie festival on a Super 8 film camera. Charles, Joe’s friend and director of the Zombie film (played by another newcomer Riley Griffith), reads that movies need more plot to stand out in film festivals. Charles decides to bring in a girl, Alice placed by Dakota Fanning sister Ella, to play the love interest for the zombie hunting lead character. Even though she is not old enough to drive, Alice takes her father’s car sneaks out at midnight with Charles, Joe and the rest of the gang to film a climatic good bye scene at a train station when an actual train comes by. Eager to catch the footage of the train, the kids set up and start filming when a pickup truck drives head first into the train causing a derailment. The kids narrowly escape the train derailment and agree not to speak out the incident. However, strange incidents start happening around town including people disappearing and all the dogs in town running away. Soon the military comes in to investigate and contain the train wreck. Joes father Jackson, played by Friday Night Lights Kyle Chandler, is a deputy police officer who is left in charge when the police chief goes missing. The military is not telling Jackson anything and more and more people go missing. Things really take a strange turn when kids develop the film from the train derailment and catch a glimpse of something very alarming. What is causing the disappearance? Do the dogs comeback? Does the mystery get solved and is worth the wait?
As you may have already heard, this movie has been billed as the new E.T. This movie is much more of homage to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, down to the setting and the time of the movie. This movie is set up for disaster because it revolves around mystery and not letting the public know much of anything before they see it. Additionally, the movie relies heavily on the acting ability of children which, if you have seen anything made by Disney in the past 40 years, you know sarcastic overacting scene stealing children can destroy a film. Fortunately, J.J. Abrams knows what he is doing. The movie is believable because the story is the focus. It has quite a bit of heart without beating you to death sappy scenes. The mystery is very cool and pays off. Additionally, the kids in this movie are funny, quirky, and, most importantly, do not over do it. They swear, goof on each other, and act like kids. The special effects and the actors move this story along. While this movie may not quite rise to the same level of Close Encounters, it is good and a lot of fun to watch.
This movie gets three and a half reeses peeces out of five.
* Something Extra- The next Star Trek script is done and filming is set to begin shooting later this year with J.J. Abrams at the helm.


Elisa’s Review of Super 8
Well, another science fiction movie has come and gone, and I am just thankful it was a movie that was not based on a comic book. JJ Abrams of Alias fame and the ability to make Star Trek tolerable collaborated with Steven Speilberg as director to produce a sci-fi version of “Stand by Me.”
The film is rotten with special effects: huge train derailment scene and about 10 monster-people chases too many. Sans the green screen, the heart of the movie centers around a group of guys who are just trying to get through the late 70’s in middle America. Joe, whose mother just died in a warehouse mis-hap is looking for structure and love from his Police Officer Father. He spends a lot of time at the “Leave-it-to-Beaver” home of his friend Charlie, who is fascinated with producing/directing/writing a Super 8 movie for the Super 8 festival.
Super 8 refers to a type of movie camera used at some point before camcorders arrived. Joe, Charlie and their buddies set about making a zombie movie with a love story. Needing a girl to play a love interest, they seek out Alice, played by Elle Dakota, sister to Dakota. Alice is somewhat of a loaner, drives her father’s car, even though she does not have a license, and has acting ability beyond basic zombie attack skills.
Setting up to film a scene at an abandoned train stop just out of town, the group is filming when an approaching train is derailed by a wild-driving truck racing down the tracks. Train cars go flying, explosions abound, track comes flying off, in the most unrealistic, crazy use of special effects I have ever, I have watched in the last two weeks.
After the train derailment, the Army moves into town and tries to quietly detain whatever was in the train. The audience knows it is something bad, because the Army guys do not smile and are not friendly to Joe, Charlie and his buddies. Curfews are imposed, buildings are locked down, and people are removed from their homes. Similar to the United States Government evacuation of White Bluffs in Eastern Washington during World War II, the town is decimated before the end.
Super 8 is a great date-night movie Monsters and special effects for him, and well-written story of friendship, love and growing up for her. Did I need to see this movie in a theater? Probably not. The special effects seemed over-kill and unnecessary to the actual story line. Although, it is refreshing to sit through a move with a story line. Could I have lived my life without watching this movie? Maybe. The themes of friendship, laughs, teenage angst, and child versus adult reminded me of so many movies I loved growing up, “Goonies,” “Stand by Me,” “Emperor of the Sun” and “E.T.” that I must think “Super 8” is a movie that will hold its own against green screen effects over time.