Review of Super 8 (2011) by Mark V — 23 Aug 2014

In recent years, up-and-coming director JJ Abrams has put his name on the map in a relatively short period of time. Abrams kept the Mission: Impossible franchise alive with an action packed third installment in 2006, as well as revived the nearly dead Star Trek series with a critically and commercially successful reboot in 2009. Only two years later, Abrams would go on to bring back another genre, the coming-of-age movie, with Super 8, a fantastic sci-fi drama blend that shows just how great Abrams really is as both a writer and a director through a nostalgic premise and fantastic acting and directing.

Super 8 revolves around Joe Lamb and his friends, who live in the town of Lillian, Ohio in 1979. Joe's best friend Charles is shooting a zombie flick on his trusty Super 8 camera for a film festival. Charles, Joe, Cary (a sort of pyromaniac), Martin (the nerd), and Preston (the other nerd) are all really excited about this little film, so Charles decides to ask another local kid to be the female protagonist of his film: Alice Dainard, the sort of "girl next door" that everyone has a crush on.

One night, the friends sneak out (thanks to Alice's car that she uses without permission) to the local train station to film an impactful scene in their little movie. As they film a rehearsal, a train heads towards the station, causing Charles to begin the real thing for "production value". This train heads by, unknowing of the pickup truck that will cause it to explode, raining shrapnel all through the air, nearly killing the young protagonists. This train wreck sets up the base of the film, leading to disappearances and other strange happenings.

The plot ultimately tells two stories at once: a mystery revolving around the train crash, and a coming-of-age tale between the 6 leads and the supporting characters . Young Joe and his dad, Jackson, have just lost their mother and wife, respectively. Both are still struggling to get back on track and move on from such an unfortunate event. Through the attack (and, in Joe's case, Alice), the two slowly and surely find a way to put their misfortune behind them.

Considering this film consists almost completely of young, undiscovered child actors, the performances are surprisingly great. Joel Courtney plays Joe very well, portraying a shy young boy who slowly develops into a completely new character. The main supporting actress, Elle Fanning, is just as great, managing to create a perfect emotional scene one moment, but then lighting up the room with her smile the next. Kyle Chandler hits the mark as Jackson Lamb, a police officer who just wants to get to the bottom of things and fix his relationship with his son. The rest of the supporting cast is commendable as well, but stand-out has to be Ryan Lee. His role as the energetic pyromaniac Cary will keep you laughing and smiling throughout.

The special effects are fantastic, something that's to be expected from most JJ Abrams movies. Seeing a train explode in one giant fireball is amazing, albeit unrealistic. The rest of the effects are fine too, like the fantastic ending scene involving the town's water tower. Abrams also lends his typical directing style, with plenty of lens flares, while also borrowing the styles of Spielberg's Jaws or Matt Reeves' Cloverfield by hiding whatever is terrorizing the town for as long as he can. Michael Giacchino's John Williams-esque score also lends to Abrams' homage to 70s and 80s cinema quite nicely.

In recent years lacking well-made coming-of-age movies, Super 8 stands out as a return to form for the sub-genre. Each necessary element of a coming-of-age drama, as well as a sci-fi mystery, is there: a cast of superb young talent, a story with a nice mix of drama, humor, and nostalgia, and competent direction from a great director. It's certainly evident that someone like Spielberg would have input on a project like Super 8, but the film certainly benefits from such a prestigious producer credit. The decade may have just started, but Super 8 has already set the standard as one of the best movies of the decade so far.