Super 8

Few filmmakers have the ability to make an action movie that is truly carried by a story, and is not just a series of explosions or shots of panic and chaos. J.J. Abrams is one of the few. His became a household name with the success of television’s Alias, and he gained international fame with his lovingly adapted reboot of Star Trek. He’s an acknowledged nerd-type, and for that we love him. His dedication and passion for cinema is absolutely evident in Super 8, one of the most satisfying action adventure movies I’ve ever seen. The five teen/pre-teen actors that carry the film are Goonies caliber, really unique and believable with wide-eyed youthful zeal. They’re feisty and predictable in the way you want your friends to be: they’re reliable. Yes, it’s a monster movie. Yes, it has kind of a Disneyfied ending. But it’s been earned I think, through the hard work and courage of the characters.

Joe is planning to spend the summer working on his best friend’s movie – a home-made zombie flick that interests even Alice Deinard, who agrees to take on the role of the detective’s wife. The actors and crew, a team of six friends, sneak off for the train depot at midnight, planning to shoot some new scenes for the zombie movie. It’s more than they bargained for, when they’re nearly killed in the fallout from a massive train crash. Not only that, but it seems that their biology teacher was harboring a secret that could put each of their lives in even greater danger. While Joe and his friends try to finish the movie, Joe’s father, the sheriff’s deputy, finds himself looking for answers that the Air Force, who is investigating the train crash, is not willing to provide. Of course, making a movie is one thing. Saving your friends’ lives is another.

Abrams wanted a nostalgic feel to the film, but he’s better than that. Super 8 is not only set in the 80s, but it mostly has the feel of being made then as well. Even Joel Courtney as Joe reminded me of Henry Thomas in E.T. (note that Spielberg is a producer on Super 8). Joe and his ragtag friends perfectly evoke The Sandlot, Stand by Me, and The Goonies. American classics complete with train tracks, rivalries, that one loose cannon, and the father who can’t quite connect with his son. What could be more traditional than that? And if Alice Deinard looks familiar, it’s probably because she’s played by Elle Fanning (Dakota’s sister).

There’s not too much more to say without giving away some of the film’s surprises. Much to my satisfaction Super 8 is more action-adventure than scary movie, as the trailer had led me to believe. Don’t you hate how misleading those things can be? Just goes to show you can’t always believe what you see. Though in the world of Super 8, some things simply have to be seen to be believed.