Super Eight

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Super 8

Rated: PG-13

Run Time: 112 minutes

This summer’s box office hit, Super 8 is a sci-fi film that engages audiences from the very start to its ingenious end.

Super 8, written and directed by J.J. Abrams (Fringe, Lost), stars Elle Fanning (The Nutcracker in 3D, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) Amanda Muchalka (Cow Belles, Secretariat), Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights, King Kong), and newcomer Joel Courtney.

The time period is 1979, set in a small Ohio steel town. Joe (Joel Courtney), four months after suffering a heartbreaking event, is helping his middle-school friends, led by Charles (Riley Griffiths), a film director-hopeful, shoot a Super 8 zombie movie for a film contest at an abandoned train station when they realized they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are witnesses to a devastating train wreck and discover the driver of the pick up truck involved is their high school science teacher, Dr. Woodward (Glynn Turman). Miraculously, Dr. Woodward survives but warns the kids to run and never tell anyone what they have seen or they and their families will die. The teens scramble to gather the camera, film, and other belongings when authorities arrive at the scene. However, unbeknownst to the group, as they escape during the explosion, the video camera that had crashed to the ground, was still recording the goings on of the mangled mess.

Strange things begin to happen throughout the town such as cats and dogs disappearing, electrical power lines and car batteries are stolen, and dark shadows and garbled noises are seen and heard in the distance.  Joe’s father, Deputy Sheriff Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler) takes over the police precinct when Sheriff Pruit (Brett Rice) mysteriously turns up missing. The police department is flooded with phone call after phone call of missing animals, peculiar behavior with electronic devices, and power outages. A town hall meeting is held where nervous neighbors begin to voice their opinions, express fear, and demand more is done to protect the town’s citizens.

Sheriff Jackson takes on a personal mission to solve some unanswered questions but runs into opposition with the military who have somewhat taken over the investigation and are operating under secrecy. He becomes suspicious when a horde of military tanks and vehicles inundate the streets as they head in the direction of the train wreck site. But he is sidelined when a meeting with the Seargent Walters (Tony Guma) goes awry and he is now held captive.

During the oddities and chaos surrounding them and in the town, Joe and his teen crush, Alice Dainard (Elle Fanning), a rebellious pre-teen who steals her dad’s car in order to drive the group to the train tracks to film, begin to develop strong feelings toward each other. It seems both teens are very much alike; misunderstood and find comfort in one another. As latch key kids, both teens often arrive home from school alone. Alice’s dad, Louis (Ron Eldard) is an alcoholic single father and is referred to by Sheriff Jackson as “trouble.” Louis forbids Alice from hanging around Joe, “the sheriff’s son” while Sheriff Jackson prohibits Joe from “running around and doing the things you do with [Alice and] your friends.”

This coming-of-age film is action-packed to include some comedic moments, friendship bantering, superb acting and incredible scenes. The story line revolves around the train wreck and what the group witness and discover. It isn’t until Charles picks up the video film he dropped off to be developed that he and Joe uncover the truth behind the deliberate suicidal-rescue-mission of their science teacher. They now know the train wreck was no accident.

Super 8 makes great use of murky backgrounds and eerie music to set the tone of this mystifying film. The movie is sure to have audiences on the edge of their seats, scratching their head with bemusement, while cheering for hero.

The summer’s must-see movie, Super 8 is filled with drama, action, suspense, comedy, bone-chilling special effects and gut-wrenching sound effects and is highly recommended by this film critic.

Rating: A-