Rent Super 8 on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: J.J. Abrams
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Elle Fanning, AJ Michalka, Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney, Ron Eldard, Glynn Turman, Noah Emmerich
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.
Verdict
This is a modern remake of Spielberg's kid centered movies. It's a grand adventure that only a group of kids can solve, though I wish this did a better job of developing the secondary characters. Each of them only gets one defining characteristic. This pushes a little too hard for emotional moments and payoffs, but its goal of capturing that hope as a child for an adventure in your backyard and the associated wonder makes this such a fun nostalgia trip if you grew up on Spielberg movies.
Watch It.
Review
This captures some great emotion in the beginning. Joe (Joel Courtney) is dealing with the loss of his mother, but he and his friends create movies which help distract him. Being a period piece, they use Super 8 cameras to film their zombie, detective movie.
The plot kicks off as the kids are filming a scene at a train platform. It's quite the coincidence they happen to be there just as a government train passes and someone in a truck tries to derail the train. The train explosion is too big considering none of the kids were hit with shrapnel while being nearly at ground zero. The question quickly becomes, what was on this train?
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| Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee play Joe, Charles, Cary |
This hits nostalgia hard, either what you experienced as a kid, what you imagined childhood was like in the 70s, or what you wished your childhood was like. Joe and Alice (Elle Fanning) begin liking each other, and the movie handles that gently. They're kindred spirits, and their bond only grows when Joe's dad Jack (Kyle Chandler) forbids him from hanging out with Alice. Joe's dad is also trying to find answers about the crash, but is beleaguered by the military presence that takes over the town.
Taking inspiration from Spielberg movies, a ragtag group of kids pulls together to solve the mystery that adults can't. They find the clues to answer the questions and are essential in the climax of the movie. As an adult, I question that, but as a kid I loved movies that put children as the protagonists. I wish the other kids had more characterization. While Joe and Alice are developed well enough, Joe's friends are rather flat, present just as plot devices. The children do a great job of acting, but outside of the two leads, they don't have much to do.
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| Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney play Alice, Joe |
The movie sets up many sentimental moments, but they begin to feel too crafted. These moments strive for maximum emotional impact that veers towards manipulation. This sets Joe up with a hardship to overcome, a love interest to save, and a monster only he can understand. That's fine, but this movie also turns the reason Joe's dad doesn't like Alice's dad into a gotcha moment.
This movie has a great look and style. It's a fun adventure that's a call back to movies of the '80s. While this includes a monster/alien, the movie does a great job of not showing too much too soon. The focus is Joe and his journey, the alien serves as the plot catalyst.
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