Super 8

In the summer of 1979, strange things are happening in a small Ohio town. Animals are inexplicably running away. People are vanishing into thin air. Mysterious events are occurring all over the town. It all started with a massive train crash witnessed by a group of friends making a movie with their super 8 camera. Now, with the US Army bearing down upon the town, the friends must try to stop whatever is happening when one of them vanishes as well, whilst one of their fathers, the local Deputy (Chandler), tries to unravel the growing conspiracy behind the crash and events.

Super 8 is director J.J. Abrams homage to Steven Spielberg’s films of the late 70s/early 80s. It deals with similar themes, similar ideas, and is even set in the same timeframe. The amount of care Abrams has taken is clear, and it helps make Super 8 stand out from the other SciFi movies making the rounds. It’s a film you can tell the director enjoyed making as much as people will enjoy watching it.

What also helps Super 8 stand tall is its cast. The adults all put in good performances, especially Chandler as the deputy trying to uncover the truth whilst repairing his relationship with his son. But it’s the cast of young actors who really stand out. Though each is a relative newcomer, they all easily outdo the adults, showing enough fear, wonder and amazement that you really become drawn into their predicament as they try to come to terms with not only the strange goings-on, but also the problems of growing up.

In the end, Super 8 is a film that works both as a homage, and a summer SciFi movie. J.J. Abrams clearly sees himself as something of a modern Spielberg, and with Super 8, he might just have a point.

Thomas Freeman