Super 8 (2011)

Fresh from my first viewing of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, I was definitely ready for JJ Abrams' 70's-set sci-fi adventure Super 8. While filming a zombie movie for a local film festival, a group of nerdy middle-schoolers find themselves in the middle of a massive train wreck. Their camera captures evidence of an alien creature escaping amidst the chaos, and soon the kids begin to pick up on strange happenings around their town- including missing appliances, engines, dogs, and people. Joe (Joel Courtney), the quiet make-up artist mourning the death of his mother, and his crush Alice (Elle Fanning), slowly piece together the mystery as the military moves in to seal off the town.

Many have criticized Super 8 for being too derivative, and it's true it really does nothing new, but I think it's just the right amount of modern-age genre mashup and referential throwback. It's packed with nostalgic touches and a true sense of wonder, coupled with Abrams' eye for destruction and penchant for lens flare (which is ridiculous but sort of endearing). It's true the CGI is a little off-putting and the alien is too Cloverfield-y, but for the most part it all works because the monster is rarely the focus. Most of its appearances are fleeting and mysterious, with strange sounds or violent kidnappings by an unseen force, recalling the smoke monster in Lost or even the aliens in Monsters.

The kids are great. I'm liking Elle Fanning more and more between this and Somewhere, she's adorable and genuine and wonderfully subtle for a young actress. All the boys in the film crew are cute and funny, resembling the awkward group of "Geeks" in Freaks and Geeks, and the final cut of their film is hilarious. Joel Courtney is a bit flat at times, but so likable and unaffected it didn't matter. I think what affects people the most about Super 8 is how it reminds viewers of childhood, and how we all saw things at their age, and I give a lot of credit to the performances for that.

It's not perfect, but it's downright FUN and I'm so glad I saw it in a theater. Super 8 is just right for a summer night, whether you're a kid with a yen for adventure or a grown-up who wishes the world was still full of possibilities.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Well of course it's easy to put it with The Goonies or Close Encounters, and that would be great, but I'm putting forth Rare Exports, a fun and weird Finnish movie that has a few similarities (child protagonists, creature mystery, missing electronics, etc). Good times.