Super 8

When I reviewed X-Men:First Class I indicated that while the movie was entertaining it certainly wasn't worth seeing at 12:01. While worth the price of admission it wasn't worth getting to bed that late. I am happy to say that Super 8 would have truly been worth the late bedtime. If you enjoyed movies like The Goonies then you will love this movie. It has all the ingredients you would expect a movie like this to have. There are true moments of charm, heartbreak, excitement, fear, and love. Super 8 is a job well done by JJ Abrams.

I haven't always been a fan of JJ. I completely missed his work when Felicity was on the air and I never did get into his Alias tv show or the phenomenon that was Lost. I did enjoy his work on the last Mission Impossible movie though the plot did have that network TV feel to it. JJ finally impressed me with Cloverfield. He didn't direct it but he did produce it. It was entertaining and I really enjoyed the premise so I didn't hesitate to see his Star Trek reboot back in 2009. That movie whetted my appetite for Super 8 and JJ did not let me down. In my opinion Super 8 has a bit of E.T. in it. Okay it actually has a lot of E.T. in it but that's never a bad thing.

The story behind Super revolves around Joe Lamb played by newcomer Joel Courtney and this kid actor carries the movie like a seasoned professional. He's joined by his four friends Cary played by Ryan Lee, Preston played by Zach Mills, Martin played by Gabriel Basso, and Charles played by Riley Griffiths. Charles is a filmmaker and the group of kids are all knee deep in making Charles' zombie movie a reality and to make it competition worthy. Charles enlists Alice Dainard played by Elle Fanning to be the wife of the male lead in his movie "The Case" and they are filming a touching scene at the train station when a US Air Force train is derailed by Glynn Turman who plays middle school teacher Dr. (Old man) Woodward. The kids flee, their camera falls and captures not just the derailment but the creature that is freed in the process.

Odd things begin happening in the small town of Lillian Ohio like the dogs fleeing to the neighboring counties, electronics vanishing, and power outages. Suddenly the towns people start missing. The military then gets involved and as well know when the military gets involved nothing good comes from it and things go from bad to worse. Kyle Chandler plays Jackson Lamb who is Joe's dad and a deputy on the police force. When the sheriff ends up missing the job falls to Jackson to look after the town and soon he gives into his suspicions as to what's going on in Lillian and starts looking for answers.

There aren't many mistakes or holes in this movie and the DVD will indeed fit comfortably alongside The Goonies and other movies of the sort where the world is seen through adolescents eyes. Super 8 is loud and the score put together by Michael Giacchino who's done some great work for movies like The Incredibles, JJ's Star Trek, Up, and Mission Impossible III is sadly forgettable. Fret not my dear readers for yet again this is a movie that really didn't need any music (although I do wonder what the maestro John Williams could have done to enhance this movie with his music). JJ does have one annoying thing and it's that "light glare" that flashes across the screen. He did it almost non stop in Star Trek and does it a lot in 8 but that's nitpicking. All in all this is a great start to the summer movie season and I highly recommend it so GO SEE THIS MOVIE! And I'll see you at the theater.

P.S. Stay through the credits so you can see Charles' zombie movie by Romero Productions (wink wink). It's hilarious.