If you are looking for a fun Christmas gift for someone this year, Super 8 is one of those movies to own. My husband thinks it might be the best movie of 2011, but he grew up loving E.T., The Goonies, and such. Super 8 fits in right along with the best of movies starring children. I find it somewhat funny and ironic that though Super 8 was made this year (unlike those other child-star greats from the 1980's) it takes place in 1979. And though J.J. Abrams is the director, Steven Spielberg had his hand in the making of this movie, too.
Super 8 is the story of a group of kids making their own movie when they witness a train crash with inexplicable repercussions...like the teacher who was there to make sure the train crashed or the soldiers who followed and tried to clean up the mess quietly without local police involvement or the disappearance of certain people and all dogs. When their film reveals the truth behind it all, the kids rally behind Joe Lamb to become the town's heroes in a truly Spielberg-like grand finale.
Here's a nod to the kids who pull off this brilliant acting job: Joel Courtney as Joe Lamb, Elle Fanning as Alice (Amazing!), Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, and Zach Mills. While Joel Courtney is brilliant throughout, it's especially interesting to watch Elle Fanning (Dakota Fanning's sister) turn on her acting for the kids' movies while she's still in character as Alice. She's acting on two levels then!
Super 8 is rated PG-13 appropriately. Be warned that the kids swear all the time. It's wrong, yeah, but it comes across as funny because you get the sense that the kids are trying to be cool and grown-up. There's also some intense sci-fi action and violence. The movie trailers were never too clear, but I think by now, even if you haven't seen the movie, you've heard and I'm not spoiling it to say that this movie is about extra-terrestrial life. But then again, it's not. That's the cool thing about Super 8. There's a story for the big screen because of what happens with the train, but the real story is all about the kids and what's going on in their lives. It's about kids needing their parents and parents being too caught up in their own grief to see it until it's almost too late. It's about kids being kids. It's hilarious and heart-wrenching, and it might just take you right back to your own childhood. If the swearing doesn't bother you and you don't mind suspense (oh, and a little fake zombie gore), you can't help but love Super 8.
Five stars!
I knew you and Nick would love it.
ReplyDelete