SUPER 8 – The Review

If you have any sort of affinity towards sci-fi, or just good movies, you need to see SUPER 8.

Joe and his friends love movies. In fact, they spend all of their free time making their very own zombie film. Then it happened. After sneaking out after curfew to get some night footage at the local train station, they witnessed a horrible train crash. The kids barely had time to think before the United States Air Force was scouring the area on an emergency clean up. What was on that train that would require the military to come in so fast, and why were they being so secretive. Despite the increasing presence of the military in their town, these kids continue on their mission… to finish their movie.

This movie knocked my socks off! I know this will be said a lot, but this film reminds me of a  THE GOONIES / CLOVERFIELD mash up, which are both great films. Needless to say, I was beyond pleased! This film had adventure, self discovery, action, comedy, zombies (for their film) AND AN ALIEN! WOW!

Joel Courtney, who plays the lead character of Joe Lamb is phenomenal. This is his first starring film, and he knocked it out of the park! His character is a quiet kid who just lost his mother to an accident at work. He is now forced to live with his father, who he has never been close to. His father (Kyle Chandler as Jackson Lamb) is a local police officer that bury’s himself in his work. The thing that I really enjoyed about Joel’s character is the depth. Sure, this kid is a bit of a pushover, but there is also a sense of kindness in his eyes. His character is extremely sentimental, and very well rounded. Watching the development from a quiet sheep, which his best friend Charles (Riley Griffiths) pushes around a great deal, to the brave, danger facing, alien chasing kid that we see at the end of the film is quite a journey. They took a great deal of time and care in creating this character, and it shows!

Joe Lamb’s friends are… well… awesome! Cary, played by Ryan Lee is my favorite of the friends by far! Not only does this kid have a mouth like a sailor, but he enjoys setting things on fire. Lee’s character adds a comedic tones that adds to the many elements of this film. Ryan Lee is a fantastic actor, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him on film! Elle Fanning (Alice Dainard) and Riley Griffiths (Charles) had the most screen time out of the friends. Fanning, playing Joe’s love interest, and Riley, playing the pushy best friend and director, both added some great elements to their characters. Fanning’s character played her “bad girl from a troubled home” with a richness. You can see right away that there is a lot brewing inside of her, especially the first time she rehearses her lines for their zombie film. Griffiths character tries to appear bossy and tough, but is the first to get scared when trouble hits. I always appreciate when things aren’t what they seem, especially in a character. I think this is the first movie in a very long time where I enjoyed every casting choice!

The effects in this film were superb! The train crash actually had me nervous as I watched. They didn’t go over the top with aliens and cheesy effects. Instead, the effects were used to enhance the story, and were done to perfection. Would I have liked to see a little more alien? Sure, but at the same time, I appreciate how the story was concentrated on the characters rather than focusing all of the attention on the alien. Spielberg has always done a great job of making aliens with depth, and this is no exception.

SPOILER BELOW

Towards the end of the film, I really felt horrible for how the human race treated that poor creature. Spielberg is very good about making sure that his creatures show their true emotions in their eyes (Perfect example, E.T.). Although there is only one major close up of the alien, they really captured his feelings.

END SPOILER

I could go on and on, or you can go see it for yourself. This whole movie blew me away! This film really shows what a bad ass J.J. Abrams is!

OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 5 stars