With its young heroes, small town innocence, and its aliens, Super 8 is clearly channeling the early films of Steven Spielberg. Riding the lines between E.T., The Goonies and Cloverfield, Super 8 is a welcoming addition to the field of films which feature child stars and alien visitors. Director J.J. Abrams blends the modern special effects in with the distinct feel of the 1970s very well, resulting in a film that is polished off and better than expected.
The film begins by introducing young Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney), the main protagonist in the story. His father (Kyle Chandler, King Kong) is the deputy Sheriff of the small Ohio town they live in, and his mother recently passed away due to an accident at the steel mill where she worked. Joe is a relatively quiet kid who builds model trains and shows interest in film. His friend Charles (Riley Griffiths) is an aspiring director and together with some other pals they begin to shoot a horror movie on an 8mm camera. They get a 14 year old named Alice (Elle Fanning) to be in the movie and to drive them to a train station after midnight to shoot a scene. A train begins to emerge from the blackness of the night, being heard more than seen, and Charles decides that having the train in the shot will raise the production value of the scene. A small pickup truck drives onto the tracks and then the train derails in a colossal explosion just after the station.
The children actors are all very good in this film. The leads are played primarily by lesser known kids, meaning that new talent is discovered here. Elle Fanning is great in the film, distinguishing herself from her sister as her own actress. Joel Courtney is the appropriate amount of brave and scared, and his talkative friend Charles is also well acted. Kyle Chandler plays the main adult well in a film primarily starring actors under the age of 15. He carries enough power onscreen that he keeps the film interesting, and he fits the role of the worried dad who is coping with work and his kid well.
Super 8 is a well made film, but it’s really two films in one. The first is the story of the children and their Super 8 horror movie turned real. The second is an alien invasion story in which the townspeople are kept in the dark from the Air Force’s secrets. The former shows the involvement of producer Steven Spielberg, while the latter displays Cloverfield and Star Trek director J.J. Abrams’ contribution. Abrams controls this blend of two films very well, Super 8 seems to possess a distinct 1970s feel of the Cold War and old film cameras, back when special effects were models and fake blood. Super 8 may lack in originality, but it definitely makes up for it in its style and captivating story. It’s not something you’ve never seen before, but its definitely something I will want to see again.