Super 8

JJ Abrams' follow up to Star Trek is this creature feature throwback about a group of Midwest kids who find themselves in the middle of an Air Force research project cover-up that destroys their whole town and turns their lives upside down.

Kudos to Abrams and Spielberg for keeping this project shrouded in mystery virtually up until the release. Teased for months, there was little in terms of Internet leaks that would spoil the plot. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot to the plot, or anything magical, which is what I was kind of expecting.

A group of middle school kids who are hellbent on filming a zombie movie and submitting it for an amateur contest are filming a critical scene when a tremendous train crash rocks their worlds. This particular scene was extremely well done, and having seen it in IMAX, this scene alone makes the additional investment worthwhile. The kids are scared, but return to their normal lives until strange things start happening. They realize that they have captured something out of this world on their Super 8 camera, and become a part of the evil military quarantine of their town.

Where it goes from there is mostly predictable, taking cues from such classics as ET, Explorers, Stand By Me, and Signs (that's right, I went there). The kids mature throughout the process and grow closer together, and endure an experience that shatters their innocence all at once.

This film is a fresh departure from the safe superhero genre, and carves a deeper grove in Abrams' niche as a master monster filmmaker. He captured the essence that he was going for, a nostalgic trip back in time to the 70's, and with the focus on the kids, it was a deliberate success.

Abrams excels at explosions and special effects. Not in the way that Michael Bay does, but in a more clever and intriguing way. There is a mystical sense to his craft that lures the viewer with movie magic that has been missing for a long time. His teaming with Steven Spielberg is brilliant, and I imagine that they will produce more successful sci-fi flicks together in the future.

I really liked the ambition of the project, and the simplicity of how it turned out, but I think there was a bit of a misstep in the target audience. I love the boldness of bringing a group of kids in the middle of a monster movie. It is what embodied the beauty of ET, and is what I was expecting to see a bit more of in Super 8. What Abrams did though, was up the ante just a bit too much with foul language throughout and quite a bit of violence that didn't seem to mesh entirely with the mood. They could have easily done this movie with a hard PG or soft PG-13 rating, and it would have been much more true to the genre it is reviving, and I think it would have been better received.

That being my only complaint, it was a pretty cool movie, and the scenes with the creature were extremely well-done. The cast of unknown kids carried the movie nicely and it did evoke a sense of nostalgia for a simpler time with muscle cars, no technology, and bad fashion. Kids riding bikes to each others houses, being trusted to stay out late in their communities, and getting outside and playing. No Facebook, iPods, or texting. It's a refreshing thing to see. 7/10.