PAST MOVIE REVIEW
By: Ashley Hutcherson
“Super 8” is a movie based in the late 1970’s. The movie is about a group of kids doing what kids do best, having adventures.
These kids are smart and fearless reminding us of the gangs in “Stand By Me” and “The Goonies”, but the young people of “Super 8” stumble across something a little more intense and unexpectedly Sci-Fi.
J.J. Abrams (Lost) is the writer and director of Super 8 and Steven Spielberg is the producer. The film stars Elle Fanning (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) as Alice, Zach Mills (Changeling) as Preston, Joel Courtney as Joe, Riley Griffiths as Charles, Ryan Lee as Cary and Gabriel Basso as Martin.
The screen opens up to Joe on the day of his mother’s funeral, this scene gives a brief background of his life leading up to then and profiles each of the characters, but also leaves us wondering what exactly just happened…
The title of the film “Super 8” refers to the type of film the gang used to capture their movie.
After sneaking out and “borrowing” one of their parent’s cars, the gang heads to the train station. For once the chubby friend is the boss; Charles takes the lead as the producer/director of their film, putting personal feeling first and saying everything that comes to mind, as well as endangering his friends for the sake of the when he wants to get footage of a train.,
The train, with what seems to be government cargo, whips past and a man, who later is discovered to be a scientist, drives his truck on the tracks causing a big explosion. The camera was still filming when the explosion occurred.
When the tweens were reviewing the takes a few days later, it was revealed that something rather big escaped from the train…and may be the cause for all the weird things happening throughout town.
There is a preteen love triangle between Joe, Alice and Charles. Oh to be young and in love. Alice’s father seems a bit on edge about the whole situation, what is that all about?
Whilst all the personal drama is stirring, the creature from the train crash is kidnapping people, including members of the gang.
With brave faces, the group forms a rescue mission, where they go into the lair of the beast… team work at its best. Plus more explosions courtesy of Cary, the braces wearing special effects guy… The question is, do they make it out?
“Loving, Playful, and spectacularly well made, “Super 8” is easily the best summer movie of the year—of many years…” wrote Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly.
“In “Super 8”, Abrams makes us care. This movie, a true beauty, will put a spell on you,” wrote Peter Travers of Rolling Stone Magazine.
A.O. Scott of the New York Times wrote, “What you see—I’m not spoiling anything, just advising you not to leave your seat too soon—is a final cut of the Super 8 movie whose making has framed and punctuated the action of “Super 8”.”
Could these young actors become our generation’s brat pack? That would be a nice change of pace for Hollywood’s worn-out story lines and overly familiar faces.
“Super 8” is being presented by Campus life on September 23 at 8 and 10:30 p.m. in the Student Center. It will be released on DVD this November.
Check it out.
