'Super 8' Movie Review

'Super 8' Movie Review, Written by: Karen Benardello


Summer is once again starting, offering more adventures for kids who are off from school. Director, writer and producer J.J. Abrams is once again showing the fascinating journeys children get into in his new sci-fi film 'Super 8.' While some people may feel that the sci-fi genre only targets young boys, 'Super 8' proves the genre can be interesting for everyone if it includes relatable characters and an emotional backstory.

'Super 8' follows Joe Lamb (played by Joel Courtney), a 13-year-old from the fictional town of Lillian, Ohio, as he's dealing with the recent death of his mother, who was crushed to death in an industrial accident. Joe is having a hard time connecting to his father, Lillian deputy Jackson Lamb (portrayed by Kyle Chandler), who is more comfortable working than being a father.

Four months after his mother's death, during the summer of 1979, Joe and his friends Charles (played by Riley Griffiths), Preston (portrayed by Zach Mills), Martin (played by Gabriel Basso) and Carey (portrayed by Ryan Lee) are busy working on their zombie movie that they want to enter into a film festival. They convince their classmate Alice Dainard (played by Elle Fanning) to take her father Louis' (portrayed by Ron Eldard) car, drive them to a train depot and star in their Super 8 movie. While filming, Joe and his friend witness a truck, driven by their biology teacher Dr. Woodward (played by Glynn Turman), drive onto the tracks to cause a train to derail.

The Air Force arrives in Lillian, and Colonel Nelec (portrayed by Noah Emmerich) tries to get Jackson to stay out of his way while he cleans up the wreckage. Meanwhile Joe and his friends are determined to finish their movie and investigate the crash without Jackson's knowledge. They discover that an alien was aboard the train, and try to figure out what to do next.



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