Sunday, July 10, 2011

Super 8 is Super Great!

Super 8, Steven Spielberg’s latest film follows the adventures of six teenagers after witnessing an intense train accident in 1979. Joe Lamb (Joel Cartney), grieving the recent loss of his mother, lives with his estranged father (Kyle Chandler), the police deputy of the town.  Sneaking out one summer's evening to film an amateur movie with his friends and their “super eight” camera, they happen to be at the right place at the right time.  Unbeknownst to them until later, they capture footage of the fateful evening at the train stop.  Things then exacerbate themselves, and the six kids then continue to investigate the strange phenomenon. 
Teaming up with J.J. Abrams was a smart move for Spielberg.  Although this film may seem like an E.T. knockoff, it does have its own personality.  As disaster strikes Joe’s Midwest town, he begins to learn more about himself, along with the girl he liked for what seemed forever, (Elle Fanning).  Super 8 is unsuspecting as well; one may not expect the sensitive undertones to be present throughout it.  The special effects for the train scene and further along in the movie were spectacular.   
The film, according to J.J. Abrams, was homage to the producer of the film, Steven Spielberg and his 1970's films ranging reverence from Spielberg's directorial films like "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" to Spielberg's produced films like "The Goonies." I found this particularly interesting because it pulls certain elements from his earlier movies into his most recent. 
After unorthodox disappearances pop up throughout their town, Joe and his friends learn just how unpredictable life can be, along with what "production value" is all about!

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