Super 8

SUPER 8 (2011) - June 11, 2011
A kind of great movie about a group of kids who, while making a zombie movie on Super 8, find themselves embroiled in some sinister shenanigans revolving around a mysterious creature.  Featuring some really effective direction from J.J. Abrams, the film is in no hurry to get to the action or to show you the alien creature, and it's all the better for it.  The main group of kids are all really likable and feel like real people, rather than the wacky, wisecrack-spouting teens that you might expect from a Hollywood film.  The performances are all top-shelf, particularly Joel Courtney (in his first movie role) and Elle Fanning, whose sweet romance gives the film much of its emotional heft (along with a subplot involving the main character getting over the death of his mother, a subplot which packs a surprising amount of depth for a summer film, and which never feels treacly or manipulative).  But yes, this is still a summer movie, and on that level it suceeds spectacularly -- an early set-piece involving a crashing train is absolutely thrilling, and the action-heavy third act fares just as well.  A lot has been made about the debt that this film owes to something like E.T., but aside from the general setting and the last moments (it's pretty much the exact same ending as E.T.), it's definitely its own movie.  ****