The summer of 1979 in Lillian, Ohio was unforgettable to say the least. Super 8 on this week’s #ThrowbackThursday.
Movie: Super 8 (2011)
Director: JJ Abrams
Producer: Steven Spielberg, JJ Abrams, Bryan Burk
Cast: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee
In a year that saw hype for Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides, X-Men: First Class and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Super 8 flew under the radar in 2011. The film from JJ Abrams (Star Trek, Lost) and Steven Spielberg (Indiana Jones, ET) is essentially two movies in one.
Jack Lamb (Courtney) loses his mother in an accident and found solace through helping with a zombie film. One fateful night at the train station changes everything for the six friends.
I’ll get straight to the point: The movie is believable and tastefully done. The kids are not too bratty. The townspeople are not over-dramatic. The visitor has a genuine motive and is not over the top.
Super 8 echoes themes from classic coming of age films like The Goonies and The Sandlot. The young cast gives an excellent performance. Fanning and Courtney show great on-screen chemistry and an innocent attraction lost in recent films.
It’s hard to believe that a movie like this could get lost at the box office but find this gem on DVD/Blu-Ray and enjoy it tonight!
