Not a super 8, but I say it is a solid seven.

Rating: 7/10 (18 June 2011)

Went to this film hoping it would be a bit of a throwback type film of the 80's, the one's featuring a group of kids in a crazy situation. Basically something that is a bit like "The Explorers", "Goonies" and a couple of other movies. You know, the one's where the children are actually likable characters before the 90's came and made them brats who were always outwitting adults...'cough' home along 'cough'. This film I happily say did that, I enjoyed the kids and I can imagine a couple of them going on to have very solid movie careers. The movie was not perfect, however, which is why I give it only a seven rather than a higher score. The film is about a boy who has recently lost his mother, he and a group of boys are making a movie for one of them to enter into a super 8 film festival. They are making a zombie film and the boy who lost his mother does the makeup. He and his father are distant with each other, the father seemingly wants to send the boy away to a camp of some sort. Well one night while filming a scene for their movie at a train station a train comes barreling down the tracks. A truck seems to get on the tracks and the train gets derailed in glorious fashion. This is one of the highlights of the film, watching the children run as the train explodes and debris falls everywhere. Well there was something on this train that brings the military to town and the boys along with a girl who has ties to a person that the boy's father who is a deputy associates with the death of his mother end up having to unravel some of the mystery behind what was on the train and why the truck literally went on the tracks. It was good, however, I kind of wish the boy who lost his mother's friends were in it a bit more, at times they paid to much attention to the one kid and the others were good too. There seemed to be more development warranted as some of the scenes with the one boy and girl were a bit to much of a bummer. I also did not care for the conclusion all that much as it was a bit anti climatic as it was really good with the town under siege and the underground scene, but kind of ended with a whimper. I also wish all the kids got to play a bigger role during the last scenes as two got left behind to quickly. However, overall the film was enjoyable, however parents be warned. This is not a PG movie that barely became PG-13, I would say it is a PG-13 that likely came close to being rated R as it is not really overly bloody or anything of that nature, but there is quite a bit of language in this one. Funny, it is like the second film of 2011 to be rated PG-13 that I have seen that has had the F word in it. Probably more than the last two or three summers combined. Once again good film, just not super.