Bring Back Sci-Fi

Rating: 7/10 (5 August 2015)

Science Fiction is a genre that its hard to pull off. I'd put it on the same difficulty scale as Comedies. Every person has their own expectations and preferences when it comes to these genres. Some people will be impressed by the material while others will scoff at it. Super 8 received mixed reviews and I think that could be attributed to different people having different expectations.
For me this Sci-Fi renewed my faith in the genre. Amidst the many remakes, sequels, and superhero movies there haven't been much show of original stories in recent years. Super 8 took a few ingredients from other successful Sci-Fi films and blended them together to make a up to date recipe. Now some people might not like this, but I think J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek) did an excellent job bringing back Sci-Fi. It may be an old wine but it's in a new bottle.
Super 8 follows the story of Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) and his friends as they try to make a short film. While the group shoot at nearby train station they experience an event that they know they need to keep secret. After the incident mysterious happenings occur in their town and the kids realize that what they experienced might have more consequences than the single incident.
The film impresses on a lot of levels. The writing and the directing is something you come to expect from J.J. Abrams. And the cinematography is excellent. But what stands out are the performances. Joel Courtney does a solid job of leading the film at such a young age. And opposite him Elle Fanning (Deja Vu, Babel) makes her presence known as Alice Dainard. A nice surprise is Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) playing Joe Lamb's father.
All in all this film did a decent job of doing a well celebrated genre justice. Your preferences may be different to what this film offers, but it is definitely one to watch to see if it does meet your expectations.