Like seeing an old favorite for the first time

Rating: 9/10 (19 June 2011)

Super 8
Right off the bat, I have to say that this movie pays homage and reminds me of so many movies that I love: E.T, The Goonies, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, District 9, Cloverfield (ok, I didn't actually see that one). It has a little bit of Lost thrown in, but all in all, it is a thoroughly enjoyable JJ Abrams creation. Super 8, set in 1979, is about a group of kids who are making a zombie film for a super 8 film contest. One night, in the middle of filming, they witness an extraordinary train crash, created by an apparently insane motorist who drives his truck on to the tracks, directly in the way of the oncoming train. There is a terrific explosion--one that actually seems too far-fetched to be plausible (I used to live 60 feet from train tracks and have seen the results of a derailment, so my BS meter was going off--but I held it in check--besides, there does turn out to be an explanation for thisÂ…) and this sets off the chain of events which involves a military cover-up and one very-angry-but possibly-misunderstood-alien who, as it turns out, really just wants to go home. If it doesn't sound like the first time you've heard this, well, it isn't. But ten minutes into this film, it won me over. The parallels to the movies listed above are obvious: an alien who wants to go home (E.T.), a conspiracy with a large dose of "what the hell?" happening (Lost, Close Encounters) a misunderstood alien who is ultimately a benevolent being (E.T., District 9), and a plucky group of young kids who save the day (Goonies.) Plus there is a sweet tale of adolescent first crush, first love set against the background of tragedy which is almost universal. Yeah--while I can't say I haven't seen any of this before, I find myself absolutely delighted by the way this all turned out. You could certainly do much worse than to pay homage to Spielberg. Super 8 is a wonderful film that is worth seeing if only to remind us of what it felt like to be a kid and to see any of your favorite movies for the first time.