More than the sum of its parts

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2011)

Essentially a pastiche of numerous other movies and film tropes you've seen countless times before (think "E.T.", "The Goonies," and "Close Encounters" with a dash of "Romeo & Juliet"), "Super 8" is that oddly appealing kind of film that amounts to more than the sum of its parts. There's actually nothing original about this film that focuses on a group of middle school students making a zombie movie in their Midwestern town in 1979. Their quaint enterprise is disrupted by a cinematically epic train crash (the most impressive sequence in the entire film) that signifies, of course, more than meets the eye. The titular camera plays a pivotal role in unraveling the mystery behind the train crash, as do our intrepid young hero and his star-crossed crush (the daughter of the town drunk/ne'er do well who may or may not have been responsible for the death of our hero's mother). Despite the clichéd ingredients, this film boasts a strong heart and a dedication to classic narrative and character development—elements that make this film much better than your typical mindless summer blockbuster.