Super 8 was one of those summer movies I really looked forward to but, honestly, I had no idea what it was about. Like most of J.J. Abram’s teaser trailers there was a lot of fascinating mystery but not a lot of context. Regardless, it was a Abrams/Spielberg sci-fi film so it remained on my ‘must-see’ list.

So while the early commercials and trailers were vague about the plot, let me assure you that there is plenty of plot. I will try to summarize.

The film takes place in the late 1970’s with a  group of middle-school boys attempting to film a zombie movie on their super 8 camera. While recording a scene they witness a violent train wreck that releases a creature into their small town.

The film then progresses into a monster movie/science fiction/ conspiracy theory type plot.  Although, that doesn’t mean that the movie loses the characters. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the characters hold the heart of this film. The alien element is just a background piece to the developing relationships of the boys and their families.

My absolute favorite detail about this film is the 12-13 years old boys.  I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a film where the 12 year old boys were so accurately portrayed.

What makes this film so refreshing is the marriage of new-style mystery that J.J. Abrams brings to the table with this kind of 1970’s and 80’s sci-fi nostalgia that Speilberg brings. It’s easy to see the influences in this film – Goonies, Close Encounters and E.T. are but a few films that come to mind.

Super 8 stands out this summer because is stands on its own two feet. It’s a homage to films that were made merely to tell a good story and it tells a great story!