Super 8 is a wonderful coming of age story embedded in a sci fi action thriller. A group of small town kids in the 1970s are making their own horror movie when a spectacular train crash unleashes a space alien threat government disinformation. The real achievement in this film is the story of the kids – their speech, actions, fears and hopes are written to be utterly authentic. I can’t think of a movie that does a better job of depicting American 11 to 13-year-olds.
The special effects are top-rate, especially the train wreck and the alien creature. But the adult characters who propel the sci fi story are shallow and two-dimensional.
Nevertheless, director J.J. Abrams (Lost, Cloverfield) has created a very special coming of age film. I liked it.
As a coming of age story, would you say that Joe’s main conflict with the society he is living in is that he is interested in filmmaking and costume makeup unlike most boys?
No, I would say that Joe’s main conflict with society is that he is an adolescent and is experiencing the same awkwardness and uncertainty about where he fits in as do most of his peers. What distinguishes him from his peers is his INTEREST in filmmaking – which filmmaker JJ Abrams probably relates to very personally.