Even though it's only June 12, I've already seen some really enjoyable movies this year—The Adjustment Bureau, Thor, Win Win, X-Men: First Class and The Hangover II. And while there are some eagerly anticipated movies still to come this summer (not to mention for Oscar season later in the year), I can unequivocally say that one of my favorite movies of 2011 will be Super 8.
Many summer movies tend to be big, fast, loud and heavy on special effects. While there are parts of Super 8 that are all of those things, at its heart, this is a small movie about growing up in a more innocent time, when "rush" film delivery took at least three days, when kids knew how to drive a car at 12 or 13, when zombie and disaster stories still held power over kids. It's 1979 in the small town of Lillian, OH. Joe Lamb (played by film newcomer Joel Courtney) and his friends are making a super 8 movie when they witness a catastrophic train crash one night. They are both curious and frightened about what happened, and as things (and people) in Lillian start disappearing, and the military takes over the town, the kids don't know whether to keep what they saw a secret or tell someone in authority, like Joe's father, the deputy sheriff (played by Kyle Chandler). And then all hell breaks loose...
This movie startled me and even scared me in places, and it also left me laughing, emotionally drained and fulfilled. That's a tall order for a movie, but Super 8 accomplishes all of it, and does so by making you care about the characters as it rivets you to your seat. Definitely the best movie I've seen so far this year. See it!
I've been wanting to see this, but your review is making it official!
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