Super 8 (2011)

During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.

Director:

J.J. Abrams

Writer:

J.J. Abrams

Stars:

Elle Fanning, AJ Michalka, Kyle Chandler

10 wins & 52 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joel Courtney	...	Joe Lamb
Jessica Tuck	...	Mrs. Kaznyk
Joel McKinnon Miller	...	Mr. Kaznyk
Ryan Lee	...	Cary
Zach Mills	...	Preston
Riley Griffiths	...	Charles Kaznyk
Gabriel Basso	...	Martin
Kyle Chandler	...	Deputy Jackson Lamb
Ron Eldard	...	Louis Dainard
AJ Michalka	...	Jen Kaznyk
Andrew Miller	...	Kaznyk Twin
Jakob Miller	...	Kaznyk Twin
Jade Griffiths	...	Benji Kaznyk
Britt Flatmo	...	Peg Kaznyk
Elle Fanning	...	Alice Dainard

Storyline

In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth - something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

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Plot Keywords:

group of friends | train crash | make up | disappearance | small town | 

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Taglines:

It arrives.

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Genres:

Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [South Korea]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 2011 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Супер 8

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$35,451,168 (USA) (10 June 2011)

Gross:

$126,975,169 (USA) (23 September 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Bad Robot

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

J.J. Abrams:  Dressed as a soldier coming out of the jeep he is driving at 01:08:15.

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Goofs

The police car lacks a partition between the front and rear seats.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mrs. Kaznyk: I'm so worried for that boy.
Mr. Kaznyk: Joe's gonna be okay.
Mrs. Kaznyk: She was everything to him.
Mr. Kaznyk: Jack's gonna step up. He's a good man.
Mrs. Kaznyk: But he's never had to be a father before. I don't think he understands Joe.

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Crazy Credits

After the end credits finish rolling and the Knack's My Sharona simultaneously finishes playing, a small piece of Michael Giacchino's score begins to play over a black screen and then end over the Paramount logo.

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Connections

References Cloverfield (2008)

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Soundtracks

My Sharona
Written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger
Performed by The Knack
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

Spielberg's and Abrams' outstanding cooperation

I remember being only one of the handful of people in Budapest who wanted to see this film in original version (i.e. English audio, no subtitles) on one hot Friday evening in the summer of 2011. It is a shame everything gets dubbed in cinemas in Hungary these days. Nevertheless, it is lucky for us that there is always a place somewhere in the capital where the theatre shows American films in the form they were intended to be presented to the audience.

The movie takes place in 1979, if I am not mistaken. As one could expect from Mr Spielberg the era is presented meticulously. Movie posters here and there, kid listening to his Walkman, old cars driven on the streets and of course the children trying to shoot their dream movie with the use of a Super 8 camera.

I do not remember when was the last time I saw children acting superbly. Although the main character's father, the deputy in the town, has a vital role, as well, he is not in the focus and we are more interested in seeing the kids' struggle to finish the film even after the derailment of a train and the subsequent appearance of the US Air Force.

I am not lying to you: I was afraid Spielberg would not be enough to make it a successful movie and J.J Abrams would only mess up the story. If you think about it: Cloverfeld meets the Extra Terrestrial? Come on!

Yet, it works! It is a wonderful piece of work which, yes, most of the time reminds us of the small alien who wanted to go home but it's been almost 30 years since then so should it really be a concern that someone tries to borrow elements from a successful movie?

I was stuck to my seat the whole time and was eagerly waiting for the end of a wonderful journey. If you did not like the trailer there is no point in ruining your evening. However, if you did like it and E.T. was something that makes you remember your childhood vividly, give it a try, you will not regret it!

I give it a solid 8 out of 10. Well done, guys! Hope to see the result of your further cooperation sometime in the future.