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

11 wins & 70 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

SPOILER: 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:

small town | retro | train crash | ohio | shooting movie | 

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Taglines:

It arrives.

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Genres:

Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and some drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film according to J.J. Abrams was homage to the producer of the film, Steven Spielberg, and his films of the 1970s ranging reverence from Spielberg's directorial films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) to Spielberg's produced films like The Goonies (1985).

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Goofs

When the deputies are eavesdropping on USAF communications via radio, an airman can be heard saying Lima (as in the NATO phonetic alphabet). However, he pronounces it the wrong way, saying "LIE-MUH" (as in the Ohioan city), rather than "LEE-MUH", which is the correct pronunciation.

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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

Charles's completed zombie movie is shown during the closing credits.

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Alternate Versions

In the original theatrical version some shot of Jen Kaznyk walk to Donny in the evacuation center are cut from the DVD version

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Father and Son Movies (2014)

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Soundtracks

Bye Bye Love
Written by Ric Ocasek
Performed by The Cars
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Nostalgia Not of the Cynical Kind

It is nostalgia ridden like many other films have been this past decade, the only difference is it's not of the cynical kind.

The film's narrative FELT all over the place (probably more the plot than the narrative) - there was a certain tightness missing from this that was present in J.J. Abrams' previous film but, other than that, everything else did exactly what it's supposed to. The kids are both engaging and entertaining, the monster turns out to be quite frightening, the dialogue's great, the acting's great, visual effects, cinematography- everything's on point.

It felt like I was watching a proper film! I mean it seems too much to ask for from our blockbusters these days.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [South Korea]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Super 8

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$35,451,168, 12 June 2011

Gross USA:

$127,004,179

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$260,095,986

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Bad Robot

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1