Super 8 (film)

Super 8 is a science fiction film written and directed by J. J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film, starring Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, AJ Michalka, and Kyle Chandler, will be released on June 10, 2011 in conventional and IMAX theaters.

Production

Abrams and Spielberg collaborated in a storytelling committee to come up with the story for the film. The film was initially reported to be either a sequel or prequel to the 2008 film Cloverfield, but this was quickly refuted by Abrams. It is shot traditionally, and filming started in fall 2010. The teaser itself was filmed separately in April. This film is the first original J. J. Abrams film project for Amblin Entertainment, Bad Robot Productions, and Paramount Pictures will produce. Filming took place in Weirton, West Virginia, from September to October 2010.

Reviews

Initial response recorded by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes is acclaimed, with an approval score of 83% based of 46 critics, with a rating average of 8/10.

Jamie Graham of Total Film gave the film a five-star rating saying, "Like Spielberg, Abrams has an eye for awe, his deft orchestration of indelible images – a tank trundling through a children’s playground, a plot-pivotal landmark framed in the distance through a small hole in a bedroom wall – marking him as a born storyteller". Richard Corliss of TIME gave a similarly positive review, calling it "the year's most thrilling, feeling mainstream movie.

Synopsis

In 1979 the United States Air Force shuts down a portion of Area 51 and ships the material stored at the decommissioned site by rail to an undisclosed but secure location in Ohio. In the fictional town of Lillian, Ohio, a group of teenagers are making a movie with a Super 8 mm film camera when they witness a train crash. They suspect it was not an accident. There are disappearances and unexplained events around town, and the local deputy investigates the cause of the events leading to the discovery of something inhuman.

Cast

Joel Courtney as Joe Lamb

Elle Fanning as Alice Dainard

Kyle Chandler as Jackson Lamb

Ron Eldard as Louis Dainard

Noah Emmerich as Colonel Nelec

Riley Griffiths as Charles Kaznyk

Ryan Lee as Carey

Zach Mills as Preston

Gabriel Basso as Martin

Josh McFarland as Tom Ashton

Amanda Michalka as Jen Kaznyk

Glynn Turman as Dr. Woodward

Michael Hitchcock as Deputy Rosko

Colin Mathews as Beto's customer