Super eight what is it about

People and pets disappear, along with a host of other very unusual events. A group of kids who are filming a movie begin investigating the crash and discover more than they expected. Most likely, they will love it. The movie is action-packed, fast-paced and the protagonists are a bunch of kids who are independent, smart and more adept at figuring out what's going on than the adults.

Plus, the cast of characters Abrams has assembled will likely provide someone for just about every kid to identify with, which makes the film more enjoyable for kids. Still, it is rated PG and intense at times. If your child is easily frightened, this may not be the best movie for him or her.

To be honest, I'm past enjoying being scared by the sudden attack that directors rely on in so many movies these days. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Super 8 a lot. The kids in the movie are truly wonderfully geeky in a way that will likely remind you of your own childhood, while tickling your memory with celluloid echoes of Stand by Me and The Goonies. The casting of the kids was spot-on and between their acting and Abrams' direction, the essence of youth and its pitfalls were captured perfectly.

There's too much Spielberg influence at the end, but it helps to make the movie a better experience for younger viewers, I think. Kaznyk as Mr. Ryan Lee Cary as Cary. Zach Mills Preston as Preston. Gabriel Basso Martin as Martin. Glynn Turman Dr. Woodward as Dr. Richard T. Jones Overmyer as Overmyer. More like this. Watch options.

Storyline Edit. SPOILER: In the summer of , 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. It arrives. Rated PG for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and some drug use.

Did you know Edit. Trivia Since Elle Fanning was 12 years old while filming her driving scene, it was illegal for her to actually drive, so they had a stunt person driving the car with a mini-steering wheel and monitor in the backseat. Abrams stated on the commentary. Goofs After the train wreck, Alice's car is dirty, covered in ash and debris When the kids get in the car to leave the train station, the car is clean. Quotes Cary : He's too stoned! Crazy credits Charles's completed zombie movie is shown during the closing credits.

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. User reviews Review. Top review. Prometheus Bound. Abrams has proved to be a talented cameraman. The alien is unseen for most of the movie, but he wreaks havoc by making scary things happen.

A man bloodied in an accident pulls a gun on teenagers to get them to flee; several characters are grabbed by the alien. The Air Force is led by a sadistic colonel who thinks nothing of ordering a scientist killed by a poisonous injection or sending his people out on near-suicide missions.

The troops start a fire to force a town to evacuate. The alien squashes people, but there aren't any lingering shots of blood or guts the way there would be in an R-rated movie. A mother's death via a horrible steel mill accident is talked about throughout the movie. Joe and Alice flirt with each other, exchanging furtive glances and then having heart-to-heart talks. They eventually share a couple of embraces, and it's clear they "like each other. One humorously depicted use of the word "f--k" said by an older teen , as well as several uses of "s--t," "bulls--t," "a--hole," and "bitch" by the middle-school protagonists.

Other words include "py," "d--k," "hell," "ass," "damn," "dumbass," "idiot," "stupid," "oh my God," and a few exclamations of "Jesus! Deputy Lamb and his fellow officers drink beer after their shifts. The camera shop salesman asks Charles and his middle-school friends if they want to buy pot; he's later shown smoking a joint and admits that he's high.

The kids react to his inability to drive during a crisis by saying "Drugs are so bad. Dainard is usually shown drunk, drinking, or smoking cigarettes. Parents need to know that this exciting, set sci-fi drama -- which follows a group of young teens who witness a horrific train accident while making a homemade movie and get caught up in a military cover-up involving a mysterious and dangerous beast -- has some intense action violence, especially the truly terrifying train wreck. There's some blood and weapons use, and some scenes may make you jump out of your seat, but gore is minimal.

Director J. Abrams manages to perfectly capture the feeling of similar movies from the period, largely by drawing shamelessly from the works of producer Steven Spielberg. Add your rating See all 57 parent reviews. Add your rating See all kid reviews. Summer , Lillian, Ohio: Six teens are making a zombie movie that they hope to submit to a festival. For Joe Joel Courtney , it's a chance to bury himself in a project that might help him move on from his mother's recent death Alice Elle Fanning , a relative newcomer to the troupe, wants a respite from the home she shares with her tortured, alcoholic father Ron Eldard.

Wannabe auteur Charles Riley Griffiths longs to see a finished product, and so do their three other friends. But while filming a pivotal scene, the teens witness a mysterious train crash of monumental proportions, one that unleashes a military crackdown on their once-tranquil town, as well as a newcomer of extraterrestrial proportions. It definitely feels like an homage to great movies past, particularly E.

And the bare bones of the plot are certainly familiar, as is much of the dialogue. Yet, Super 8 is entertaining -- despite some overly obvious grabs for viewers' heartstrings -- because the personal stories that root the action-heavy film matter to the audience.

We even care for the bossy, foul-mouthed fledgling director Griffiths plays because his friendship with Joe feels grounded and true. Abrams captures the tumult of adolescence, especially when buffeted by very grown-up insights Families can talk about the movie's messages about communication and peaceful negotiation. How does the movie's violence tie in to this message? For those familiar with Spielberg's movies -- how is this an obvious homage to his films?

What elements of Spielberg's movies are evident in the heroes, the story, the cinematography, the music? How would this movie have been different if it was set in the present day? How does Abrams include '70s technology in the storyline? Why are the kids so devoted to making Super 8 movies? What purpose does the activity serve? Do kids these days get to indulge in creative pursuits like these in the same way? Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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