Super 8 (2011)

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HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2021

Writer/Director: J.J. Abrams

Stars: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills, Jessica Tuck



A train derailment on the outskirts of a small Ohio town unleashes a mysterious creature.

 


Amid the resulting chaos, a small group of kids (Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, and Zach Mills) have their own little coming-of-age drama. 



For the first hour or so, I thought I was watching a 5-star film.

 


The kids, working on an amateur movie for a local film festival, are hilarious and touching.

 


Unfortunately, the quality of the film deteriorates as the conventions of the sci-fi action plot assert themselves. 



The abilities of the creature are ill-defined; it just seems to be able to do whatever is convenient for the plot. 



The naturalistic kids become unconvincing action movie heroes. 



In this way, some of the best scenes are derailed even more spectacularly than the freight cars that kick off the whole thing.

Spoiler alert!!! From the end of the movie!!










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