Monday Movie: Super 8

I wasn't sure that I especially wanted to see Super 8, but my curiosity got the best of me. I really wanted to know what the mystery creature/thing was and what was going on (don't worry, I wont say). The trailers definitely had an E.T. feel to them- the sparkling mystery music, the panning zoom-in-and-out shots, and the adventurous children taking the central focus (pretty easy to tell Spielberg is somewhere behind the film).

I was very pleasantly surprised. This movie made me really happy. I was just smiling throughout, thoroughly enjoying it. I liked the story, the filming, the acting; everything came together nicely. All the characters were great; the kids were impressive actors, hilarious and adorable. The story kept your interest from beginning to end and you never could quite tell what was going to happen next. There was humor, adventure, family drama, mystery, disaster, sadness, a little romance, and a lot of late 70s lingo. It carried a serious side story throughout (in addition to the main event) while never getting too serious, thanks to the kids comedic interactions and reactions to unfolding events. That's not to say you won't tear up at one point or another. It may occasionally get a little cheesy at times, and it may be a throwback to Spielberg movies of the past, however I found it to be fresh and fun.

A big event happens to a little town, but the event got much bigger and more out of control than I predicted. The logic and back story of the event are only partially there, but this is the kind of movie where you're supposed to take that as it is and focus on everything else going on. Maybe I got sucked in by the childlike wonder of it all, the twists, turns and effects, but I think it was a really great movie. When you see it, make sure you stay for the credits (they don't even make you wait until after the credits on this one, so you have no excuse not to).

- From the desk of Mrs. Sarah McPherson