J.J. Abrams’ “Super 8” isn’t quite “E.T.,” but it’s reminiscent of kid-friendly summer popcorn flicks of yesteryear that seem to have been replaced mostly by flashier, inflated, and more bombastic fare. It’s not exactly mind-blowing, and it has more than its share of cloying characters and situations, but the science fiction-adventure flick is solidly told.
Set in 1979, “Super 8” focuses on a bunch of kids making a super 8 movie during their summer vacation, but their filmmaking takes a turn for the bizarre when they witness a train crash and a succeeding military cover-up. They piece together clues to a well-hidden puzzle, which just might be an enigmatic creature stalking their small town.
Two talented young actors, Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, stand out as schoolmates surviving their respective traumas, aspects to their personas and blossoming friendship believably substantiating their shared adventure. Their well-meaning but flawed fathers, the generic lawman and generic outcast, are nonetheless competently played by Kyle Chandler and Ron Eldard, respectively.
Again, the film doesn’t have labyrinthine twists, nor does it break new cinematic ground. The predictability might actually annoy the more impatient or more jaded viewer; nonetheless, the sentimental “Super 8” is properly paced and it evokes nostalgia adequately.
(My thanks to Mae and Ayala Cinemas for the invite. “Super 8” is now showing at all Ayala Cinemas. Log on to www.sureseats.com for reservations and movie info.)
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