There has been tons of speculation surrounding this movie since the first teaser trailer hit theaters. The subsequent trailers have shown you the story of a group of small town kids making a movie. They witness a horrible train crash but what and I do mean WHAT comes next they have done the very best they could to keep you guessing about. I must commend J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielburg for holding their ground and showing great restraint when it comes to the mysterious cargo on that doomed train. You know it is powerful. You know it is scary and you know that the canines are smart enough to get the hell out of dodge but you don't know what it is. That is until this week when leaks started hitting the net. I saw a headline and made a beeline away from it. I refused. I wanted to be surprised. I had already drawn my conclusions (and they were pretty dead on) but still I didn't want anyone to tell me I was right or wrong until I saw it for myself on the screen. One of my biggest pet peeves with movies these days, the main reason I don't go to as many as I used to is that I usually know the entire plot. Or have already seen all the best parts in the numerous previews, exclusive clips and released photo stills. Your imagination has already been saturated with everything the movie has to offer so why bother to spend the money to go to theater. Even though Super 8 didn't really break any new ground ( thought it dug fabulously around already upturned dirt) for me I still appreciated the fact that they bucked the current system and took the chance that people would fill the theater regardless to whether or not they told them everything that was going to happen before hand. It is a well shot fast paced movie that kept me moving around in my seat. They held me in suspense and I shed a few tears as well as laughed out loud. I can tell you that there were several odes to previous work by both men (even the title and premise of the movie come from the beginnings of Mr. Spielburg's dreams as a child) that those who are fans will certainly catch (though I am sure there were others that I missed and will read about later and go oooooooh yeah that's a good one) and each one brought a smile to my face and made me talk quietly to the screen. The young cast lead by Joel Courtney (in his very first role) as Joe and Elle Fanning ( who has become a lovely and statuesque young woman) as Alice all work well together, expertly conveying both the light hearted fun and the emotional pitfalls of their youths. They each emote the curiosity and fear their characters feel as their situation becomes more and more grave with a great intensity (and sometimes great restraint) that you would expect from more seasoned actors. Many of the tensest moments are tinged with comedy and I couldn't help but laugh at their reactions, the things they came up with to say and the seeminglessly silly things they found to be important at those times. The movies look was moody and dark ( as these type of movies tend to be) but the overall feel of the movie was uplifting. At least it was for me. I am curious to read and hear others reactions to the movie. This movie kept some of it's mystery and that made me want to go see it. I was very glad that I did.
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