SUPER 8 (A-)

Starring: Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths and Joel Courtney

Directed by: J.J. Abrams (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III, STAR TREK and TV’s LOST)
Rated: PG-13
Story: In the summer of 1979, 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. (Paramount Pictures)

Bottom Line: A nostalgic, Spielberg-esque, slice-of-life meets sci-fi summer crowd pleaser, SUPER 8 succeeds on almost every intended level: masterfully made, beautifully shot, tightly written and expertly acted. It’s an intelligent, funny, exciting, thrilling, suspenseful and touching tale about adolescence, friendship, young love, backyard adventures and the military hunting down something that could wipe mankind of the face of the planet. Aside from the lack of a solid emotional punch at the end it still remains a ton of fun.  SUPER 8 is more like a REALLY, REALLY GOOD 8.