Super 8

This past weekend marked the release of writer-producer-director J.J. Abrams' latest sci-fi thriller, Super 8, but the real mystery that will be puzzling audiences is "Wtf was that thing at the end?"

With all the buzz surrounding Super 8, it's easy to get caught up with the mysterious trailers and high expectations, following Abrams' previous works such as, Lost, Cloverfield, and Star Trek. But for those who wind up a little disappointed (kinda like I was), we must ask ourselves if we could have expected anything different from a J.J. Abrams film.

The film takes place in 1979, and it firmly exerts this. Setting is established by the muscle cars, mullets, and stoners listening to disco rock on "state-of-the-art" casette players. However, we consequently get some of the same ol' monster movie cliches that when done today don't do anything new for the sci-fi genre. Once again, we have the classic damsel in distress, the military cover up, evil scientists, numerous conspiracies and finally the overdone "Love overcomes" solution.

Yet maybe it's not the alien that the film focuses on but rather, the young characters and their survival story. We are introduced to bossy and ambitious filmmaker, Charles (played by Riley Griffiths), the brave hero and best friend Joe (Joel Courtney), and the blonde girl that comes between them, Alice (Elle Fanning). Abrams frames his story around them after they witness a train crash and begin their investigation to what's going on.

The young actors successfully play dual roles, as they make an amateur zombie movie during the span of Super 8; and after a few scenes, it's easy for audiences to feel comfortable with these characters. Personally, they reminded me of the gang from The Goonies but with the language of Stand By Me. Nonetheless, they have an adorable chemistry that righttfully portrays the simplicity of growing up in the '70s that is lost today.

At heart, Super 8 is your standard adventure movie, where its hero has to overcome his fears before standing up to his father, authority, and the alien. Once a psychic link is established between Joe and the creature, it is then that he understands that all the alien wants to do is go home. And for me, that's exactly when I realized I wanted to go home too..

In the end, I didn't know what to think about what I saw, and possibly I still need someone to explain to me what really happened. Sure, there may be some inconsistencies and unanswered questions, but perhaps, it's best to just take it as it is and not analyze it too much. After all, it was entertaining and it kept me awake during a 1:35am showing!