While it might not hold a candle to Spielberg's original alien movie, Super 8 has an undeniable charm all its own. Full of visuals that echo earlier summer classics the young heroes of Super 8 seemed poised between brief romances and adventure before summer camp and a frightening dose of science fiction. One wonders if they'll be able to ride out either storm on their bicycles. Yet it's through a child's eyes that everything is ultimately revealed--the adults are slow to piece together the clues of disappearing dogs and malfunctioning electronics while the children find the order in the chaos. Perhaps that's an allusion to how children are often left to find order in chaos--in our main hero Joe's coping with his mother's death while his father is distant and no adult has explained the exact circumstances. In the end Super 8 is the perfect summer film--nostalgic for past film making, nostalgia for childhood past, and even just those good old days of summer when adventure seemed to be lurking around every corner.
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