Super 8 (2011)Super 8 is a science fiction adventure released in 2011, written and directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg — a collaboration that announces its Amblin DNA from the first frame. Set in the small Ohio town of Lillian in 1979, the film follows a group of middle-school friends making a zombie film on a Super 8 camera who witness a catastrophic train derailment — and inadvertently capture something extraordinary on film. Joel Courtney plays Joe Lamb, a boy still processing his mother's death, with Elle Fanning as Alice, the girl who joins their production and changes everything. As strange events multiply across Lillian — missing dogs, missing people, missing engines — the Air Force moves in and the children begin to piece together what escaped from the wreckage. The film grossed over $260 million worldwide and is a genuine, heartfelt tribute to the Spielberg films of the late 1970s and early 1980s — E.T., Close Encounters, The Goonies — made with real craft and affection.Highlights The train crash sequence — One of the great practical-effects set pieces of the decade; Abrams stages the derailment with extraordinary force and scale, and the children's terrified scramble for cover as carriages explode around them is genuinely thrilling. Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning — Two outstanding young performances; Courtney's Joe is quietly affecting — a boy carrying real grief — and Fanning brings a luminous, natural quality to Alice that makes her the film's emotional centre. Their scenes together are the film's best. The period detail — Abrams and production designer Martin Whist recreate 1979 small-town America with loving precision; the clothes, cars, music and technology all feel completely authentic and give the film a warm, nostalgic texture that is central to its appeal. The filmmaking-within-the-film — The children's zombie movie — shown in full over the end credits — is genuinely funny and inventive; the meta-layer of kids making a film while being caught up in a real adventure gives Super 8 a playful self-awareness that distinguishes it from straight nostalgia. The Spielberg/Abrams collaboration — The film wears its influences openly and without apology; Abrams channels the emotional intelligence and sense of wonder of Spielberg's best work, and Spielberg's producing hand ensures the film never loses sight of its human story amid the spectacle. Disc Details Title: Super 8 Year: 2011 Director: J.J. Abrams Cast: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich Studio: Paramount Pictures / Amblin Entertainment / Bad Robot Certificate: 12A Region: Region B (UK) Format: Blu-ray Runtime: 112 minutes Genre: Science Fiction / Adventure / Coming-of-Age Barcode: 5051368232133 ConditionCondition: VG/VG — see our Condition Grading Guide.Browse our full range of Blu-ray titles. You might also enjoy our Compact Discs or Vinyl Records.
