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Super 8 (2011 film)

This article is about the 2011 J. J. Abrams film. For the film format, see Super 8 film. For other uses, see Super 8 (disambiguation).

Super 8 is a 2011 American science fiction thriller film written and directed by J.J. Abrams and co-produced by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, and Kyle Chandler in lead roles. Set in 1979, the plot follows a group of young teenagers who witness a mysterious train derailment while filming their own Super 8 movie. As strange occurrences unfold in their small Ohio town, they realize that something dangerous has been unleashed from the train.

Super 8
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJ.J. Abrams
Written byJ.J. Abrams
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLarry Fong
Edited by
Music byMichael Giacchino
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • June 9, 2011 (2011-06-09) (Australia)
  • June 10, 2011 (2011-06-10) (United States)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50 million[1]
Box office$260.1 million[2]

Filmed in Weirton, West Virginia, Super 8 blends elements of mystery, science fiction, and coming-of-age drama, drawing comparisons to iconic films like E.T. and The Goonies for its nostalgic tone, while offering a darker twist on those familiar themes. Released on June 10, 2011, Super 8 received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $260 million worldwide.[2]

Super 8 received 4 nominations at the 17th Critics' Choice Awards, including Best Action Movie and Best Young Actor/Actress (Fanning). The film received 8 nominations at the 38th Saturn Awards, including Best Science Fiction Film, and won 3 awards – Best Director (Abrams), Best Performance by a Younger Actor (Courtney) and Best Music (Michael Giacchino). Fanning also received a nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards.

Plot

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In 1979, Deputy Sherriff Jack Lamb of Lillian, Ohio and his 14-year-old son Joe mourn the death of wife and mother Elizabeth in a workplace accident. Jack blames Elizabeth's co-worker Louis Dainard for the accident, as Elizabeth had to cover his shift while Dainard recovered from a hangover. Joe clings to his mom's memory in the form of a locket.

Four months later, Joe's friend Charles is making a zombie movie for a Super 8 film competition. He enlists Joe's help along with friends Preston, Martin, and Cary, as well as Dainard's daughter, Alice. Though their fathers are opposed to their friendship, Joe and Alice become close.

While filming at a train depot at midnight, a train approaches and a pickup truck rams the train head-on, derailing it and destroying the depot. The children are separated in the fiery chaos. The kids regroup and find crates of strange white cubes amid the wreckage before discovering the truck driver to be their biology teacher Dr. Woodward. Gravely injured, he warns them at gunpoint to forget what they have seen. They flee, as a convoy from the local Air Force base, led by Col. Nelec, arrives. Nelec finds an empty Super 8 film box.

In the following days, the town experiences strange events: dogs run away, several townspeople go missing, the electrical power fluctuates, and electronic items are stolen. Jack approaches Nelec, but Nelec arrests him. Nelec orders flamethrowers to start a wildfire as an excuse to evacuate the residents to the base. Joe and Charles watch their derailment footage and see that a large creature escaped the train. Nelec confronts Woodward in a military hospital, seeking information about the creature, but when Woodward rebukes him, Nelec has him killed with a lethal injection.

Louis tells Joe the creature has abducted Alice. Joe, Charles, Martin, and Cary persuade Jen, Charles' older sister, to flirt with Donny so he can get them into town to rescue Alice. Breaking into Dr. Woodward's trailer they find documents and a film from his time as a government researcher.

The film and tape recorder reveal that in 1963, the Air Force captured an alien when it crash-landed. They experimented on the alien, while withholding its space craft, composed of the strange white cubes, which allowed the craft to shape-shift. The alien had established a psychic connection with Woodward, convincing him to help it escape Earth, but Nelec sabotaged, discredited, and discharged Woodward. While the kids are watching the film, Nelec captures them, but the alien kills Nelec and the airmen, allowing the kids to escape. Jack escapes and agrees with Louis to put their differences aside to save their kids.

The military attacks the alien, but their hardware goes haywire in its presence, resulting in significant collateral damage. Joe and Cary find a massive tunnel system under the town. The missing townsfolk, including Alice, are hanging unconscious from the ceiling of a cavern. Here, the alien is creating a device, constructed from the missing electronics, and attached to the base of the water tower. Using firecrackers as a distraction, Joe frees Alice and the others. The alien grabs Joe, who quietly speaks to it, convincing that it could "still live" while bad things happen. Establishing an emotional connection between the two of them, the alien realizes that not all humans are as bad as Nelec and spares him, allowing them to return to the surface.

Everyone watches as metal objects from the town are pulled to the top of the tower by an unknown force. The white cubes reassemble to create a spaceship and, as the alien enters it, the locket in Joe's pocket is drawn toward the tower. After a moment, he lets it go, completing the ship. As the ship rises into space, Joe takes Alice's hand.

The detective-zombie short film the children were making in Super 8 runs at the end of the movie beside the credit roll. In it, Charles asks for his short film "The Case" to be picked for a local film festival before being attacked by Alice as a zombie.

Cast

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(Left to right) Joel Courtney (pictured in 2018), Elle Fanning (2020), and Kyle Chandler (2009)

Production

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Development

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Bicycles used in the movie Super 8 on display at Bicycle Heaven

J. J. Abrams initially conceived Super 8 by combining two distinct ideas: one about kids making a movie during the 1970s, and another focused on a large-scale alien invasion. The concept began when Abrams thought of a scene featuring a factory's "Accident-Free" sign, which later grew into a more complex storyline. He ultimately merged the two ideas, feeling that the "kids' movie" concept alone might not draw enough attention from audiences.

Abrams collaborated with Steven Spielberg and others to develop the plot.[3] Despite early speculation that Super 8 was connected to Abrams' 2008 film Cloverfield, he quickly denied the rumor, clarifying that Super 8 was its own standalone project.[4] Primary filming for the movie began in the fall of 2010, while the teaser trailer was shot separately in April of that year.[5] Super 8 became the first original J. J. Abrams project produced by Amblin Entertainment, Bad Robot, and Paramount Pictures.[6]

To cast the film's lead roles, Abrams held a national talent search to find fresh faces for the young characters. Joel Courtney, who had initially auditioned for a commercial, was chosen because Abrams saw something "different" in him. Riley Griffiths secured his role by submitting a self-taped audition.

Filming

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Filming for Super 8 took place in Weirton, West Virginia, from September 20 to December 16, 2010.[7] To help promote the film, Valve Corporation created a short video game segment, which was included alongside certain versions of Portal 2, enhancing the film's marketing efforts.[8]

Initially, director J.J. Abrams intended to shoot all the footage for the fictional movie within the film, "The Case", on Super-8 film stock. However, this plan was abandoned due to challenges faced by Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), who found it difficult to integrate CGI into the grainy Super-8 footage. As a result, cinematographer Larry Fong opted to use Super-16 film for scenes that required visual effects, ensuring smoother CGI integration while maintaining a similar aesthetic.[9]

Music

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Main article: Super 8 (soundtrack)

The score for the film was composed by Michael Giacchino, Abrams' long-time collaborator. The soundtrack was released on June 13, 2011 by Varèse Sarabande. It won the 2012 Saturn Award for Best Music.

During the ending credits, the songs "Don't Bring Me Down" by Electric Light Orchestra and "My Sharona" by the Knack are featured. The Blondie song "Heart of Glass" and the Cars song "Bye Bye Love" are also featured in the film.

Marketing

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Like Cloverfield (2008), an earlier J. J. Abrams-produced film, Super 8 utilized an elaborate viral marketing campaign to generate interest. The first teaser trailer, attached to Iron Man 2 in May 2010, introduced viewers to the premise of a freight train transporting contents from the decommissioned Area 51. A dramatic crash leads to the release of a mysterious entity, captured on a Super 8 camera. Sharp-eyed fans discovered a hidden message, "Scariest Thing I Ever Saw", embedded in the trailer's final frames. This clue led them to the website www.scariestthingieversaw.com, simulating an old PDP-11 computer system, with clues revealing that the computer belonged to Josh Woodward, son of Dr. Woodward, a key figure in the story.

In another layer of the viral campaign, a website for Rocket Poppeteers (a fictional brand like Slusho in Cloverfield) was launched, which didn't directly relate to the film's events but added to the mystery. The official Super 8 website featured an "editing room" section that invited users to collect clips from across the internet and stitch them together. Once assembled, the footage depicted the alien's ship disintegrating into white cubes and Dr. Woodward's ill-fated encounter with the alien.

Additionally, the video game Portal 2 included an interactive trailer where players could experience the train derailment scene from the movie, including the eerie sound of the alien breaking free from its containment.[8]

Release

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The film was released on June 9, 2011, in Australia; June 10, 2011, in the United States; and August 5, 2011, in the United Kingdom.[10] On June 8, Paramount also launched a "Super 8 Sneak Peek" Twitter promotion, offering fans a chance to purchase tickets for an advance screening, taking place on June 9, 2011, in the United States.[11] The film opened at #1 in the U.S. Box Office for that weekend, grossing about $35 million.

Home media

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The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 22, 2011.[12] The release was produced as a combo pack with a Digital Copy, including nine bonus features and fourteen deleted scenes.[13] A 4K Blu-Ray edition was released on its tenth anniversary (May 24, 2021).[14]

Reception

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Box office

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Super 8 had a production budget of $50 million. It was commercially released on June 10, 2011. In the United States and Canada, it opened in 3,379 theaters and grossed over $35.4 million on its opening weekend, ranking first at the box office.[15] The film grossed $127 million in North America with a worldwide total of some $260 million.[2]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Super 8 holds an approval rating of 81% based on 296 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's consensus reads: "It may evoke memories of classic summer blockbusters a little too eagerly for some, but Super 8 has thrills, visual dazzle, and emotional depth to spare."[16] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[18]

Chris Sosa of Gather gave the film an A rating, describing it as "a gripping and exciting tale of finding one's place in the world amidst tragedy." He praised the film's emotionally resonant storytelling, concluding that, "While the genre-bending occasionally unsettles, the film's genuine and emotionally gripping nature makes its journey believable."[19]

Critics offered varying opinions, with Roger Ebert awarding the film 3.5 stars out of 4, praising it as a "nostalgic" tribute to earlier styles of filmmaking, where "audiences were told a story and not pounded over the head with aggressive action."[20] Similarly, Richard Corliss of Time called it "the year's most thrilling, feeling mainstream movie," placing it among his Top 10 Best Movies of 2011. Jamie Graham of Total Film gave it a 5-star review, noting that Abrams' storytelling ability makes him "a born storyteller".[21]

However, the film's ending drew polarized reactions. Some praised its emotional resonance, while others found it rushed and lacking. For instance, Fernando F. Croce of MUBI criticized the film for starting strong but ending poorly.[22] Moreover, the frequent homages to Steven Spielberg's early works drew mixed feedback; David Edelstein of New York Magazine referred to it as a "flagrant crib" of Spielberg's films, albeit one made with "the blessing of the master".[23]

Accolades

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List of awards and nominations
Award Category Recipient(s) Result
4th Annual Coming of Age Awards[24] Best Newcomer Joel Courtney Won
Best Cinematography Larry Fong Won
Special Soundtrack Won
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Best Picture Nominated
SFX Awards Best Film Nominated
Best Director J. J. Abrams Nominated
10th Annual TSR Awards[25] Actress of the Year (Multiple Roles) Elle Fanning Nominated
Best Visuals: Special Effects Nominated
38th Saturn Awards[26] Best Science Fiction Film Nominated
Best Performance by a Younger Actor Joel Courtney Won
Elle Fanning Nominated
Best Director J. J. Abrams Won
Best Writing Nominated
Best Music Michael Giacchino Won
Best Editing Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey Nominated
Best Special Effects Nominated
48th Annual CAS Awards[27] Best Sound Mixing Nominated
2011 BAM Awards[28] Best Picture Nominated
Best Director J. J. Abrams Nominated
Best Cinematography Larry Fong Nominated
Best Makeup Nominated
Best Original Screenplay J. J. Abrams Won
Best Editing Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey Nominated
Best Score Michael Giacchino Won
Best Sound Editing/Mixing Won
Best Visual Effects Nominated
Best Costumes Nominated
Best Cast Nominated
Best Youth Ensemble Nominated
Best Performance by a Child Actress in a Leading Role Elle Fanning Won
Best Performance by a Child Actor in a Leading Role Joel Courtney Won
Best Performance by a Child Actor in a Supporting Role Ryan Lee Won
Best Young Actor/Actress Elle Fanning Nominated
17th Empire Awards Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Nominated
Best Female Newcomer Elle Fanning Nominated
2011 St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Best Visual Effects Nominated
2011 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards[29] Best Editing Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey Nominated
Best Ensemble Acting Won
Best Film Nominated
Best Original Score Michael Giacchino Nominated
Best Youth Performance — Male Joel Courtney Nominated
Best Youth Performance — Female Elle Fanning Nominated
Breakthrough Performance — On Camera Nominated
2011 Satellite Awards[30] Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Best Original Score Michael Giacchino Nominated
Best Visual Effects Dennis Muren, Kim Libreri, Paul Kavanagh, Russell Earl Nominated
Best Sound (Editing & Mixing) Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Ben Burtt, Mark Ulano, Matthew Wood, and Tom Johnson Nominated
2011 Scream Awards[31]
The Ultimate Scream Nominated
Best Science Fiction Movie Won
Best Director J. J. Abrams Nominated
Best Scream-Play Won
Breakout Performance — Female Elle Fanning Nominated
Holy Sh!t Scene Of The Year The Train Crash Nominated
2011 Teen Choice Awards[32]
Choice Movie: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Nominated
Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Elle Fanning Nominated
Choice Male Breakout Star Joel Courtney Nominated
Choice Movie: Male Scene Stealer Riley Griffiths Nominated
Choice Movie: Chemistry Gabriel Basso, Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills Nominated
Choice Hissy Fit Bruce Greenwood Nominated
2012 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards[33]
Best Action Movie Nominated
Best Sound Nominated
Best Visual Effects Nominated
Best Young Actor/Actress Elle Fanning Nominated
Golden Reel Awards[34] Music in a Feature Film Nominated
Dialogue and ADR for Feature Film Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood, Steve Slanec, Cheryl Nardi, Richard Quinn, Stuart McCowan, Brad Semenoff, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle Won
Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film Nominated
Hollywood Film Festival Spotlight Award Elle Fanning Won
YouReviewer Awards[35] Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Best Visual Effects Nominated
Breakthrough Actor Joel Courtney Nominated
33rd Young Artist Awards[36] Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor Nominated
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress Elle Fanning Nominated
Best Performance in a Feature Film — Supporting Young Actor Zach Mills Nominated
Best Performance in a Feature Film — Young Ensemble Cast Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso and Britt Flatmo Nominated
2012 MTV Movie Awards Breakthrough Performance[37] Elle Fanning Nominated

In addition to these awards, the film was short-listed for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects[38] and Best Original Score, and the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound, and Best Special Visual Effects. Paramount submitted it for several considerations for the BAFTAs including Best Film, Best Director (J. J. Abrams), Best Original Screenplay, Leading Actor (Kyle Chandler), Supporting Actress (Elle Fanning), Supporting Actor (Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich), Cinematography, Production Design, Editing, Costume Design, Original Music, Sound, Makeup and Hair, and Special Visual Effects.

References

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  1. ^ Kaufman, Amy (June 9, 2011). "Movie Projector: 'Super 8' faces off against 'X-Men'; both will destroy 'Judy Moody'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Super 8 at Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ "A Shot by Shot Description of the SUPER 8 Teaser Trailer; Steven Spielberg Is Producing, J.J. Abrams Is Directing". Collider.com. May 4, 2010. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  4. ^ "J.J. Abrams's Cloverfield-esque Super 8 Has 'Absolutely Nothing to Do With Cloverfield'". New York. May 5, 2010. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  5. ^ Fernandez, Borys; Kit (May 7, 2010). "Details surface on spooky Abrams-Spielberg project". Film Journal International. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  6. ^ "More 'Super 8' Viral Goodness Comes Via Snail Mail". Bloody Disgusting. July 16, 2010. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  7. ^ "Super 8 Shooting Schedule for Weirton". Super 8 News. September 23, 2010. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  8. ^ a b Grant, Christopher. "Portal 2 contains an 'interactive teaser' for JJ Abrams' Super 8". Engadget. Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  9. ^ "The ASC -- American Cinematographer: Monster Out of the Box". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  10. ^ "Super 8". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  11. ^ Watercutter, Angela (June 7, 2011). "And the Super 8 Secret Is ..." Wired. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  12. ^ Smith, Matthew (September 17, 2011). "Super 8 Blu-ray (Updated)". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  13. ^ Sarafin, Jarrod (September 15, 2011). "Super 8 Blu-ray Date Set". Mania. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  14. ^ Squires, John (February 26, 2021). "'Super 8' is Coming to 4K Ultra HD for the Film's 10th Anniversary in May". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  15. ^ "Weekend Report: 'Super 8' Checks In at Top Spot". Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  16. ^ "Super 8". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  17. ^ Super 8 at Metacritic  
  18. ^ Super 8 (2011), archived from the original on January 2, 2018, retrieved May 26, 2021
  19. ^ Sosa, Chris (June 13, 2011). "Review: 'Super 8′ an Engaging and Thrilling Throwback". Gather. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  20. ^ Ebert, Roger (June 8, 2011). "Super 8". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  21. ^ Graham, Jamie (June 2011). "Super 8". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  22. ^ Croce, Fernando F. (June 18, 2011). "Notebook Reviews: J.J. Abrams' Super 8". MUBI. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  23. ^ Edelstein, David (June 5, 2011). "A Really Close Encounter". New York. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  24. ^ 4th Annual Coming-of-Age Movie Awards Recipients Named Archived January 19, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, theskykid.com.
  25. ^ 10th Annual TSR Movie Awards – The Results – 2011 Archived March 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, thescorecardreview.com, February 26, 2012.
  26. ^ "Nominations for the 38th Annual Saturn Awards". saturnawards.org. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  27. ^ "CAS Press Release". cinemaaudiosociety.org. Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  28. ^ 2011 BAM Award Winners Archived September 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, themovierat.com, January 11, 2012.
  29. ^ Phoenix Film Critics Applaud The Artist Archived September 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Awards Daily, December 27, 2011.
  30. ^ 2011 International Press Academy Archived May 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, December 2011.
  31. ^ "2011 SCREAM Awards Nominees and Winners". about Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  32. ^ "2011 Teen Choice Awards". Archived from the original on January 3, 2012.
  33. ^ "17th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards (2012) – Best Picture: The Artist". Critic's Choice. Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  34. ^ 2012 Golden Reel Award Nominees: Feature Films Archived February 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, mpse.org.
  35. ^ "Tune in Tomorrow for the 2nd Annual YouReviewer Awards!". February 15, 2012. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  36. ^ "33rd Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  37. ^ Prinzivalli, Fallon. "2012 MTV Movie Awards Winners: The Full List". MTV. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  38. ^ "15 Finalists Set for Visual Effects Oscar". December 9, 2011. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
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