Super 8 is a sci-fi thriller by director J.J. Abrams and producer Stephen Spielberg about a mysterious train crash in a small Ohio town and the events that follow.

Set in 1979, a group of teenagers who are creating a zombie film for a “Super 8” film festival attempt to make sense of mysterious events happening around them after they witness a train crash in the middle of the night, which was caused by one of their teachers. In the days following the crash, local dogs run away, electronics begin to disappear and the United States Air Force shows up, collecting mysterious white cubes that spilled out during the train crash and interrogating the town’s residents.

The movie’s main character, Joe, is also trying to make sense of the complexities of adolescence, as he deals with his mother’s accidental death and tries to connect with his father, who has withdrawn into himself after losing his wife. Joe’s father also has a personal feud against the father of Joe’s crush, Alice, played by Dakota Fanning’s sister, Elle Fanning.

As the plot unfolds and clues begin to come together, the mystery becomes more and more personal for Joe. He must discover how to save his friends and the girl he loves from whatever it is going on around them.

The relatively young and unknown cast played their parts fantastically, and the story was mysterious and captivating. This movie was originally rumored to be a sequel to Abrams’ 2008 monster movie, Cloverfield, but Abrams confirmed that this was untrue before the movie was released.

Some reviewers claim this is a poor attempt to mimic Spielberg’s classics, but I strongly disagree. Spielberg and Abrams work together to create an action-packed, but also emotionally intriguing film.

During the final couple of scenes in the movie, there were some plot decisions by the filmmakers that left me questioning, but the end did provide a good sense of closure.  This movie was mint.  I give it four and a half stars.