J.J. Abrams retro sci-fi has Spielberg's stamp all over it, and not just in his capacity as producer.
The plot:
A group of young friends are in the midst of making a zombie movie, shot on a Super 8 camera, for a youth talent competition. Standing on a railway platform shooting a scene, suddenly they are caught in the midst of a catastrophe, as a pick-up truck seems to deliberately smash into an oncoming train, causing a massive derailment.
Lucky to be alive, the kids begin to suspect that the accident was more than it seems when general weirdness begins to occur: dogs go missing, people go missing, something strange seems to be stalking the town.
When the military descend on the small town, it appears that something truly otherworldly may be afoot.....
A really old-fashioned movie, this, crafted by someone, Abrams, with a genuine love of the late seventies, early eighties heyday of family science fiction movies.
With a warmth running through it's heart that is at times a little cloying - Spielberg just can't help spooning on the sentimental schmaltz, Gawd bless 'im - this is never dull, never flagging.
With a cast of virtual unknowns, Abrams has opted to eschew box office gold with big-hitting actors, instead allowing the story and 'feel' to do all of the legwork, and genuinely rewarding it is too.
Not many family movies hold my interest, but this worked on pretty much every level and, with a really moving ending that kind of reminded me of last years excellent Monsters, this is a cut above most multiplex fodder.
Rather liked it, so I did.
4 out of 5
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