If you lived through the ’70’s, you’ll love this movie about a group of kids making a movie in the summer of 1979 who inadvertently uncover a government conspiracy when a train they were filming spectacularly derails and reveals an incredible secret.  It’s fun to spot the things that are really specific to the era ( 8-track tapes, giant tv’s with small screens and the very straight, limp hair styles) or spotting things that weren’t common, at least around here (wearing backpacks and saying, “Totally!)

The kids are charming and their movie-filming sequences are a riot. (Super 8 is a bit of an homage by J.J. Abrams to Steven Spielberg, who also produced the film).The plot about a government conspiracy is secondary to the setting and the whole vibe of the time. The kids seem very independent compared to today; they run around the town and into the countryside at night, on their own. They take their movie craft very seriously, but the ongoing squabbling amongst themselves is typically juvenile.

A visit to 1979 for a couple hours; far out.