Manny The Movie Guy /

J.J. Abrams enters Steven Spielberg’s territory in the new sci-fi thriller "Super 8." The film, with its perfect mixture of science fiction, thriller, and drama, is a Spielberg movie not directed by the iconic director.

Spielberg produced the film and gave the reins to Abrams who also wrote the screenplay. Part "E.T.," part "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" with a heavy dose of "Stand by Me," "Super 8" is old school filmmaking at its finest.

The soul behind "Super 8" are the two filmmakers who started making movies using Super 8 cameras when they were younger. Abrams and Spielberg both discovered their passion for filmmaking during their childhood making Super 8 movies.

If Abrams and Spielberg are the soul of "Super 8," the heart of the story revolves around six kids in a small mining town of Lillian, Ohio who dream of making their first Super 8 zombie movie. It is the summer of 1979, a moment in time they will never forget.

The members of the Super 8 moviemaking gang are Charles (Riley Griffiths), the director; Martin (Gabriel Basso), the actor; Preston (Zach Mills), the confident know-it-all; Cary (Ryan Lee), the Pyro-technician; Alice (Elle Fanning), the actress and the lone female member of the group.

The main hero is Joe Lamb played by Joel Courtney. His father, Deputy Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler) wants him to play sports and forget filmmaking. Adding injury to their already-wounded relationship is the death of the family’s matriarch.

(Click here for my interview with Elle Fanning, here for Kyle Chandler, and herefor the "Super 8" kids)

One night, while filming their zombie movie, a train collides with a pick-up truck. The kids witness the incident and their Super 8 camera captures it all. What happens next will change their small town forever.

The production behind "Super 8" was shrouded in secrecy. The script was deemed top secret that the child actors did not know what movie they were auditioning for. All they knew was Abrams’ involvement and that was good enough for them.

Abrams is fast becoming a respected auteur in Hollywood. He turned the once unthinkable notion of rebooting "Star Trek" into reality and a critical and box-office success. He also kept us captivated as he gave us a glimpse of what it was like trapped in a mysterious island in ABC’s "Lost."

Abrams knows that for us to believe in the unbelievable, we must care for the characters first. He also subscribes to the notion of keeping the mystery alive by not showing the movie’s boogeyman. Similar to Spielberg’s "Jaws," we do not see the quintessential "villain" in "Super 8" until halfway into the movie. Abrams wants us to use our imagination.

The movie is helped in a big way by the chemistry of the cast. Chandler and Courtney are extremely believable as they try to repair their broken father and son relationship. I also enjoyed the dynamics between the child actors. Watch out for Lee, he has great comedic timing and makes his pyromaniac character memorable.

As expected, the special effects and production values are top notch. Wait until you see the full train crash scene. It was directed with so much verve and tension. Yes, “Super 8” is quite super. It’s a thrill ride I want to go on over and over again. "Super 8" is definitely one of my favorite movies this year!