Super 8 (2011)

It's divisive. Only 67% of audiences liked it, by Google's archived audience score. Critics agree, scoring it 76%.

In late 1970s Ohio, a group of friends filming a homemade zombie movie witness a devastating train derailment. Soon after, their quiet town is gripped by unexplained disappearances, strange phenomena, and a growing sense of fear, as they uncover that something terrifying has been set loose. Wikipedia ↗

Super 8 is a 2011 American science fiction adventure directed by J.J. Abrams, produced by Steven Spielberg. The film follows a group of teenagers in small-town Ohio in 1979 who are filming a zombie movie on a Super 8 camera when they witness a catastrophic train derailment that releases a mysterious alien creature being transported by the U.S.

Air Force. As the military descends on their town, strange phenomena escalate, and people begin disappearing, the kids must uncover the truth while completing their movie. J.J.

Abrams explicitly designed Super 8 as a love letter to Steven Spielberg's early films, particularly E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, capturing the magic of childhood friendship, small-town life, and wonder at the unknown that defined Spielberg's work. The young ensemble cast, led by Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, delivered performances of natural, unforced charm. The train crash sequence was one of the most elaborate and spectacular practical effects sequences of the decade.

Super 8 earned $260 million worldwide on a $50 million budget.