Movie Plot and Theme:
I watched Super 8, a Sci-Fi drama set in 1979 Ohio. In this movie, a group of young friends are in the process of producing a zombie film when a train derails, setting an extra-terrestrial free in their little town. As the town sheriff works overtime to uncover the secrets behind the event, the young friends set out to find their missing star actress, finish their film, and in the end, send a very frustrated alien back home. The movie closes with the message that "bad things happen...but you can still live," which parallels the main character's ability to "keep living" after the tragic loss of his mother.
3 Stereotypes:
1. The Pyromaniac. This stereotype is personified in Cary, the friend who loves explosives. Cary often carries sparklers in his pockets, and ends up saving his friends when he distracts the alien with a bunch of fireworks. This stereotype stems from the fact that kids often become more adventurous in their middle-school years, trying new things that are risky and testing the boundaries. However, ALL middle-schoolers are not this way, and they certainly do not all carry explosives around with them...
2. The Nerd. This stereotype is personified in Preston, the friend who spouts off random facts and is scared of everything. This stereotype probably stems from the reality that when smart or introverted kids enter middle-school, they stand out and are often picked on for being weird or afraid to try new things. While there are certainly kids like Preston out there, it is probably not the norm.
3. The Hero. In this movie, Joe Lamb is both the main character and the hero. He is level-headed, smart, and kind, and in the end he gets the girl and faces an alien with unnatural confidence. In reality, although many middle-schoolers aspire to be different (and recognized for it), it is highly unlikely that a character like Joe would exist in real life.
Who Was I?
The character who was most like me in middle-school is Alice, the only girl in the group. When I was in middle-school, I was playing video games and riding four-wheelers in my backyard, so I tended to get along better with boys my age. I also had somewhat of a rough home-life at that time, similar to Alice in the movie.
A nice summary - tough to do since this movie has real depth to it. One of the things that struck me was Joe's passion for art and movie design. I actually meet a lot of kids like Joe - I don't know why but being "sensitive" is not encouraged in middle school. Maybe we play to the loud crowd too much. Also, Preston isn't the one that's bullied - "Smartin" is... and by Cary. Martin is the dumb jock (I think) and I thought he was the unusual character. I don't see many jocks willing to hang with a group like that. Your empathy for Alice will serve you well with this age group. Thank you for sharing. Rich
ReplyDeleteGrade 9