Super 8: Sterotype Justice

Super 8 depicts an angsty and motley gang of early adolescents who become entangled in an extraterrestrial plight. In this kerfuffle of a plot, our colorful young squad witnesses a train crash while filming a seemingly fortuitous shot for their zombie movie. The contents of this train are top secret government property and force the crew into an unwanted relationship with militant government cronies and an otherworldly entity that apparently feeds on car engines, other alloy composites, and oh yeah, people; whoa. The illusiveness of this bizarre creature and the intense social and domestic issues among our young friends and their families build extreme tension in the storyline and make for one heck of a good film.

The film is shrouded in stereotypes, and early adolescents are the target of the brunt of these. For one, these kids are girl crazy. Alice Dainard, the focal point of the boys' hormonal obsession, provides the perfect image of what malaise a young girl can evoke in adolescent boys. Another stereotype that I believe is justified in its cinematic position is the varying levels of maturity among the boys. There is Martin, whose physical maturation has surpassed his mental state and simply can't refrain from crying all the time. There is Charles, who is very self-centered and can't seem to the switch from "me" to "us". There's Joe Lamb, a boy who has suffered incredible loss and is therefore humble and selfless. And of course, Cary, who just wants to blow stuff up. Despite the variability in maturity, these boys all have one thing in common, they are having a rough time dealing with some very strong emotions that are new to them.

Although these stereotypes seem to justifiably describe all early adolescents, there is a duality in our midst. What makes a stereotype a stereotype is that it is an oversimplified blanket statement that simply cannot be true for all of who it attempts to describe.

In middle school, I was a Joe/Charles hybrid creature. The humble Joe Lamb side of me was a gift passed down from my family culture. The selfish and entitled Charles side was something that the cognitive development of early adolescence brought about and that my will to be thoughtful of others was futile against.