Super 8
There have been an influx of alien movie over the last twelve months but none have been as impressive as Super 8.
The movie marked the return to the director's chair for J.J. Abrams and Super 8 has made it to number seven in our greatest movies of 2011.
I am a big fan of Abrams' work and I especially enjoy the secrecy and mystery that surrounds all of his projects - Super 8 was no different.
But Super 8 delivered on all that it promised to be the stand out movie of the summer and the best film in this genre of the year.
In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a Super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident.
Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth - something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.
This may have been a 'summer blockbuster' but this is a beautifully crafted movie that is engaging from start to finish.
Hanging all your hopes on a young and fairly inexperience cast is a hug risk but one that Abrams took a punt on and pulled off.
Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths, Zach Mills, Gabriel Basso and Ryan Lee are all superb in their lead role - Courtney in particular is superb as Joe who is struggling to deal with the death of his mother.
There is a very warm and genuine friendship between them that really does feel very real and pushes the story forward.
The script itself is flawless as it mixes sci-fi, action, coming of age as well as a little teenage romance so effortlessly together it's a joy to watch.
The train crash is one of the best action sequences that I saw on the big screen this year as, along with the young cast, the audience is but smack bang in the middle of it.
And Super 8 may be an alien movie but it has a very human story at it's heart - a father and son trying to connect as they struggle with the death of a loved one.
If you haven't seen this movie yet that you should check it out as it is really not one to be missed.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw