When growing up I didn’t watch as many movies as I do now. I did watch E.T. and I remember it one of the few movies that made me cry the moment E.T. was dying. It’s that movie magic which Spielberg is a master of and as a kid you were connecting to the kids in the movie. I missed out on a lot of the other movies starring groups of kids, so I only saw movies like The Goonies and Stand By Me fairly recently. They all have this feeling of adventure and keeping something secret from the adults.
J.J. Abrams obviously has been inspired by these type of movies and wrote and directed Super 8, which tells the story of a couple of kids, living in a small American town in the eighties, that sneak out at night to shoot their own zombie movie. They witness a big train crash and after this everything changes around their town. The movie was produced by Spielberg (who also helped with the story), but can J.J.Abrams work his magic on a coming of age story the same way Spielberg can?
The whole setup of the movie is an obvious reference to the Spielberg movies of the eighties, like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The movie is set in the same time period, there is a small group of kids that have just hit puberty and take their first steps of doing things independently from their parents, all in a small safe town. Each of the kids have their own characteristics (one is obsessed with blowing stuff up, the other is completely obsessed with movie making, another one is always scared of things), which make them a fun group to watch. Their acting is good and they manage to carry the film. Abrams makes sure that you get to know them before the movie kicks into higher gear once the train crashes and the military starts to flood the town.
Of course this wouldn’t be a Abrams movie if he didn’t use his (in)famous lens flares a couple of times. It bothered me only once, but generally they weren’t as prevalent as in Star Trek. As he has already proven with Lost, he is a master at creating mysteries and doesn’t show the audience what exactly was in the train. You only see people’s reactions to things that are happening. He keeps the focus on the kids who see all of this as a big opportunity to make a better zombie movie with things like helicopters and jeeps used as background (“Production value!” as one of them screams). The movie walks a fine line between suspense, emotion and humour and will have you on the edge of your seat several times.
So how does this compare to Spielberg’s work? I would call it a grown-up version of E.T. mixed with a little bit of Alien, as there are a couple of moments which I though were not suitable for children because they are a bit too gruesome.
Super 8 is an entertaining thrill ride which gave me that feeling of living in the eighties again, growing up and for that I can’t praise it enough.
Score: 9
Great movie and good emotional moments mixed with light humor. Abrams did a good job of re-creating the time period. Liked the way they showed the kids’ movie at the end during the credits.
They did? I missed that! I was already thinking that I would have loved to see the movie they had made. Will have to watch that when it’s out on DVD then! 🙂
I am so glad you liked this as much as me Nostra.
You are not telling me you missed the nod to Romero in the credits? shocker!!
🙂
Yes, I am not afraid to admit that I completely missed it. I will also admit that I haven’t seen any of his movies, so I probably wouldn’t recognise the nod…
Great review! I loved this film so much, definitely reminiscent of films like Close Encounters!
Good to hear that you enjoyed it as well.
I really enjoyed this film. I also did a write up of it if you want to check it out. I feel like the alien got off too easy. He was an asshole. Oh I just have to take this one thing you love to finish my ship. Regardless it was really nostalgic for me as it was for many others.
Just read it and we pretty much agree. The end was a bit quick but it’s probably because he wasn’t the main character. It’s the threat of him that brings the kids together even more.
If anyone else wants to read your review, they can do so here (I have no problem with linking to your own reviews):
http://www.impassionedcinema.com/2011/06/10/review-super-8/
Very solid flick although I didn’t quite love it as much you did 😉 I think the ending was a bit rushed and doesn’t quite hold up with the rest of the movie.
I just felt lots of nostalgia and felt like being a little kid I guess. I still have this special feeling when I watch those Spielberg movies and it came back here, so it did something good. The ending could have been changed a bit, it felt rushed indeed with no big payoff, but like things go with these type of movies (for example Stand By Me), it’s about the journey and not the ending 😉
I love the fact this is getting so many positive reviews. I really need to get down to the cinema to see it asap. Excellent review Nostra! 🙂
Thanks a lot, hope you’ll enjoy it!
I’ve been ambivalent about this movie (it;s whitewashed and makes 1979 feel like 1949), but I agree with the humour part. The film’s best scene is the diner scene, where six conversations can go on at once yet Abrams and his cast can get it together.
You felt like that? I didn’t think it maked everything look like 1949…. That diner scene was a lot of fun 🙂
I enjoy the movie too. I find it cute that kids produce movies and so passionate about it. It’s about families with the background of alien (or something like that).
Somehow your comment got filtered out, just saw it. It’s very enjoyable and probably one i like to rewatch again just to see the end result of the movie the kids made 🙂
Great review. A lot of people don’t seem to be a fan of the old Abrams lense flare – but I don’t actually mind it.
Abrams did an excellent job of casting a wave of ’80s Spielberg nostagia over me. Even though the quality was no way near to the level of those legendery movies themselves – then again Spielberg is a legend and one-of-a-kind in my book! and when ever he annonuces a new movie is in the pipleline I always great it with excitement! I’m very much looking forward to ‘Tintin’ later this year and ‘Lincoln’ next year…
I actually didn’t notice it in Star Trek. It’s after someone pointed it out that I’m suddenly seeing it. That’s also the reason I don’t have a big problem with it.
Had that exact same feeling. I’m not too sure of Tintin yet as I’m not a big fan of the type of motion capture that was used (it’s the same one that was used for the Zemeckis movies), but as it’s Spielberg he might be able to make it worth watching.
An original, entertaining, solidly built movie with no star faces and plenty of heart. Good Review Nostra!
Thanks a lot!
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