Genres

Visitors Review

2012-02-21 19:28:06

Yes its like ET or Goonies, but thats why its 5 stars

Who cares if it resembles something from the 80's, thats what makes is awesome. Goonies, ET, Jurassic Park even. Best movies of all time are finally back! This movie took what I loved about all those movies and make something AWESOME. I've missed the pure innocents of those movies. Now a day you have waaaaaaaaaaaaay to much special effects and trying to out do another trilogy. I love it. I feel like a kid again when I watch it.

brian-880 2012-02-21 02:44:07

a waste of money---corny and predictable

One of the most boring films I have seen in a long time. It has theStephen Spielberg lack of subtlety (if there is loud explosion...someone will always exclaim, "wow! that was loud!" There are constantsuper corny references to the 70s (Farrah hair, CB radios, pintos,walk-men...every appliance is "Harvest Gold" or "Avacado Green." If youcan predict the whole plot of the movie within ten minutes. I amfurther sadden that people have given this movie good reviews. Lots ofcorny moments with teary eyed kids that are so over the top that don'tpull at anyone's heartstrings. I wish the monster had destroyed thistown!It was awful.

Bar_N 2012-02-20 18:58:45

Goonies 2011 but less good

It's the Goonies 2011 style, but less good. This film won't stay inyour memory for 6 hours, I guarantee it. Sure it's fun when you're 10years old, but it's nothing special. It's like what the kids say in themovie "production value", there ain't much more there. I have no cluewhy they made this movie. Except of course for making money. Is thatwhy we go see a film? I don't think so. Fort he director it may havebeen a lot of fun, more than we have. Making a Spielbergian film with alot of winks to Spielberg films, but when they don't add to our viewerenjoyment I still think he did a bad job. But rest assured people willtrust him with insane amounts of money again next year, that's how thebusiness goes. And your paying all that by watching this.

arnieiam 2012-02-20 06:39:21

What was up with the hype?

I still clicked on the spoiler warning checkbox but I don't know hownecessary that would be considering you could figure it out yourself.You know that its an extra terrestrial on that train. You know that its'plan' is basically it wants to return home and it needs parts to builda ship. The alien looked very similar to the Cloverfield monster, howoriginal. You know the military gets involved to cover up their tracks.You know that it takes place in some quiet midwestern town in the 70s.Seriously this movie was hyped for no reason. They could have taken themarketing slowly like Transformers did. First trailer they show a vaguefigure. Then they show the actual robots but you don't hear theirvoices and so on. Yawn.

erizen 2012-02-19 21:28:42

One word; phenomenal.

When I saw the original teaser for Super 8 I was expecting aCloverfield type movie, I was way off. The movie is more or less athrowback to old school monster flicks. The movie revolves around agroup of kids who, while shooting a scene for their zombie movie,witness a very large and intense train wreck. From this moment on themovie escalates in tension as local dogs begin to disappear and so arethe townspeople. The movie is very intense throughout, but it keepsitself from becoming too intense by throwing in a few good jokes alongthe way, like one of the characters obsession with fireworks. But themovie also has some pretty good "jump scares" and if you're not payingattention they'll make you jump out of your seat. While the monsterplays a big part in the movie he only gets about 15 minutes of totalscreen time, and most times when you see him, you get an EXTREMELYbrief glance. You don't get a good look at him until the last 10 or 15minutes but I won't spoil it here. Overall the movie is REALLY good andkept me captivated the whole way through, it kept my attention so muchthat I walked out of the theater with a FULL tub of popcorn. I wouldrecommend this movie to anyone looking for a phenomenal movie thissummer. The only thing that could have been better was the ending, butonce again I won't spoil it here.

patrick powell 2012-02-19 14:13:32

Great film for kids but sadly pulls its punches a little too much for older folk

For most of the way through Super 8 kept reminding myself to advise my12-year-old son to watch it. Adults, too, will like it up to a point,and that point comes when the film's resolution is no resolution atall. When my children were younger, and sometimes still today, we watchDoctor Who together and the notably thing was that all-too-often Iwould get hopelessly lost and confused. Why? Because I was watching itthrough and adult's eyes. My two youngsters had no such problem. 'Howcome he was able simply to get up and walk out,' I would ask.'Because,' they would reply, with all the scorn a child reserves for adimwit adult, 'he used his sonic screwdriver!' This is that kind offilm. Great story, but when it comes to getting an explanation for whatturns out to be a truly fantastical tale, we are left begging. Super 8involves a group of five young lads of about that age and a slightlyolder girl who are making a film on a super 8 camera, and its portrayalof those six is honest and truthful. While out filming, they witness atruly horrific train crash, and one of them realises that it was noaccident. Cue heavy-handed air force serviceman, led by a particularlynasty type, to descend on the crash. They realise that someone haswitnessed the crash and also start hunting whoever it was. Meanwhile,all kinds of weird goings on afflict the town nearby - all the dogs runoff, the metal parts of everything goes missing, the electricity supplyis continually disrupted, people are attacked by a 'thing' and finallythe nasty air force men create a brushfire which threatens the town asa pretext for clearing the town in their hunt for the thing. So far, sogood and so engrossing. But when it comes to these plot strands beingresolved, I'm afraid writer/director/producer J J Abrams imaginationseems to desert him. Worse, he pulls his punches badly: where we areled to believe that the 'thing' attacks people in order to kill them,they are, in fact, simply held captive in his lair (eventually to berescued unharmed naturally - this is, after all, a certificate 13film). But crucially no explanation is given whatsoever why the 'thing'should even bother to kidnap people as they neither threaten it and areof no use to it, either. Sadly, the attacks and the kidnaps are just aplot device. Oh, well. That's why this film - well-made, well-directedand well-acted by everyone, especially the youngsters - is more suitedto uninquiring young minds who will not in the at all be disturbed byglaring holes in the plot. Given that the Steven Spielberg co-produces,the production values are high. I was especially gratified that theyoungsters were not the nauseating cutey-sweet or all-knowing andcynical quasi-adults Hollywood likes to present us with, but ordinarystraight-down-the-line 12 and 14-year-olds. That was one of the film'sstrengths. But all means go and take your youngsters to see ahalf-decent film, but for yourself be prepared for a littledisappointment.

Prince AJB 2012-02-18 13:46:25

"Super 8" is Super Great

Note: I put the warning of this review as having spoilers, as I'm notsure if I've had written a spoiler below; just in case I wrote one thatI considered as not one. From first glance, "Super 8" resembles an enigma. Later on, thetrailers seem to give us information of a very fatal train crash thatsets fire lurking everywhere. Besides the derailing of the train, italso shows a mysterious monster punching through the train walls, whichleads us to the conclusion that the monster is probably lurking withina small town, and secretly causing chaos around the small town. The story inferred above is indeed correct. But that's not all. There'sa whole lot other things that are related to the plot besides the factthat a monster is lurking within the fictional small town of Lillian.The only other thing I'm going to tell you is that a group of childrenwere filming a Super 8 film (that's where the movie got its title)during the event of the train crash. And as a bonus, I'm going to tellyou another thing: the events in "Super 8" will remind you of many ofSteven Spielberg's films.When watching this film, expect a lot of sudden monstrous attacksthroughout the film. It will happen a lot of times and some will happenin the most unlikely scenes. So beware and keep your eyes open, themonster is everywhere. The acting was convincing and satisfying for audiences to enjoy thefilm. The special effects were amazing and the script was nothingawkward. It was just - wow!However, what amuses me is how they can use little children as braveheroes. Harry Potter is a young hero yes, but this, against aliens! Andanother thing: the main character, Joe is depicted in earning C- (orC+, I forgot), but amazingly, he can lead a group of other kids his age(apparently his friends) and devise a plan for saving his otherfriends. How amazing isn't it!Despite the amusing things, the main culprit, the downside of thismovie is no other than the ending. The ending was bland and felt toorushed. After an amazing approx. 100-minute run, the final minutes ofthe film was disappointing. I figured out the ending could have beenmuch, much better. But overall, I do recommend this movie to all movie adventurers, peoplewho hunger for sudden scares, as well as Steven Spielberg's films. Formovie adventurers, this film will take you on an adventure that willkeep you hooked from beginning to ending. For moviegoers who loved tobe scared suddenly, this movie will give you monstrous attacks thatwill get you shocked, even if you're almost immune to being shocked(sorry for putting too many "shocks"). For lovers of Steven Spielberg,this movie will remind you of your Spielberg favorites ("E.T.", "War ofthe Worlds", etc.). One statement about "Super 8": "Super 8" is super great!Prince AJB's Rating: 9/10 (Very Good)Thank you for reading my review on "Super 8". I do hope you find thisreview useful.

2012-02-18 13:04:30

A Cute Spielberg Film By A More Modern Writer/Director

Ah yes, the 70s and 80s days of cutesy Spielberg sensibilities. Basically that's what you get here with J.J. Abrams latest installment. And why not? Steven gave his blessings and executive produced as well. But somehow I think Steven did much more than just produce. The films feels so Stevenish you'd think he held Abrams hand all through the production. You get the usual dose of Spielbergisms with the cute early adolescent kids who act twice as mature and smart as REAL kids of that age.The film focuses on a group of kids in 1979 making a Super 8 zombie film (obviously inspired not by Steven but George Romero) and then get caught up in a government conspiracy involving a benign but very pissed-off extraterrestrial that the military has held prisoner for over 20 years. The kids witness the train wreck that causes it's escape and their peaceful little Ohio town experiences all sorts of mayhem.Aside from the typical monster-on-the-loose plot, the film does have some good character developement. The characters, both adults and teens, are well drawn out. Touching on issues such as loss of family members, alienation with parents, a little puberty thrown in and you have all the makings of a warm and fuzzy drama Spielberg style. The only problem is as said before, these kids act just too mature for their age. When I was this age in the 70s, me and everybody else were just plain stupid. And we certainly didn't open ourselves up to each other like they do here.All in all, the film is entertaining escapism for the summer season. While not a classic measuring up to the likes of Close Encounters of the Third Kind or E.T., I think J.J. can chalk up another winner with this one. After all, he got help from the master of the cutes himself.

MICHAEL 2012-02-17 21:46:37

Pleasant Surprize

Good use of actual history to tell a ficional story. The child actors in this movie were impressive and I'm sure we'll see them a lot more. Great family movie. Shows kids how much more creative the 40 somethings today had to be to entertain ourselves without all of todays high tech distractions.

Frank 2012-02-17 04:31:52

Best Movie of the summer so far!

Super 8 gets it right. Super 8 is a movie that was kept under-wraps and for good reason. It helps add to the whole sense of wonder, and surprise that have been missing from movies this summer. Which is why I will save details from the movie for when you see it! It's such a FUN movie, seriously, it is hilarious, yet it's also a great movie in general. It doesn't feel like a guilty pleasure! The acting was great and the kids were excellent in it, they were funny, likable and really captured that sense of childhood joy. The story was just absolutely INTRIGUING! I was captivated the whole time, as the movie progressed and this "thing" began to wreak havoc on the town. It had suspense, thrills, comedy, and an adorable puppy love story that captured the feeling of a first love. Very heartfelt movie.The visuals are great of course, but it didn't seem overly reliant on CGI, it really worked. Now Steven Spielberg produced this, and this movie is put simply, J.J. Abrams' "love letter" to movies that had GENUINE cinematic experiences, and also had heart and great stories, a.k.a. Steven Spielberg movies. But it's a great movie on it's own! There is actually a great message at the end, that I was NOT expecting, but the ending does feel a little rushed to me. But the end credits MAKES the movie, so stick around for the scene played during the credits! I loved the whole idea of kids having a dream of making movies and I feel like, if I ever made a movie, this is the kinda movie I would want to make. It's the most fun you'll have at the movies this summer and it's also the best movie overall!In a summer filled with adaptations, sequels, sequels to sequels, and sequels to sequels to sequels (whew)Super 8 is the only blockbuster this summer that is it's own original movie, and it's important to support these movies so more original movies are made and not the same crap over and over again! Super 8 is actually my favorite movie of the year so far! SO GO SEE SUPER 8!!

cadillac20 2012-02-17 03:22:58

A Touching, Exciting Summer Blockbuster

If there is any wonder about what Abrams is capable of in terms ofbeing a filmmaker, Super 8 should sufficiently debunk this. While he iscertainly a great producer, this is Abrams first original picture. Butnever fear, he succeeds again with a fine picture that will warm yourheart and excite you.In case you are wondering what this whole thing is about, I will try tokeep the plot as a minimum so as to save much of the surprise. Joe Lambis helping his best buddy make a zombie film in the 1970's when theywitness a horrendous train wreck. What follows are several days ofunexplained activity that alters all their lives in exciting andfrightening ways. Super 8 has been said to be reminiscent of all those old AmblinSpielberg films of the 80's, and it's not far off. There is a good mixof several films in here, including Stand By Me, ET, Close Encounters,and other classic films. Some will blow this off as nothing special,merely a nostalgic trip trying to replicate Spielberg. But in Abramshands, this is a well crafted and very well directed film. The childactors here are some of the best most emotionally provocative that Ihave seen in a long, long time. Elle Fanning, in particular, isfantastic. All the children are, and it's something that has rarelybeen seen since Spielberg, who is arguably the best child director inthe industry. But beyond the actors, the cinematography is also of note. Firstly, thetrain wreck is handled extremely well. It's both frightening andexciting and truly underscores the damage and effect that it will haveon the town. And when the creature from within the train begins towreak havoc, it's extremely effective. Though this is not a horrormovie, horror film principles are applied in getting the most out ofthe tension of these scenes. Some reviews have called the sci-fielements weak, but I would argue against that. There are issues, whichI will get into later, but the scenes dealing with this creature beforeit's big reveal are nice and scary. These scenes are countered witheven better drama. As stated, these child actors are fantastic, andthat really makes the scenes in which the budding love story or familydrama shines through. Of course, the film has it's issues, the reason it's an 8 and nothigher. First of all, I took issue with some of the separation betweenthe monster plot line and the plots involving the kids and their drama.It's almost like two films are being played out here, and while thatmay have been how the film initially started (as ideas for twodifferent films coming together), it's kind of disheartening to seethat they never truly figured out how to make the two interweavenaturally. My second issue involves some story elements that seem likethey could have been developed more, namely the father-son relationshipbetween Joe and his father. His dad spends much of the time trying tofigure out what's going on. We know there are issues there between Joeand his father, and one scene between the two showing this doesn'treally encompass the true nature and effect of these problems. It wouldhave also been nice to see more interaction between the two, but Iwon't spoil anything about why I think this. These are minor issues though for a film that is well crafted and trulyenjoyable. Yes, the film is quite nostalgic. However, there are a greatdeal of touches Abrams puts in himself that make this his own film. Forthose who grew up on all those old Amblin films, this will warm yourheart, and for those who didn't grow up on those, you'll have a chanceto know what it felt like to see a film like ET for the first time.Simply put, call this film this generations ET or Stand By Me.

CrazyEX 2012-02-16 11:51:21

Spielberg, you're getting predictable

That's what I thought about this movie: Predictable. The characterbuild ups were excellent, the setting, and the idea of the film waspretty good either. The character backgrounds were perfect, and thechemistry between Alice Lamb were great. The thing is, the aliensuddenly appeared out of nowhere. Without any hints. I expected a bitmore mystery before jumping directly into action. Pure aggressiveaction was what it is. I found the action scenes too loud andaggressive. OK, there are a lot of people who find that quite exciting,however I did not. I've not heard the words "extra-terrestrial" or "alien" once in themovie. I know it sounds cliché, but it adds a shocking and mysteriouseffect, which was utilized in the series "The X-files". As for the "visitor", it was all too much like the clover from "thecloverfield". A insectoid appearance with strange-humanly eyes, withchildish emotions. It did not feature any sort of mysteriousbackground, it was pure, brutal action. The kids did not find anychance to investigate the aliens "home", what it was doing, and thesalvaged tech. it was working on, they were too busy trying to fightit.Yes, it was all bit too "E.T". Especially the ending. The Idea that thecreature was trying to build a giant magnet was great, so was the cubesthat made its spaceship, but I still thought that something was justtoo obvious and predictable about the film. If it was the first of itskind, I'd say it was worth watching, but it was so predictable, Iwon't. Overall: Mediocre...

dvmb65 2012-02-16 00:30:06

Love ain't enough

You can really do everything well, but still blight a picture with onepoor choice. 70's feel loved, kids at risk, loved it, a real sense ofyearning done with flare, loved it...computer generated monster thatdestroyed the movie. I've seen worse effects, but it just basicallyflushed the movie. Super 8 could have had it all, but I picturesomebody having to show this to J.J. and him being willing to go alongwith it. He loved everything else, thought he could swallow the cgi. Icouldn't and didn't. The 70's feel was right on, it said earlySpielberg like Close Encounters and Jaws. The cast worked the script.Super 8 could say quite a bit about how to make a fun film. I loved thedisappearing leaders, and government shutdown. Three Mile Island. Aninvisible alien may have improved it.

jmstettner 2012-02-15 07:03:41

Check your brain at the door and enjoy

Super 8 is good film, technically well put together, well cast andacted, and pretty to watch. The story keeps moving and drags you alongwith it. Still, it is unoriginal, stereo-typical, and cobbled togetheras if from a Hollywood script Job Lots. J. J. Abrams deserves no creditor acclaim for this film since not one aspect of it is actually his ~he wandered through the grocery store of thematic elements and pickedfrom this shelf and that till the story came together. The card-boardcut-out military characters and nature are painful and distractingunless you lean to the left and drink the kool-aid. It is clear thatAbrams has little actual knowledge about the military and possibly lessabout government.I am a harsh critic. All I ask is a modicum of believability. PerhapsI'm wrong, but the Air Force uses planes not tanks ~ I could be wrongthough. Given the nature of American culture in 1979, how does Abramsexplain the fact that there were no whistle-blowers, no politicalover-sight, and no pesky reporters poking into this project? He doesn't~ the audience is just supposed to buy into the Evil Government BigBrother mind-set. What insults most of all though is the Americansoldiers ignoring Posse Commitatus and murdering civilians.

kosmasp 2012-02-15 02:36:26

Abrams and Spielberg never say ... Goonies?

Of course it would be unfair to compare it with Goonies (a trueclassic). Still the comparisons can be made. But it's only part of thefun. The movie is a mix of two ideas as Abrams has stated himself. Hehad his idea (kids filming with a Super 8 camera as homage) and mixedit with another idea he found. I won't say what for those who actuallyhaven't heard about it and do not want to spoil their surprise.Having said that, the kid actors (Dakota Fannings sister is in it) aremostly newcomers, with about half of them making their debut in thisvery film. If you consider this, they are naturals and everyone is verygood at what they're doing. Cinematography and effects are great. Ifyou could fault something, it could be the unbalanced story. Is it forkids or maybe more for adults? Still this might be nit-picking, thefact is, that this is a great movie to enjoy

itchywow 2012-02-14 09:15:22

Great Movie!!!!!

Having just come from watching Transformers which was supposed to bethe summer blockbuster I appreciate super 8 even more now.There was great acting by very young actors, a great story within thestory and a real connection to the creature in this film. At the endyou were rooting for the alien which means that through the film theaudience was able to attach emotionally.I found the main characters to be funny but perhaps too brave for theirage since, given the somewhat introverted personality of the lead hecontinued to show a lot more resolve and grit that would be expectedfrom a 10/11 year old boy who makes model trains and does make up ...Very little to criticise on this film ... Go see it

Daniel Somos 2012-02-13 17:45:18

The movie made by the kids in the movie is far better than the movie

The premise of the movie is not that bad, but as it progresses so dothe plot holes and the usual Hollywood attitude - over explaining everyscene and not caring about plot holes - is obvious.To enjoy this movie you have to believe that a kid won't tell anybodyabout a transforming cube which flies by itself and bust through hiswall to anybody!Under a total military shut down a couple of kids outsmart the militaryand get back into town.The military person in charge of hunting the alien, who know the alienvery well, will travel into town in a school bus with only 2 otherarmed soldiers - basically without any protection or plan on what to doif he encounters the alien he is looking for.One scene particularly bothered me, right before they open the garagedoor there is an added soundtrack where when kids ask another, "Why arethese windows dirty". I can see in front of me how some retard during ascreening did not understand why they were going back to that garageand Hollywood of course have to dumb the movie down and over explainwhich always takes me out of a movie.And could it me bore cliché! We understand he misses his mother. We donot have to see him visiting her gravestone. And oh my god, holdingyour hands over someones mouth to prevent him from screaming as he isgetting scared. Is this Scary Movie?And why would they go back to find a girl which they know was attackedby the alien after they have seen the alien just slaughter people. Whatreason do they have to risk their lives, for all they know the aliencould have eaten her.The ironic twist in the whole movie is that when the kids make themovie they talk about having a depth to the story, having goodcharacters, they are discussing twist in the plot, not using any CGI -I almost think the makers of Super-8 were doing the exact opposite as atwisted joke. Super-8 is a bad movie about kids trying to make a goodmovie.

dan wade 2012-02-13 02:28:47

Super 8?? I'll give it a 6!!

I heard so many things from the media and friends that had alreadywatched the film that this movie was a cross between the 'goonies' andE.T.Well I can tell you now that this film is nothing like the Goonies. Forme the kids didn't have that same chemistry from what we saw in thegoonies (Even though at times you feel that the film tries to takeaspects of the goonies) and I doubt a group of young actors who cometogether will ever have that again as Spielberg and Donner hit goldthere. However there were still some good acting performances, notablyfrom Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. But when the group were a wholetogether it just didn't seem to click. At times it was just not funnyeven though there was intended humour directed through riley Griffiths(Charlie who in the end just became completely annoying through hisconstant blubbering, spitting and constant tantrums) and Ryan Lee (Carywho just wanted to blow stuff up, which became tiresome after nearlytwo hours of watching). However I must say that Joel Courtney did havea rather striking resemblance to a young Sean Astin (Mikey from thegoonies) To say the film is like E.T. is rather unfair as on a wholethis film is nothing like E.T. However without giving much away thereare only three aspects that are similar to E.T. The bike chases, theending and that the film is staged in the late 70's and early 80's. Tohave this film staged in this era does sometimes give it an E.T. feelto things but I quite like the idea of the film being set then as itgives the film a type of authenticity.Whilst watching this film you do feel a Spielberg presence and you cansee very clearly some of his film influences such as those mentionedbut for me at times and more notably 'close encounters of the 3rd kind'as when the story unfolds the audience find that there is a huge armypresence who attempt to cover the truth from the locals. Soundfamiliar? Okay, forget about the films obvious influences and take itfor what it is. This film is a children's adventure with a sci fitwist. At times it can be a little slow and cheesy, however it hasgreat special effects and is on a whole enjoyable. However the endingdid slightly ruin it for me and if there would of been an alternativeone this film may of had a 7 or 8.I'll give it 6/10.

Hellmant 2012-02-12 16:12:25

Nostalgia at it's best!

'SUPER 8': Five Stars (Out of Five) Nostalgia at it's best! 'SUPER 8' is a great throwback to the 80'ssci-fi kids films that inspired it. Just like producer StevenSpielberg's classic flicks from that decade. Writer/director J.J.Abrams has been quoted by many to be the next Spielberg and with thisfilm I think he definitely lives up to that representation (alsofollowing the very impressive 'STAR TREK' reboot from 2 years ago). Themovie is a classic coming of age film mixed with adventure and sci-fi,much like many of the great films of the 80's like 'E.T.', 'THEGOONIES', 'EXPLORERS', etc.. The film stars a group of mostly unknownchild actors like Joel Courtney and Riley Griffiths (both in their filmdebut roles) as well as Elle Fanning, Zach Mills, Ryan Lee and GabrielBasso. It's complete fun popcorn entertainment with equally impressiveparts of alien action flick adventure and emotional coming of agedrama.The movie is set in 1979 when 13 year old Joe Lamb (Courtney) just losthis mother to a work accident. It flashes forward four months to whenJoe is helping his three friends make a zombie movie on Super 8 film.The director of the flick Charles (Griffiths) asks one of the mostbeautiful and popular girls at his school, Alice (Fanning), to star inhis film because he has a crush on her (I know this move pretty well).Once filming Joe and Alice hit it off instead though, much to Charles'disappointment. While filming at a local train station the five kidswitness a train wreck and capture glimpses of it on film. When peoplebegin disappearing and strange occurrences keep occurring the kids findthemselves involved in something well over their heads.The movie is whimsical and very adventurous as well as touching andfull of strong character driven drama. It works best as a coming of agefilm, despite the cool effects and thrilling action scenes. The mysteryand surprises touted in the advertisements are nothing more than amarketing gimmick. The film is pretty straight forward traditional filmtelling and pretty much everything you'd expect from the trailers goinginto it. The previews did a good job of not giving away too much of thefilm or revealing the monster to you but there's really no mysteryhere. Just a good old fashioned kids monster movie. The effects areimpressive and the action scenes are well shot and edited, nevershowing you more than you need to see until the big payoff at the end.The drama builds at the same rate as the action though and the twoclimaxes occur at the same time (which is the way all great films likethis should play out). Spielberg of course set the mold for films likethis, Shyamalan and others have followed to great results. This isanother masterpiece in the same league. It will probably disappointthose looking for something more (in the way of action and specialeffects) but for movie nerds like myself it fulfills everything aboutcinema we grew up loving.Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWeZHJaLfc8

Aidan Fundamenski 2012-02-12 11:32:31

Super 8 derails all the infantile movie-making of explosion artists and delivers a nostalgic return to the subtleties of cinema.

Super 8 derails all the infantile movie-making of explosion artists anddelivers a nostalgic return to the subtleties of cinema.In retrospect, it's funny to think that Steven Spielberg was condemnedby many of his contemporaries during the '70s and '80s, that movies ofsuch material merit were criticized of stripping Hollywood of its depthand reducing substance to spectacle. We can only laugh at at thethought of what those same detractors would think of filmmakers likeMichael Bay. But Spielberg was, and still is, far from a simplemanufacturer of parlour tricks; he was a master storyteller, capable ofphotographing our most closeted fears and intimate imaginations.Produced by Amblin Entertainment and Bad Robot Productions, anddistributed by Paramount, J.J Abrams now aims to pay tribute to theman, his method, and its magic.In a run-of-the-mill Spielbergian suburbia in 1979, Joel Courtney isJoe Lamb, a timid kid with an estranged father (Kyle Chandler), arecently deceased mother, and a fat filmmaker for a friend (RileyGriffiths). When they're not at school, Joe and the aforesaid weightyCharles make movies and talk movies. Accompanied by their two buddiesand the intimidating companionship of a young belle (Elle Fanning), theadolescent Hollywood aspirants take to the night to shoot their 8mmzombie flick.Super 8's first act is pure pleasure and a joy for the juvenile in allof us… especially for those of us who made movies when we were a kid.Pressed for time in the late hours of the night, telling your friendsto shut up and stop screwing around because you're running out of film,arguing for twenty minutes about whether to go for a close-up or amedium… it's impossible to suppress a smile.Cue all hell breaking loose. A speeding train springs from its tracksin a massive crash and, unbeknownst to the crew, a perverse E.T. freesitself from one of the cars, setting into motion the military occupancyof the small Ohio town. The rest of the runtime centres on many ofSuper 8's characters coming to grips with unresolved family issues,notably the Spielberg-trademark of fathers and their sons, and astraightforward 'damsel-in-distress' finale.Closer to the third kind beings of Encounters than the central titularalien in the Extra-Terrestrial, the creature in Super 8 is more of aMacGuffin monster. It doesn't play a real role except to act as acatalyst for the maturation of Joe, his friends, and their families. Itdrives the plot forward like a chauffeur… not really there, and youdon't really care… you just want to get to where you're headed. Thisexcuses the fact that the alien is not nearly as memorable as notableothers, although Abrams does well in adhering to the principle of whatyou don't see is more frightening than what you do see, as blurring andobscure angles prevent you from almost never having a clear view of themonster, making it all the more menacing.From a technical standpoint, Super 8 is a virtuoso comparable with theworks of the maestro it models. Whether it's the mechanical madness ofa tank crushing the innocence of a child's playground, or the seldomshot of a silhouette against the skyline, the images here compliment,rather than dominate the established world. Frankness forgiven, I'vesaid it once and I'll say it again… movies with balls are nothingwithout heart. The explosive images employed here are powerful becauseAbrams understands the principle that we don't give two f**** about apropane tank exploding… we care about the people that the blast couldharm. Of course speaking of our director, what would an Abrams film bewithout a hundred lens flares, except that this time the visual deviceis actually relevant, continually reminding you that you're watching amovie… and that's what this one's all about.The awe and wonder of Super 8's legendary producer trump the cheapcookie-cutter 'blow it up and they'll keep entertained' strategy. Itsmonster forges these people by being, rather than interacting.Understand this… it's not E.T. or Close Encounters… it doesn't quitematch the sentimentality of those films. Nor does it wield the sameamount of scriptwriting focus – I felt as though J.J. was working totoo many things instead of one sole objective – but it undeniablypossesses the heart of its producer's predecessors, and similarlychallenges its heroes to grow up… and yet stay young. It tributesSpielberg, the frustrating fun of amateur film-making, but more thananything, it tributes imagination once again… And the power of ideasover imagery.