Awesome Reviews: Super 8

Awesome Reviews: Super 8

I really like J.J. Abrams. While I’ve never seen a single episode of Alias, I’m a huge Lost fan, and I liked a few of his past films, notably Cloverfield (it was good) and Star Trek (which was really good).

I avoided reviews, synopses, whatever I could find on this movie. I wanted to know NOTHING about this film before I saw, to keep an open mind and to prevent spoilers. So, to my great surprise and disappointment, this movie is not a documentary about the hotel chain.

Before I actually get to the review, a brief warning.

Now, when I do my reviews, I usually have a brief introduction on the premise of the movie. This will be no exception. If you’re like me, skip the next paragraph and go straight to the AWESOME section- actually, you’re better off skipping the review. If you can deal with some minor spoilers (or are not planning on catching the flick), read on! Any major spoilers will be marked by SPOILER- I’m going to try and avoid them as much as possible.

“Super 8” revolves around a group of middle school students in a suburban Ohio town who are making a movie during the summer of 1979. During a shoot, an accident occurs which ushers in military personnel, whose presence alert the rest of the town to something out-of-the-ordinary going on. As disturbances increase and fear and paranoia take charge of Lillian, Ohio, these students and friends find themselves at the center of the mystery- and this one has a much deeper plot than in their home movie.

Let’s hit the lists!

AWESOME:

1) THE SCREENPLAY

This is, simply, a well-written film. You find yourself rooting for virtually every resident in this town (more on them in a moment), and like many films of this kind the story really shines in its lack of adult presence through large chunks of the movie.

In a word, this movie is TENSE. After the accident, I spent the rest of the film waiting for something bad to happen- and this got even worse when I knew when it was actually going to happen. The town slowly descends into ever-increasing darkness, in the absence of manifested light (the power goes on and off repeatedly with little warning), in the absence of knowledge, and the increase of suspicion (similar to The Twilight Zone’s The Monsters are Due on Maple Street- another creepy screenplay set in an idyllic town). Not content to be simply another sci-fi film, the story also takes time to really delve into the inner workings of the town and its inhabitants, particularly Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler), the sheriff who the town turns to for answers.

The movie takes its time revealing important plot points- I found myself wondering when (after the accident) we would finally get a clue as to what the hell was going on- but (especially if you are a fan of Lost) you enjoy the ride. Clever, funny, suspenseful, scary (I was shocked near the end of the film at how graphic- but not gory- it became), and nostalgic, this a fantastically well-structured script- even if the ending/reveal is somewhat predictable.

2) THE ACCIDENT (minor spoilers ahead!)

The accident I keep referring is to a train derailment, the best crash I have seen on film since Final Destination 2’s opening highway crash. It might even be better. It is impossibly difficult to describe with any accuracy- it was a mind-blowing, disorienting, sensational clusterf*ck of an accident, especially since the audience and the main character Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) could see it coming, while many of the other characters are blissfully unaware. If you are a fan of film- any film- if you ever saw an action movie you liked- if you’re not blind- you owe it to yourself to watch this scene.

If you are like me, and knew little or nothing to me about this movie before seeing it, you have no idea what will happen to these kids. At one point, I was convinced every last one of them could possibly be killed right here- which would make one upsetting movie- but sh*t what a twist that would be!

3) THE CAST

Now there certainly are main characters in the film, but the way that this movie is put together it really feels like an ensemble cast. I will admit that by the end of the movie, I still did not know many of the character’s names- I was content enough just to learn faces and relationships, because it seems like there are that many important people in this movie.

This is excellently cast, and especially as somewhat of a film/theater/acting geek myself I instantly related to the kids and the small-town mindset of Lillian. I was born in 1988- 9 years AFTER this movie takes place- yet somehow I found myself being insanely nostalgic throughout the first half of the movie, when things are “slow” (I use that term loosely). This movie makes you feel like a kid again, and what was important to you at 12 or 13 years old.

There were no weak links in the cast, but if you put a gun to my head and force me to pick the best performance, I’d probably go with Elle Fanning (yes, Dakota Fanning’s little sister who I WISH SO BAD was named Carolina Fanning) as her character is probably the most complex, alongside Jackson Lamb. Let me put it to you this way- I can’t recall a film where Dakota Fanning made me go “Holy crap, she’s amazing”. No such issue with Elle.

It’s tough to pick though, because like when I was growing up, your friends had a group mentality about themselves- and the actors work so well with each other with such a chemistry that they all deserve some serious props.

4) THE SETTING/COSTUMING

Not a whole lot of specifics I want to get into here, but this was a town I wouldn’t mind visiting. Costuming was fantastic, and like with other “era” pieces, the attention to detail was much appreciated.

5) THE MOVIE

I mean the kids’ movie. Hilarious. ESPECIALLY if you’ve ever tried to make a movie with your friends.

THE NOT AWESOME: (potential for MAJOR SPOILERS)

1) THE CLOVERFIELD EFFECT

SPOILER: Turn back now if you want to know NOTHING about the plot.

When the alien is finally revealed, I was disappointed to its similarity to the Cloverfield monster, both in appearance (albeit wayyyyyy smaller) and how it was filmed. I know exactly WHY Abrams chose to show it in this manner at the end of the movie, but honestly I was disappointed. I don’t need to see it in that detail.

2) REWATCH VALUE

Don’t get me wrong- there is some rewatch value- but I feel like that suspense on the first go around would be practically nill on second viewing. This is somewhat related to the Cloverfield Effect. I don’t want to have ALL the answers!

3) PREDICTABILITY (MAJOR SPOILER)

Didn’t they make this movie already? I didn’t see it, but this is one slight deviation from a District 9 kind of deal. I don’t know, I liked the movie A LOT but I was kind of disappointed with that. Maybe it’s just me nitpicking.

4) LENGTH

Just a tad under 2 hours, it could have been a bit shorter. There was a certain joy in the slow discovery, but it was a little annoying that minor details were kept from us at parts of the movie solely for inconvenience.

5) INCONSISTENT CHARACTER TRAITS

This applies mainly to the adults of the film. The major players among them all seem to a social disability of some kind since their motives and dispositions seem to change for plot convenience alone. And even in the midst of this emergency, I find it a little hard to believe that their emotional swings would be that broad. It doesn’t ruin the movie by any means, but it reminded me that I was watching a film, if that makes any sense. Sucked me out of the movie at times.
6) JUMP SCARES

After the third one, this really started to piss me off. You’re better than this, Abrams!



ALRIGHT THIS WAS WAYYY LONGER THAN I INTENDED IT TO BE.

I think I was trying to compensate for the lack of detail/spoilers. So what’s the verdict?


Overall, on a scale of 1-10, 1 being shitty and 10 being mind-blowing, Super 8 gets a…

Super 8: (HAHA GET IT) I wanted to give this movie a higher score, but 8 really is appropriate. This is a really good movie, with a lot of Spielberg motifs, an interesting if slightly recycled plot, excellently told. Movies like this is why I go to the cinema. Acted well, directed well, Super 8 takes you back to a seemingly more innocent time and builds suspense as well as any movie I’ve seen in years. Where it really shines though, is its nostalgic factor, both for cinephiles and anyone who looks back on their childhood and smiles.