At its core, Super 8 is a monster movie. If I were asked to sum it up in one sentence as simple as possible, that would be my response. That said, it’s also so much more than that. It has everything a big, blockbuster classic-in-the-making should have: humor, excitement, beauty, thrills, mystery, and emotion. It wasn’t a movie I was really excited to see (the trailer was just too mysterious to get excited about), but, now, Super 8 is my prediction for the best film of the summer. No wait…the year! Well…maybe even better than that.
Goonies and E.T. - Other Amblin Films with Strong Child Leads.
The film is centered on a group of kids (a la other Amblin movies The Goonies and E.T.) trying to shoot a zombie movie in what I can only guess is the late 70′s. While shooting in the middle of the night, they witness a train crash which, unbeknownst to them, unleashes a creature from containment. The remainder of the film focuses on the investigation of the kids as they try to find out what is going on as the town is quickly taken over by the Air-Force. There are plenty of sub plots and some interesting drama between the various families which I found to be the real gem of the movie.
The performances of the child actors was outstanding. There were moments where they made you feel so much and usually without saying a word. Their range was impressive. They really captured what it felt like to be a kid at that age. They were intelligent yet childish. They weren’t some bratty kid with one gimmick the whole movie, but fleshed out characters. The relationship between the male and female leads, Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, was probably my favorite part. Both were children to parents who were conflicted due to a past tragedy yet their children found ways to look past that and see each other with a depth that you don’t see too often in adult trained actors. It was a treat to watch.
If there was anything to nitpick about the movie for me it was the creature. While it was far from harmful to the movie, it visually didn’t seem all that impressive and I couldn’t even make out what it was for the most part. Purposefully dark and blurry through out the whole movie, you never got a really solid reveal. You see it plenty of times enough but it’s usually a close up or a fast action sequence or it’s obscured or far away. I couldn’t even draw it for you accurately if I saw the movie another time or two.
Creature design aside, the visuals in this movie were outstanding. Big scenic shots to the chaos of a train crash. Cluttered children’s rooms to a small town under siege by the tanks to the breathtaking finale. It was one beautifully shot scene after another. It really captured the era to my understanding. It took place before I was born, but I still had that feeling of nostalgia from growing up back when you stayed out late with your friends, riding your bikes where you needed to go. It felt very much like the other Amblin movies in that way.
All in all, I can’t remember the last time I left the theater loving a movie this much. It’s, by far, the best film I’ve seen in a long, long time and I’m going to go ahead and claim it as my current favorite. It made me jump a few times, I was enthralled with the characters, and really enjoyed the ride. Another hit for J.J. Abrams and Co. 5/5