Super 8
Directed by: J. J. Abrams
Starring: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Noah Emmerich
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and drug use.
Starring: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Noah Emmerich
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and drug use.
Director J.J. Abrams may be one of the best narrative story tellers of the past five to ten years, completely redefining the sci-fi genre. His latest film, Super 8, is a nostalgic throw back to the Spielberg-esque sci-fi era, where the genre was about something deeper than on screen explosions and monsters jumping out. Super 8 follows a group of young teens who are shooting a movie when a train derails next to them, holding a vast military secret. As the military soon shows up and tries to down play the events, as well as the odd happenings and disappearances around town, the children realize, since they are the only ones who know what really happened, they must be the ones to save the town and each other. The movie, under Abrams' direction, has a fantastic sense of wonder: the nostalgia of the 70s, the creativity of movie-making, the suspense of the mysterious monster running through the town, the wonder of a first love; all of these play a huge role in the film. He enhances that sense by telling the story through the eyes of a young boy, and in turn, making the audience see the world as a twelve year old again. It has a great sense of humor ("drugs are so bad!") and that childhood bravery that we all believe in ("What are you doing?" "I'm doing my best to save you.") Abrams brilliantly uses a cast of unknown actors, deepening our sense that the film may be real. It feels like Spielberg, at his best, back in the 80s.
However, the last act of the movie turns into the explosion-driven monster film that everyone has seen before (and that Abrams has made before), perhaps ruining the power of the film altogether. The first two acts were built on the relationships, but the final act forces them to find redemption without any cause or understanding. The nostalgia and wonder from the beginning is lost, as well. Even the ending feels sudden and forced. Perhaps worst of all, the film tries to deal with the question of "how do you deal with pain the world" by saying "keep living", which seems terribly contrived. Despite it's faults, Super 8 may best Abrams best film to date; it is an ode to the sic-fi films that warms our hearts and gives us a sense of wonder about the world, very much the way Spielberg use to. The problem is J.J. Abrams, despite his many talents, isn't Mr. Spielberg.
However, the last act of the movie turns into the explosion-driven monster film that everyone has seen before (and that Abrams has made before), perhaps ruining the power of the film altogether. The first two acts were built on the relationships, but the final act forces them to find redemption without any cause or understanding. The nostalgia and wonder from the beginning is lost, as well. Even the ending feels sudden and forced. Perhaps worst of all, the film tries to deal with the question of "how do you deal with pain the world" by saying "keep living", which seems terribly contrived. Despite it's faults, Super 8 may best Abrams best film to date; it is an ode to the sic-fi films that warms our hearts and gives us a sense of wonder about the world, very much the way Spielberg use to. The problem is J.J. Abrams, despite his many talents, isn't Mr. Spielberg.
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