There are certain movies that leave you with a warm feeling after you’ve watched them; Super 8 is one of them. Perhaps it affects my friends and me more than people from older generations because we can still relate ourselves to the kids from the movie. We more easily remember all those summers when we were twelve and all the time we spent outside hanging out with friends and enjoying life as a kid. It was a fun time; a time when you didn’t have to worry about going to work or taking summer school courses or planning ahead of time. We could relax and not have to worry about tomorrow. During the day we would be outside playing sports or inside playing video games; during the night we would always stay up later than our parents would let us; we would look forward to the cartoons on those early Saturday mornings. Life was a lot simpler as a kid and if I could, I would relive it. For this reason, it is nice to see a movie concentrated on kids, a movie that lets them take on the lead roles. It reminds you somewhat of what it was like being a kid, something I hope everyone wishes they could be again.
In my opinion, it’s been a long time since Steven Spielberg has made a memorable movie. I consider his most recent memorable movie to be War of the Worlds, but even that’s pushing it, since it wasn’t by any means spectacular. It’s a shame that a man who has made movies such as Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List, among numerous other great films, hasn’t really made a movie in the last 15 years that will be remembered by future generations as a great film. It’s a good thing he served as an executive producer on this project. His knowledge and experience in the science fiction genre definitely gave some direction to J.J. Abrams, whom I must also applaud. If you’ve seen Star Trek, then you know the man can direct. A scene which stood out in this film and you will agree with me when you see the film, is the train crash. Typically, if there is any sort of crash in a movie, whether it involves a car or a train or airplane, at one point during the scene, you will not be able to tell what happened. I don’t know if this is on purpose, but I would like to see the whole thing. In Super 8, the train is fully visible throughout the crash and it is filmed to perfection. Even though it is purely CGI, it’s still the best scene in the movie and you will be amazed when you watch it with your own eyes.
I mentioned that I am pleased with the way J.J. Abrams directed the film, but I haven’t yet talked about the style of directing. The movie takes place in the late 1970s, and it looks very similar to E.T. I personally do not mind the old style. It looks retro, but its beauty is that it feels retro. It has that nostalgic feel that is rarely seen in today’s movies.
Super 8 has similarities to Spielberg’s older films, and one I haven’t mentioned is The Goonies. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a movie about a group of kids embarking on a journey for a lost treasure. The movie really centers on the kids and demands of them to deliver strong performances, as was done in Super 8. However, in the Goonies, the direction was focused on all of the kids, and none of them were able to stand out as much as the two main characters in this movie, Joseph and Alice, played by Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. Both actors have great charisma in their scenes together, completing drawing in the viewer whenever they’re on screen. Right before the train crash, the kids are filming a scene with Elle Fanning, a movie within a movie, making it even more difficult to act out. If there’s anything that proves that Elle Fanning will be a great actress in the future, it is that scene. I was amazed by the way she was able to completely draw me in, and I had goose bumps when she had finished. I’m telling you the truth when I say that the scenes with the kids were the best scenes in the movie.
The music is also excellent throughout the movie, but it would have been nice if they would have composed a single piece which stood out and would have been remembered. Spielberg always used to work with John Williams on his previous projects, but Michael Giacchino did a terrific job. In case you aren’t familiar with Williams, if you’ve watched Jaws, Indiana Jones, Superman, Star Wars, and even Harry Potter, then you know his music. He was involved with the composition of all of the incredible themes heard throughout those movies. It would have been nice to have him attached to another project, since it’s been a long time since he’s composed a memorable theme.
I haven’t even mentioned the 'mysterious creature 'yet. Hopefully you realized from the commercials that a creature was involved in this movie. Regardless, it doesn’t really give anything away. Throughout the movie, most people are waiting for the creature to be revealed, but the center of attention lies on the kids. You will see when you watch the movie that even though the main plot of the movie involves the alien, you are still focused on the kids and the relationships they deal with. It’s a movie with many different elements, all of which draw you in, and in the end, leave you with a warm feeling as you exit the theater.
8.5/10
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