'Super 8' - A Magical Movie That Fails To Make It's Own Noise
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 8:50AM 
This was a movie I had been looking forward to for quite sometime and really thought it would be the movie of the summer, however I will have to admit I was somewhat disappointed with J.J. Abrams effort in this one. It was E.T. meets Cloverfield, just a little more mysterious and drawn out in my opinion. While the beginning of this film was very strong, having an excellent build up to this "mysterious creature", the second half of the movie was really it's downfall. There was too much hype and mystery surrounding this film, for an ending that was pretty predictable and average for a mind like J.J. Abram's. This is not a review that will rip apart the movie as it is still a movie to go and see but one that fell short of my expectations for the summer blockbuster I had hoped for. Almost instantly from the films opening scene, you can already feel the Abrams/Spielberg collaboration kicking in, especially when we are first introduced to the remarkable young cast in the film. It has the Lost-esque feeling from the depressing first scene, even displaying similar tones playing in the background reminiscent to certain flashbacks we witnessed on mysterious TV show. Super 8 wasn't a bad film but any means but it just didn't seem to have the magic I thought I was in for.
Super 8 displayed the thrills, laughs, special effects and adventure we were assured to see from these two filmmakers but it just failed to make it's own noise and separate itself from others movies in the same genre we have seen in the past. Regardless of this, J.J. Abrams being the man of action he is really put together some quite impressive scenes. The train crash scene was absolutely spectacular and long, which was amazing. It was loud, explosive, hectic and edited with perfection by Abrams. That scene in my opinion really made this movie, it was one of the better action scenes I have seen in a long time on the big screen. This derailment is the films big piece and really was absolutely fantastic. He really is a fantastic director of suspense, build up and mysterious films and this movie really proves that once again.
Another strong point to this film were the performances of a talented and strong cast of almost unknown young actors, led by Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. Courtney and Fanning were both spectacular in this film. Courtney, playing the lead role of Joe Lamb really sold himself on screen transforming from a soft spoken kid to an eventual hero with plenty of courage he never thought he had. Fanning, the most known actor of the bunch, was also spectacular and I can see why directors all wanna work with her. Fanning and Courtney really balance their roles out perfectly and form the strongest emotional relationship in the film.Though Fanning is as also stellar in her role (having a pretty solid resume at only 13 years old), it was Courtney's story of how he landed the role that really made me believe this kid has some serious natural talent. Joel Courtney, brother of actor Caleb Courtney apparently went to Hollywood to land a few commericals and $100 in his pocket but instead landed the lead role in a Spielberg/Abrams summer blockbuster film. When thing's like this happen, especially when it has a Spielberg seal of approval, you know that Joel's career will be a long one after his outstanding performance in this film. All the kids in Super 8 (Riley Griffiths, Zach Mills, Gabriel Basso, and of course Ryan Lee) all seem to have great chemistry in the film, and really make their relationship feel real with their honest and genuine performances. The adults, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, also all gave some raw and real performances.
This film just could have been done a lot better, and really doesn't hold a candle to E.T. (like it is seldom compared to) as it doesn't create it's own magic and noise to it's full potential. It has all the thrills, action, and comedic relief you look for but is missing a story that fails to develop into something special. The ending was somewhat predictable and the mystery of this creature that we never got to see in the trailer. Super 8 is a mystical homage to Spielberg's work in E.T., but just doesn't quite measure up to Spielberg's classic sci-fi. I respect Abrams for his attempt at making a film that stand alongside such a classic, and did a pretty good job for a modern day film, but comes up a little short with his lack of inspiration. It is definitely a flattering film, just comes up a little short of the real thing we expected like we saw with E.T. in 1982. This shortfall will drop my rating of what I thought would have been a guaranteed A to a solid B in my books. This isn't to say you shouldn't go see it in theaters because Super 8 is definitely one of those films that is a better experience on the big screen with big sound, and of course your movie candy to snack on. Get to a theater near you quick!
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