The first time I learned about Super 8 was when my cinema buddy told me about it. That was only a few months ago, but since then I have seen trailers, posters and articles on the film which have all whet my appetite.
The main attraction for me is that this is J.J. Abrams new movie. I was a huge fan of his TV show Alias and his reboot of Star Trek was, in my opinion, one of the best movies of 2009. So to say I was looking forward to Super 8 is a bit of an understatement. Trepidation soon overtook my excitement however, when I saw the posters proclaiming Super 8 to be 'The film of the summer, hands down'. Let's be honest, how often can you rely on the advise of a film critic?
Mmm, on that note, let's get on with the synopsis! At the start of the movie we meet Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney), a young boy who has just lost his mother. His father, understandably struggling with his wife's sudden death, has decided to send Joe off to camp for the summer under the proviso that he doesn't approve of Joe's friends, or the monster movie they are attempting to make. Joe, being a typical teenage boy, decides to go against his father's wishes and continues to help his friend Charles (Riley Griffiths) to make the movie. Charles manages to enlist the help of their school crush Alice (Elle Fanning), to be their lift to the nearby train station for a night shoot, in exchange for giving her a part in the film. During the shoot, the kids witness a train being intentionally derailed by one of their school teachers and capture footage of something escaping one of the carriages.
For once in my life I am going to agree with a piece of marketing about a film and say that the poster is right. This is, hands down, move over Optimus and Harry Potter, the movie of the summer. I can't heap enough praise on Super 8. The characters are all brilliant, the story keeps you hooked from the opening scene of Joe's mother's funeral to the spectacular end, it harks back to so many 80's movies where friendship is the key factor, it's just, well, super.
The kid characters in the movie could all be such clichés, the fat kid, the geek, the crush etc but the kids playing them are all so good that you never feel like they're just a bunch of clichés. And at some point they all go against type, I imagine specifically so they can't be pigeonholed into those stereotypes.
*SPOILER ALERT*
The only very minor criticism I have is that for the most part, you don't have any idea what the alien looks like, or how big it is. Thankfully, this is rectified before the end of the film so Super 8 narrowly misses having the same fate as Battle: Los Angeles.
*END SPOILER ALERT*
Overall this is a fantastic creation by J.J. and one which you can tell was a labour of love for him to make. It owes a lot to Spielberg, which makes it all the more bittersweet that he produced the film. Just go and see the film of the summer and make sure you stay after the fade out as you get to see the kids finished film as the credits roll. Which is amazing in itself.
I wish I could say that Super 8 gets a Super 8 as that would be Super Gr8, but it deserves it's 9 and that's just fine. 9 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 5th August 2011
UK Release Date - 5th August 2011
Cast Overview:
Joel Courtney ~ Joe Lamb
Kyle Chandler ~ Jackson Lamb
Elle Fanning ~ Alice Dainard
Riley Griffiths ~ Charles
Ryan Lee ~ Cary
Gabriel Basso ~ Martin
Zach Mills ~ Preston
Ron Eldard ~ Louis Dainard
Director/Writer ~ J.J. Abrams
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