There’s something remarkable about Super 8 – something apart from an infinitely crashing train, a frustratedly stranded extraterrestrial, and child acting residing on the polar opposite side of what you hopefully missed in The Last Airbender. As stunning and evocative as Super 8‘s components are, the film’s overall ability to merge mainstream moviemaking with esoteric themes is truly exceptional. You may leave the theater wanting more from its particulars, but when hasn’t that been the case with a J. J. Abrams production? Far from being disappointed by Super 8, I’d color myself surprised at worst and thoroughly entertained at best.
Super 8 is an imperfect film, but it manages to succeed where so many similar stories fail. First off, creating a story of intrigue – something the audience can latch onto. 13-year-old Joe Lamb is the focal character in a group of some seriously talented young actors whose stories account for a majority of Super 8. While following the youths on a quest to shoot a zombie film we really get to know each individual’s perspective and personality in ways that never seem forced or unrealistic. Hell, remove the action sequences from the film and you’ve got a nominee for all sorts of “best dramedy” awards. It takes a special tact to pull off the balancing act of infusing a dramatic thriller with comedic moments, and between Abrams’s eloquence in writing and the childrens’ ability to perform, the laughs were peppered in quite nicely and again never once felt out of place.
So you’re sitting in a monster movie for about an hour and you suddenly realize you have no idea what the big baddie looks like. You must be watching Cloverfield, right? I may be planting this flag a bit late in the game but if you’re expecting more of the same from J. J. Abrams’s last mysterious creature romp-and-stomp, don’t. Super 8 and Cloverfield are entirely different productions, although they share some similarities, they’re still distinct enough that I’m surprised Super 8‘s marketing team focused heavily on the unearthly being aspect. The film itself retains that focus but to a much smaller degree, giving the youngsters (Joe and love interest Alice, especially) the center stage and surrounding that stage with unimaginable chaos. It’s a slow build but it’s absolutely worthwhile; Abrams carefully crafts a relatable world for audiences to connect with before injecting it with massive doses of physical destruction and epic terrors.
As fellow WRS contributor Chris Balan pointed out to me, Super 8 has a very nostalgic feel that’s reminiscent of elder Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus productions. If you enjoyed the magnificence of E.T.‘s grand adventure or the feel-good vibes of The Goonies, Super 8 is up your alley. I could’ve done without the cheesy non-ending that comes alongside producing an ’80s alien adventure, but even its predictability can be overlooked when considering its genuine nature. The climax of Super 8 doesn’t come off corny because it is; it comes off corny because happy endings and unlikely reuniting have somehow become the bane of otherwise quality movies. It’s an oddly refreshing way to experience a rather played-out scenario.
Super 8 held my hopes high in the air, and despite not getting what I wanted out of it, what I did get was arguably better. My anticipation was to see something Cloverfield-like at least in terms of consistant suspense and action around every corner. What was presented was a delicately woven tale of bravery, of horror, of suspense, and mostly of fun. Joe and his friends’ ambitions are an absolute delight to follow and the results of military tampering and negligence offers a clash of worlds that hasn’t been seen since Spielberg took the helm of Wells’s classic. Super 8 may not be the pinnacle achievement everyone hopes each new J. J. Abrams production will be, but it’s easily another piece to add to his ever-growing collection of filmic gems.
