Super 8 Review

Almost thirty years ago, promising new director Steven Spielberg changed the way we looked at summer filmmaking with a little movie called E.T. It was truly the first of its kind, perfectly balancing emotional depth with big-budget production values to craft one of the most intelligent films of the century. Now, we have Super 8, which obviously looks to recapture the essence of that legendary film by uniting the legendary Spielberg as a producer and director J.J. Abrams (Star Trek). Though this isn’t technically his movie, Super 8 feels much more like a Spielberg production than it does a product of Abrams’ directing. Although Super 8 is really a monster movie more than the uplifting tale of childhood innocence, it takes a few large and obvious queues from E.T.. This might sound like a criticism, but sharing traits with such a landmark film has its fair share of benefits, and in the end Super 8’s many strengths outweigh its handful of problems.

It’s hard to outline the film without giving away some key plot points, so I’ll tell all I can without letting spoilers slip. Super 8 centers around thirteen year old Joe Lamb who lives in the small town of Lillian, Ohio. In the aftermath of his mother’s death, he finds escape from his home life with a troubled father in making monster movies with a small group of friends, their main tool being a Super 8 Camera. While filming the scene of a zombie movie, the friends find themselves witnesses (and almost victims) of the horrific wreck of a train carrying some very mysterious cargo. After fleeing the scene, they find themselves surrounded by strange disappearances, seemingly random criminal acts and strange canine behavior. As the mystery deepens, Joe finds the terrifying truth growing personal, and sets out to discover the secrets of what happened that night on the train track. The setup is incredibly intriguing, and the production team has obviously been working around the clock to keep any and all spoilers off the web. In fact, the premise has been kept almost entirely under wraps since the film began production. 

Say what you will about the film’s homage to classic cinema efforts (largely E.T.), but at heart Super 8 is a monster movie. It provides a suitable emotional level that explores relationships and dormant struggles between characters, and by the end of the movie, I found myself truly caring what the outcome to the film was. I didn’t want to say goodbye to these characters on a mediocre note. It was like I’d gotten to know them. Super 8 provides these elements almost expertly, but ultimately the film centers around the audience’s inevitable curiosity towards the resolution to the incredibly puzzling and very intelligent mystery. In fact, it would have been almost impossible for one to guess the outcome without any outside knowledge until the film wraps itself up. It’s a fun experience, and one that will feel very fresh to even the most seasoned cinema veterans. Spielberg’s signature production elements are all here. State-of-the-art visual design (and a few possibly Oscar-worthy special effects), character depth, and hauntingly vivid realism amidst B-movie thrills. It all comes together in a way that is difficult to explain, and must be experienced to understand. 

I don’t usually mention this in my reviews, but I simply could not ignore it here. The music of Super 8 really is simply spectacular. Michael Giacchino has composed a score that reflects upon those of classic sci-fi films while perfectly accompanying the various twists and turns of the film it was written for.

If there’s one notable problem with Super 8, it would have to be its sudden changes of tone. Throughout the large majority of its nearly two-hour runtime, Super 8 would probably be considered a mystery/thriller with some obvious sci-fi elements tossed into the mix. However as it nears its climactic conclusion, the movie starts to take on the characteristics of an action/sci-fi mix. The entire final half-hour of the movie is a jarring mix of these genres that, although very entertaining and stylishly directed, is an extreme departure from the more gritty, realistic tone of the rest of the film. The end of the film also showcases a few questionable directory choices, as it takes obvious queues from sci-fi films of old. This was definitely a conscious choice that the filmmakers made, not an accident, but, not to give anything away, it was not the most memorable way to wrap up an otherwise extraordinarily memorable film. Having said that, if you’re a half decent person you’ll stay through the unusually entertaining credits.

Super 8 is a very difficult movie to score. Although it borrows certain ideas and elements from classic sci-fi, it is ultimately such an incredibly unique movie that I struggle to think of anything that truly mirrors it. It is a monster movie, it is a mystery, it is a thriller, but it also resides within its own genre. Abrams and Spielberg have made some brilliant collaborations here, and also took a few disappointing missteps that keep Super 8 from rocketing to the level of other sci-fi classics. However that doesn’t mean you should stay away from seeing this. It’s first-rate summer entertainment, and it’ll keep you rigorously guessing what the heck is going on all the way through to the dazzling conclusion. 

Final Score:

8.0/10
"Great"