Plot: A group of kids who are making a movie together discover a terrible secret that threatens their town which the military wants to cover up.

Review:

"Super 8" is a movie that HAS to be great for it to have a chance at success. This is what made it one of my least anticipated movies of 2011. The trailers were just too vague and I wasn't sure if it was a horror film or a drama. It's not like "X Men: First Class", which I would've seen regardless of its reception. Hell, even J.J. Abram's involvement didn't get me excited. Sure, he's done nothing but good movies, but I've yet to see anything from him that I considered great (including "Star Trek") and as I said, this movie needed to be great. So I decided that if it received negative, mixed or lukewarm reviews, I'd go ahead and wait till DVD. But then the reviews came in an and everything seemed to love the movie.

Then I saw it. I loved it. Funny how these kinds of things turned out.

Joe(Joel Courtney) struggles having a relationship with his Deputy-Sheriff Father, Jack(Kyle Chandler) after his Mother was killed in a work-related accident. Nevertheless, he has good friends and is sure to help his best friend Charles(Riley Griffiths) make a movie. All of this drama is interrupted during a night scene when they witness and barely escape a severe train crash (the teaser trailer's crash is shot from a different angle, oddly). They decide to not speak of the incident and try to finish their film amidst more drama, but the train was carrying something that causes bizarre incidents to happen. Dogs run away, people vanish, electronics are destroyed and the Military even steps in for mysterious reasons. What's going on and what's going to happen?

I facepalm whenever I see a movie like this because it achieves what should be obvious in every movie. It made me care for the characters. I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said before, but the kids are all immensely relatable and believable. They all feel like real kids in the way they talk and act, even down to a few traits that might be considered bad writing (the kid demands no one talk about the train incident but intends to use the footage he filmed for it for his movie? Bad logic, but understandably so). The dialogue is my favorite aspect of the film, as it almost single handedly keeps things moving. I found the film to be incredibly funny, which was a pleasant surprise. Yet "Super 8" is oddly moving at times with the relationships and how they are handled. Every filmmaker should remember that if you can create characters whom viewers can care for and relate too, then you're movie is instantly a success. We've made an emotional investment into your film and now want to see where it goes. Good job J.J Abrams, you've finally fully come through with this. "Cloverfield" showed his potential in this regard, but "Super 8" made this point hit home.

Now that the movie has grabbed our hearts, it makes the drama and horror hit harder. I'm not sure I would call the film a horror film, but it's not far from it. Imagine "Stand By Me" in that it is a coming of age story, but imagine a horror backdrop. There are some genuinely unsettling and creepy moments and because I cared for the characters, the suspense hits harder. Yet J.J is sure to be classy with everything. The film is full of winning shots. Many are there to just look good, but they usually add something to the mix. The final bit with the locket, for example, is a great shot in itself. It's even better when you consider what it means. J.J Abrams mostly lets the story tell itself, but whenever he can add to it with his visual style, he is sure to do so.

Once again, I'm going to have to repeat what everyone else is saying. J.J's work on "Super 8" reminds me (and everyone else who saw it) of classic Spielberg. Many feel Spielberg has lost it, although I mostly disagree. However, I do think Spielberg knows he isn't quite as good as he used to be which might explain why he has so many producing credits. J.J ultimately decided to make a classic Spielberg movie, as it seems to evoke all the classics from "Jaws" (in its handling of suspense), "E.T" (human drama through the eyes of a boy), and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"(a movie I disliked, but shares "Super 8"'s ability to dazzle the eyes). Roger Ebert said that it felt like a lost Spielberg classic and I agree. It's not a homage in its references (although apparently there were many), but it is a homage in its quality.

Is everything perfect? No. Everyone, including fans, seem to think the 3rd act was a let-down and I mostly agree. When we see what the 'thing'(for lack of a better word) is, the CGI is kinda......eh. It doesn't look bad, but I didn't think it looked great. Although with that said, it wasn't a major letdown for me as I dug the design. However, I felt the film became a bit rushed at this point. I kept imagining Abrams writing 75% of this movie before showing it to Spielberg, who declared it as nothing short of amazing but that it's missing a few things that they had previously discussed in meetings. Things like the final confrontation with the military, how they learn about 'the thing', the relationship with the 'Father's' and how that's concluded.......I then imagine Abrams realizing that he forgot all of that and quickly including all of that in the script. I just felt everything is dropped on us too quickly at the end and I didn't feel any of these traits were explored enough in the second act. Perhaps it's because the movie isn't sure if it wants to follow Joe and his friends fully or if it wants to be just as much about Joe's Father and his investigation. Sometimes, the two plots don't coincide with each other very well. Still, I didn't think the film crashed during its 3rd act or anything. It's still compelling and exciting......it's just not as great as the rest of the movie.

"Super 8" was great. Yes, the more objective traits of filmmaking that are important can be found here: Excellent cinematography, music, acting, style, etc. But the story seems to mean something to Abrams in the same way that Spielberg's early works seemed to mean to him. The film has heart, and that's what propels "Super 8" from being a good movie to being a great one. Yet if you don't find yourself attached to the characters, you'll probably be largely underwhelmed. So when I say it is a great film, I refer more to my experience with it. It was a great experience, even if the final act didn't quite live up to the first two thirds of the movie.

Violence: Rated PG-13. Some grisly moments.

Nudity: None.

Overall: I strongly recommend that everyone check out "Super 8". They just don't make movies like this anymore.  

3.5/4 Stars