"Super 8" Review

Three-And-A-Half-Stars

First of all, if you're worried about lens flashes, which J.J. Abrams went crazy with in his reboot of "Star Trek," don't be. He's figured out how to tone that particular visual technique down quite a bit in his lastest movie. "Super 8" really is quite a good collaboration between the up-and-coming Abrams and the well-established Steven Spielberg (one of the film's producers), one that combines the latter's story-telling with the former's filmmaking style. It has elements of family and childhood, two staples of Spielberg, interwoven with exciting mystery and suspense, two things that Abrams has done well in the past, and continues to do well in this movie.

In "Super 8," we follow a group of middle schoolers in 1979 rural Ohio who are spending their summer making a zombie movie. Joe Lamb, son of the town's police deputy, along with his friends and a girl named Alice, are shooting their movie on Super 8 film when their filming interrupted by a tremendous train crash. The crash, apparently military-related, is caught on the film the children were using to shoot their movie, and may hold the answer to all the strange things that start to happen after the crash. People start disappearing, car engines and appliances go missing, dogs run away from their homes, and the military shows up to take charge of the situation.

While all this is going on, the subplot focuses on the relationships between both Joe and Alice as well as their fathers. It's only been four months since Joe's mother was killed in an industrial accident, an accident that either could have been avoided or claimed Alice's father instead. This incident causes a great deal of antagonism to sprout up between the two men, which jeopardizes the developing friendship (and possible romance) between Joe and Alice. This subplot is intertwined well with the rest of the story, as it firmly sets up all these characters' motivations, and helps drive the story during the movie's second half.

I don't want to spoil the mystery, but I will say that "Super 8" feels like a flashy, J.J. Abrams-style re-imagination of a classic Spielberg film. And it's a pretty good adaptation. The movie starts out strong and never loses any momentum as the mystery unravels, aided by strong writing, acting, and directing. Joe and his pals are just ordinary kids, making movies in their backyards and beginning to go through adolescence, a staple of many Spielberg films. And while at times they act a bit mature for their age, their strength, again in line with the Spielberg motif of strong, thoughtful kids, is a key component of the movie. It's refreshing to watch a smart action movie that isn't adult heavy, and has children taking the lead in an intelligent way. There's just something less cynical and more heartfelt or genuine about this kind of change-up, and in a lot of ways was reminiscent of "The Goonies."

Besides some CGI overindulgence (the train crash sequence was particularly Michael Bay-esque) and a few one-dimension military personnel, the movie's pretty good. Abrams' style is felt throughout the film, and his particular visual style fits this type of movie: he knows when to go big and when to pull back and not overshadow intimate, serious, or pivotal moments. Striking that balance takes skill, and Abrams is looking more and more like the next big-time director, considering how well his previous projects have been. He also does a good job of taking that classic Spielberg story and giving it his own spin and creative touch, turning it into a unique hybrid of two genius storytellers. Every little plot line and character trait coalesce in the overall story, and in some cases tie everything together.

Rural Ohio, 1979 is another thing that worked well for the film. It hearkens back to some of Steven Spielberg's more celebrated works, and forces people to deal with things and interact with one another face to face, rather than through a cellphone or the Internet. And with most current action movies being either set in the present or period pieces that almost never take place in the 70s or 80s, it's nice to see a return to this decade and its unique, under-appreciated qualities.

But what really makes the movie works are its actors. Joel Courtney, as Joe Lamb, is excellent. His character has to deal with a lot of emotions and personal conflicts, though it does come strikingly close to Eliot from E.T., only with a less stable home life. And Elle Fanning (yes, she's related to Dakota Fanning) puts on a strong performance as Alice, as she too does a great job balance strength with emotional vulnerability. These two really steal the show from the rest of the cast. The other kids in the movie are great as well, replicating the genuine natures of Joe and Alice, as well as giving the supporting cast some depth. Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) is the film's only big name, but doesn't upstage the real stars of the film while playing Joe's dad, who's still recovering from the death of his wife.

The only faults with the movie lie in its depiction of the military and, as I mentioned before, the occasional overindulgence of CGI. Colonel Nelec, the officer in charge of the Air Force division, is the same one-dimensional military antagonist that pops up in various movies and television shows. I wish that filmmakers would take a different approach to the military, but it's almost always the same. Now, I understand that these characters can be limited by the fact that they're just following orders without question, as members of the military are supposed to do, so I think my issue with filmmakers is the mindset they attach to the military regarding the subject of "Super 8"'s mystery. Just once I'd like to see the military take a smarter, less adversarial approach towards these situations in film.

As you might imagine, the collaboration of J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg was quite a success, combining both of their storytelling abilities into one fun-filled ride. I expect Abrams to get better and better as a director, as he's proving to be one of this generation's most visionary filmmakers. I'd like to see him expand his repertoire a bit and move beyond some of the same characteristics that a few of his movies and television shows have, but he certainly knows what he's doing right, as he's shown in "Super 8." It's smart, suspenseful, nostalgic, and hits all the right notes. And it's one of the few movies I've seen recently that has rewatchability, something that's hard to achieve.

Until next time, Orange Hat Guy