SUPER 8 (REVIEW)
Rated M 105 mins
Joel Courtney, Jessica Tuck, Ron Eldard, Elle Fanning, Bruce Greenwood,
Amanda Michalka, Kyle Chandler
It had to happen eventually and trust Hollywood royalty
Steven Spielberg to do it. 'Super 8' captures the youthful innocence
and feeling of spirit and adventure of a group of small heroes with
more than a hint of his classic 'E.T' put in to enlighten the emotions.
Although not directed by the maestro, that honour is by the man behind
the brilliant 'Star Trek' reboot, J J Abrams, the creator of the friendly
alien saga phoning home has his stamp all over it as producer.
A group of bike-riding kids making an abstract home movie
with a super 8 camera to enter a local film festival are witness to
a mysterious train crash in the summer of 1979. Soon afterwards, they
begin to notice odd events around their usually sleepy small Ohio town.
Suspicions arise about whether the train crash was an accident or not
with further strange incidents alerting the children that most of the
adults seem not to notice, at first. From out of the wreckage something
has escaped, something unfamiliar to earth as we know it.
Following instincts and their own brand of detective work,
the group of kids uncover what appears to be a monster - whether friendly
or not is unknown at this stage. However, the quiet nature around this
particular whistle-stop are about to change. Thankfully the extra-terrestrial
is not revealed at first, keeping the momentum of suspense in full force
and I am not going ruin that tense build up for any viewer. The human
aspects of the movie keep it grounded between the science fiction nostalgia,
but don't be fooled, a pure kids flick this is not.
'Super 8' engages the sense of memory of the era through
songs, the fashions, and a time when a child's imagination was far more
exciting than any computer game. The cast may be largely unknown but
achieve success as a collective. Standouts are the ever reliable Ron
Eldard (unforgettable in the chilling 'House of Sand & Fog') and
young Elle Fanning last seen in the underrated 'Somewhere' and little
sister to actress sister Dakota Fanning. As the adult characters try
to unravel the mystery that surrounds events, the kids follow in wonder
of what 'not of this earth' is going on.
The flashy action is riveting without holding a sense
of dread. This creature feature combines the hard lessons of children
growing up through friendships and a sense of risk in survival. Classics
such as 'The Goonies' or 'Stand by Me' immediately come to mind. The
finale is very touching, including a wisp of young love - simply just
a Spielberg effect to slow the rapid pace that has preceded for the
entire film. Take the whole family, 'Super 8' is superior entertainment.
Shane
A. Bassett
