“Holy Shit! That’s Mint!” Super 8 is a combination of the classic sci-fi films we have all grown to love but made fresh for the 21st century while still being set in the past. Don’t worry, I won’t have any spoilers in the review but honestly, you can’t spoil this movie…it’s just genuinely beautiful. Every portion of it and every direction they chose to take the story was spot on. I was on the edge of my seat and smiling throughout the whole experience. I’ll come clean…this was my most anticipated movie of the year so I had high hopes and they were exceeded. With writer/director J.J. Abrams at the helm and Steven Spielberg backing him, you know you’re in for a treat.
A group of childhood friends are working to put a movie together for a film festival as they stumble on an extraordinary plot. Charles (Riley Griffiths) is the director with his bossy attitude and hilarious one liners and real time commentary of everything going on. All the kids are wonderful with a tight knit group feeling reminiscent of The Goonies. The main focus is on Charles’ best friend since kindergarten Joe (Joel Courtney). Coincidentally, his father is the deputy of the town of Lillian and one of the only faces you might recognize from this fresh cast (Kyle Chandler). You might also recognize Elle Fanning who does an astonishing job as Alice Dainard: the cute girl most of the boys are afraid to talk to. Her acting skills in both the kids’ movie and Abrams’ movie will blow you away.
Elle Fanning is Super!
The movie is quick, fun and enticingly interesting. The movie does have a lot of the sci-fi cliches but it goes about them in all the right ways. The story progressively builds as more mysteries get unravelled while they keep reminding you of the mysteries before. Don’t worry, they didn’t pull another Lost and you’ll be able to figure out everything and still have some things to interpret yourself. Super 8 is definitely not one-dimensional (and thankfully not in 3D either!) but it’s also not too complex so almost anybody (sci-fi fan or not) can sit down and enjoy it. From start to finish, it’s a well packaged film that reminds all other filmmakers what a movie should be. The music is great and you’ll be singing along to the classics and enjoying the painstaking details to make this movie feel like it was shot in a time forgotten.
The Super 8 gang shooting their own movie
Remarkably, however, the movie is still fresh and feels like it belongs in our time. The dialogue is smart and fluid allowing the movie to bring you into this nerdy group as one of their own. Parents beware: they do use pretty much every curse word they could get away with in a PG-13 (“f”-bomb and “p” word included). Even with that though, the movie is very wholesome and teaches some great lessons. I loved the social commentary they threw in for us with outbursts like, “No one likes coffee!” and “Kids walking around with their own stereos (walkmen)…it’s a slippery slope!” There are going to be tons of quotes from this movie that will be repeated for decades to come…a cult classic!
Charles (Riley Griffiths) and Joe (Joel Courtney) in Super 8
I’m not saying that Super 8 is an instant classic but it will find it’s audience and they will love it. This is yet another win for nerds and geeks because the main group is a bunch of outcasts that bind together. One is pudgy, one is a pyrotechnic, another is a not-so-smart scardy cat and another does makeup and makes models. Anyone can relate to the characters in this film though because they’re real and genuine. It’s difficult for a movie to create their own world these days with the majority of recent movies adapting other sources like comic books but Super 8 is an adaption of childhood dreams and imagination. That might sound corny, but once you see it, you’ll understand. It’s a wonderful movie and holds my hopes that filmmakers can continue to make inspiring pieces of vision. As J.J. Abrams was inspired by movies before him, his work will surely inspire young filmmakers after him. It was bliss and you just need to see it before you’re the last one who hasn’t!
Tags: Elle Fanning, J.J. Abrams, Joel Courtney, Kyle Chandler, Riley Griffiths, Steven Spielberg, Super 8
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
