Super 8

Abrams is a trendsetter, not a plagiarist, and this split between the creator's founding and the essence of his project can be seen in Super 8. But that's not the only schism: consider that Super 8 is supposed to be a children's movie, but it's actually much more for the "dad" generation. The current "youth with headphones on" (to paraphrase one of the film's characters) has little chance of applauding the precision of the compliments J.J. pays to the great master, and I, as a generational target suckled by Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T., was wrong about the ending, which was clearly directed at greedy audiences suckled by rather modern blockbusters. Abrams should have just made a choice - either totally consistent retro or updated modernity. I can't say I didn't enjoy Super 8 on the contrary. The first half in particular is luxurious, and when I remembered in one ultra-Spielberg scene that I was sitting in the same movie theatre where I had once breathlessly watched E.T. in the days of normalization, if felt pleasant goosebumps go over my body. Unfortunately, the goosebumps did not last through the finale, where the mysterious originator of all the phenomenon unmasks himself and looks too forgettable. And the kids are right when they say to themselves so often: "Shut up, already!" They should indeed have shut up. The version with dubbing is a clear ***, aware of the atrocious one-liners spoken by the little Czech bastards, I conditionally give to the fairly questionable project of J.J. Abrams one extra star. (08/25/2011)

The spirit of the late seventies / early eighties and a bunch of kids setting out for adventure. And it’s good, really good. The kid actors can actually act, suspenseful at times and it simply works as it should, until an unbelievably over the top ending where the eighties feel crumbles in Abrams’ hands because the movie turns into a modern blockbuster à la Cloverfield and not what it was emulating up until then (and making reference to) in other words E.T., The Goonies, Stand By Me and It. Paradoxically, in spite of the finale, it applies here that “all’s well that ends well" thanks to the outstanding zombie credits with a typical Abrams punchline concerning the title. In any case, I am content, but not as enthusiastic as I was about Son of Rambow. That movie managed what Super 8 did. Only better, less flashily and overall more pleasantly and sincerely. Well, although... We can find this during the closing credits of Super 8 too, I’m telling you. (09/14/2011)

It is evident that nostalgia does a lot because Abrams made his film as a clear tribute to Spielberg's 80s family sci-fi films E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Not only does he keep up with them, but at least when it comes to effects, cinema has advanced a bit, making it a more enticing spectacle for today's audience. Such a train derailment and subsequent catastrophe full of explosions and flying wagons must bring excitement to every fan of flashy blockbusters. Nevertheless, Abrams received considerably weaker reception and significant doubts. After all, in terms of subject matter and directorial style, today's cinema has moved somewhere else, more toward comic book and video game adaptations. As for Abrams' direction, I can't fault anything, he has a good eye for casting child actors and Elle Fanning is so adorable to the point that praising her to express my sympathies toward this young actress would risk accusations of pedophilia. Abrams knows how to work well with child actors and has a sense for careful tension-building. But what can I say, I have also outgrown this production, and when I recently revisited Spielberg's filmography, films like Jaws, Duel, etc., despite being old, they still worked on me just as they did before, but Close Encounters and E.T. really disappointed me. It's just not the same anymore. Overall impression: 55%. (06/23/2014)

Super 8, whose first teaser was released a year before the premiere, is an ambitious project that recycles all of the clichés of the genre and the period. J.J. Abrams is brilliant in the technical aspects, but the scope of his imagination and sense of consistency are not enough to create an equally brilliant script. This is evidenced by the film’s biggest shortcoming – the sloppy, stupid ending. Super 8 is not boring, and it has a nice 1980s atmosphere and skillful child actors, but it lacks suspense and surprises. It’s a wannabe horror (and let’s be frank – unnecessary) version of E.T., which an older viewer will watch without much excitement, while the contemporary teen audience, raised on Lord of the Rings, The Matrix and Twilight, won’t find anything of interest in it. Abrams should have paid homage to a great artist who inspired him to become a film enthusiast in the form of a letter instead of keeping us in anticipation of a remarkable film event for a whole year, in vain. (09/08/2011)

Both Abrams and Spielberg used 8mm cameras to preserve their first forays into filmmaking for future generations. It’s up to you whether you appreciate or condemn the fact that Super 8 raises questions as to which of them actually directed the film. The sci-fi plot isn’t entirely meaningless, but it essentially serves as a MacGuffin (symbolically entering the story together with a train) that aids the development of the characters and the relationships between them. The increasingly tense situations accelerate the process of growing up, which happens in relation to the protagonist’s parents. Joe has to accept the death of one of them and the authority of the other, who comes to understand that he can leave some responsibility to his son (and thus also let up on his excessive strictness). As in early Spielberg films with adolescents, basically ordinary characters become heroes when coming face to face with an extraordinary adventure. Super 8 also references films such as The Sugarland Express, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by situating the plot in a small American town and through its interest in a family whose cohesiveness is a crucial condition for a happy ending. Abrams managed to seamlessly combine a 1970s family drama with action for the 21st century, though he doesn’t show the same skill in directing the dialogue scenes as he does in the dynamic action sequences, when it doesn’t matter at all that a bunch of kids are running away from an unknown danger. More than other films, Super 8 will please those who love movies, and not necessarily only Spielberg’s films. It humorously draws attention to the make-believe of film, especially during the good forty-minute introduction, an enchanting tribute to all amateur filmmakers (it’s just fake blood). But most of the scenes are pervaded by an amusing nostalgia, including making light of certain “rules” in earlier films of the same type (“Since when is this guy the boss?”). It’s Joe, the film’s protagonist, who is in charge of the special effects and masks in the micro-crew. He passes off reality as more attractive, offering what life itself doesn’t provide. Which, as we well know, is what movies do. Of course, it’s not a bad thing to be reminded of this from time to time by the people who make the movies. 80% (09/10/2011)