Set in the 1980s (well, 1979 actually), Super 8 focuses on a young boy who, with his friends, comes across an alien who is trying to get back to his homeworld. Yeah, it isn’t difficult to see where the comparisons to ET came from is it? It’s even produced by Steven Spielberg himself. Of course being likened to one of the best science fiction movies of all time is hardly a bad thing, and in fairness it is different enough to stand on its own two feet.
I’m not too sure how well this movie did in the UK though considering it was released way after it graced American cinemas. I don’t understand why the studio did this, they had little competition throughout earlier months but chose to bring it out in August. That would have severely hindered their box office figures due to the age old scourge that is piracy.
People could have just as easily picked up a pirated copy and watched that rather than wait for the movie to be released in cinemas. While everyone in the US were buzzing about how good Super 8 was, all of us in the UK had to sit on our hands and wait. I’m not surprised so many people just picked up a pirate copy or simply downloaded the film off the internet.
Anyway, the movie itself is actually very very good, the best thing J.J. Abrams has ever done (I never got into Lost). It has a feeling to it that’s reminiscent to the old 80s science fiction movies (like ET) which is something the world of cinema has been missing. Modern sci-fi just doesn’t have the same feel to it, and it tends to lean towards the horror hybrid these days.
One thing that impressed me most in the movie was the acting in it, mainly from the children involved, The main character: Joe, is played by a kid called Joel Courtney who has close to zero acting experience, and yet here he is acting in a J.J. Abrams blockbuster. He’s very impressive indeed and the same goes for all the child actors involved.
There really is no excuse for poor child actors these days, and yet out of all movies or television shows featuring children, 95% of them are woeful. Jake Lloyd is a good example, the amount of money spent on Jingle All the Way and they pair Schwarzenegger with Jake Lloyd!? It’s just madness! Oh yeah and he was in that Star Wars movie people don’t like as well…
I seem to see it all the time these days, it‘s one of my biggest bug bears. I remember watching a double episode of this season’s Doctor Who called ‘The Rebel Flesh’. The whole episode was very dramatic, very emotional and really got you into it. The only thing was they brought in a child actor who had ZERO acting ability. The story was about people being cloned and the copies believing they were the real people. They fight and what not and eventually make up; one of the real characters gets killed and it’s up to the clone to stand in and be the father to his son. All very emotional I’m sure you’ll agree. The clone goes to meet his son with tears in his eyes, poignant music plays in the background and then the child turns and says “Daddy you‘re back” with absolutely nothing behind it at all. It just ruined the whole thing.
My point is this: if you are spending millions on a TV show or movie why oh why are you skimping on child actors? The Doctor Who child was no doubt one of the production teams nephew, he had to be. It can ruin the credentials of any movie or television show, what’s the point?
Anyway back to Super 8. There isn’t much I can find wrong with it to be honest. The only part I didn’t get was towards the beginning when all the kids are filming at the train station as a high speed freight train shoots past them. At this point an old man drives onto the track in a white pickup truck and goes hell-for-leather towards the oncoming train. The two collide and for some reason the train starts doing somersaults. Carriages flipping everywhere, explosions, derailment, the whole shebang. Here’s my question: how?
This is a freight train with at least 30 carriages that must weigh tonnes upon tonnes. How in God’s name does a little white van get in its way and cause so much catastrophe? Not only that but the van survives largely undamaged! And the old man lived! That’d be like a car driving down the motorway at 70mph and a fly hitting the windscreen and causing the whole vehicle to be engulfed into a raging fireball while it performed a 720 degree flip before shattering into 17 million tiny pieces while the fly goes home and tells his mates how his day went. I must have missed something there.
That point aside though, this movie is a good one. One of the best films of the year with a fantastic cast, good storyline, great action sequences, nostalgia, tension, suspense and surprises. If you haven’t seen it then I suggest you do so (by purchasing a legitimate copy of the DVD when it comes out).
Super 8 is a welcome addition to the genre and shows what we’ve been missing. It’s an old breath of fresh air straight from the 80s. Why can’t more sci-fi movies be more like this?
Final Verdict: 4 Stars. One of the highlights of the year.
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